After being forcefully kissed by Mason, Veronica was worried about how to face him since they were in the same class and sat next to each other.
But the next day, Mason didnât come to school, which made Veronica feel relieved.
He didnât come to school, which is fine, at least itâs not too awkward!
She never thought that he had such feelings for her.
Love?
No, she didnât think it was love. It was more like possessiveness, like a child who doesnât want to share their toys with other kids.
But now, she has become this âtoyâ.
In the following days, Mason didnât come to school, and even the teachers asked Veronica for the reason.
Veronica could only answer that she didnât know.
However, she had a vague feeling that his absence from school might be related to what happened in the private room been to school for several days. Archer and Rosalind kept asking Veronica for the reason, but Veronica still answered the same â she didnât know.
Archer and Rosalind were also helpless about this. They couldnât force Veronica to tell them what happened.
Lionel, Veronicaâs younger brother, sneaked into her room one evening just after she finished her homework.
âSis!â Lionel said, âMason hasnât been to school for several days now. Arenât you worried?â
Veronica pursed her lips and said, âWhat do I have to worry about? The Reed family can hire renowned teachers from top universities to teach him. Even if he doesnât come to school for a year, his exam results wonât suffer.â
Lionel raised his eyebrows and asked, âWhat happened between you and Mason?â
âItâs nothing, just the same as before,â said Veronica.
Lionel insisted, âThere must be something. Did you have a fight with Mason? Did he do something to make you angry?â
Veronicaâs movements stiffened for a moment.
Angry things⦠For a moment, she didnât know what exactly made her angry, whether it was Mason treating her and Danielâs relationship as a bargaining chip, or him forcibly kissing her, completely shattering the sibling-like bond between them.
âDonât guess randomly, itâs none of those!â Veronica denied, not wanting to tell Lionel the real reason.
Her relationship with this half-brother from the same father is not very good.
When they were young, they were like water and fire, but later on, Mason returned to her roots, which elevated her status in the Barlow family.
And this half-brother, who shares the same father, but has a different mother, is quite clever. Plus, their father and stepmother said some things to him, so later on, Lionel would flatter her for no reason, and every time he ate something delicious, he would also try to please her by giving her a portion. As a result, over time, there was no conflict between the two of them.
Veronica finds some things about her own brother that she doesnât quite agree with.
The stepmother and father both dote on this younger brother, especially after the Barlow family became associated with the Reed family and their living conditions improved. This naturally attracted some people who wanted to climb the social ladder. Meanwhile, Lionel associates with some delinquent students and even some troublemakers in society.
Those people were trying to flatter Lionel because of his connection to the Reed family. Unfortunately, his father and stepmother were proud of it, so even when she tried to remind them, it had no effect.