By the time Sadie got home, it was already dark.
The butler stepped forward. “Your brothers and Ms. Houston are having dinner out with the others. They won’t be back tonight.”
“Okay.”
Sadie headed to the dining room and quietly ate by herself–for once, enjoying the rare peace and quiet.
She unlocked her phone and, unsurprisingly, saw a new post from Lorena.
Lorena: [Out for a fancy dinner with my favorite brothers.]
In the photo, all her brothers were smiling indulgently at the camera, doting on her like she was the star of the family.
Sadie stared at it for a second, then closed the app and went back to eating in silence.
The next morning, Sadie got up and went to the dining room for breakfast.
None of her brothers had shown up yet–only Lorena was there.
Lorena beamed smugly. “I made a lot of progress at training yesterday!”
Sadie sat down, ate her breakfast without saying a word, and completely ignored her.
But Lorena didn’t mind the cold treatment–she was in high spirits.
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She thought, Sure, act all calm on the outside. Deep down, she must be seething‘
Sadie finished her food in just a few bites and got up to leave.
The driver stood nearby but didn’t move. “Ms. Houston hasn’t come out yet. We’re supposed to wait and take you both together.”
Sadie got in the car and waited… ten minutes passed. Still no sign of
Lorena.
She glanced at the time, growing more and more irritated. “If she doesn’t come soon, we’re going to be late.”
She was really starting to lose her patience with the entire Douglas family.
Finally, she reached for the door handle, ready to leave on her own.
Just then, Malik stepped out.
“What’s the big deal about waiting a little longer for Lorena?” he snapped. “Her dad saved your life, remember? He didn’t run off and leave you. And now you can’t even wait a few minutes for his daughter?”
Sadie’s hand tightened around the door handle, knuckles white.
Just as Sadie was reaching the edge of her patience, Lorena finally appeared–unbothered and running late as usual.
She jogged over with a sheepish smile. “Sorry! I was just talking to Rhett about the team and totally lost track of time.”
Malik brushed it off with a chuckle. “It’s fine. At least you’re doing something useful for the family–unlike someone else who doesn’t know how to appreciate what they have.”
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The driver added kindly. “Don’t worry, I’ll drive a little faster.”
Even with the extra speed, they still ended up late.
By the time they arrived at school, their homeroom teacher was already standing at the classroom door.
Lorena, looking a bit flustered, spoke first. “I’m really sorry. This was all my fault. I held Sadie up too.”
Sadie said nothing, her face completely blank.
The teacher gave Lorena a warm smile. “It’s alright. No need to explain. Go on in.”
“Thank you.”
Sadie followed her in, but just as she stepped through the door, the teacher’s tone suddenly turned cold.
“Sadie, don’t drag Lorena down with you again. I won’t tolerate this kind of behavior next time.”
Sadie paused and looked back. “But Lorena just said it was her fault.”
The teacher’s smile vanished. “Don’t talk back. I know your attitude. One more word and you can stand for the rest of the class.”
Sadie bit her tongue and walked to her seat. She didn’t want to miss. another lesson–she was already behind.
‘Just get through the next exam,‘ she thought. ‘The sooner I’m out of here, the better.‘
At lunch break-
Lorena was surrounded by classmates, animatedly talking about her
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doctors
training with the pro team. Her audience was all cars, hanging on every word.
One of her friends shot a glance at Sadie and whispered. “She probably made you late on purpose. Jealousy’s a scary thing.”
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