Chapter 2

The next morning, the mansion was in an uproar.

Several servants were carrying things out, and pots of flowers were piled up by the door.

"From now on, nothing having to do with flowers is allowed in the house. Mr. Pruitt is allergic to pollen and can't stand the smell of it."

I stood at the top of the stairs and watched as every flower I had grown for two whole years was thrown into the garbage truck.

A maid walked past me, muttering under her breath.

"I heard Miss Roman and Mr. Henson have even gotten their divorce papers."

"It must be pretty awkward for Mr. Henson to still be living here..."

I didn't say anything and went downstairs.

Liam Pruitt stood in the living room, leaning on a cane.

The moment he saw me, his face turned wounded.

"Zachary, I know you don't like me. But you can't go sending me a text to curse me, can you? That's so unlucky."

I looked up at him.

"I didn't send anything."

Maureen stood off to the side, her gaze as cold as ice.

"If you didn't send it, who would? If you hadn't sent that kind of message and scared Liam so badly that he fell down the stairs, he wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Liam lowered his head, his voice very soft.

"Never mind, Maureen, it's probably just a misunderstanding."

Maureen's expression instantly darkened.

Footsteps came from the stairs—Mr. and Mrs. Roman were coming down.

Maureen introduced him with a smile.

"Dad, Mom, let me introduce you. This is Liam Pruitt, our company's new art investment consultant, and also my boyfriend."

Mr. Roman's expression shifted slightly. He glanced at me but said nothing.

Maureen lowered her voice.

"Thanks to Liam pulling strings and making introductions lately, some people over in Metropolis City have lined up several projects with us. The prospects are great—guaranteed profit, no risk. Our family will only get richer and richer from here."

Hearing this, Paulette hesitated.

"There's no problem with it, is there?"

Maureen cut her off.

"Liam graduated from a top overseas art university, and his connections are all in the top collector circles. I reviewed those projects myself. There's really no problem."

Mr. and Mrs. Roman exchanged a glance, and the hesitation on their faces finally melted away.

Maureen struck while the iron was hot.

"Dad, Mom, I've only ever seen Zachary as an older brother my whole life. I really can't go through with this engagement."

Mr. Roman sighed.

"Oh, you young people can work it out among yourselves. We won't decide for you; we're getting old."

"We've got golf today, so we'll be off now."

The door closed, and the living room fell quiet.

Liam sat down on the sofa and leaned his cane against the side.

"Maureen, I want some fruit."

Maureen turned and glanced at me, her eyes full of entitlement.

"You heard him? Liam wants fruit. Go cut some for him."

"You're the one who put him in this state, so you're in charge of taking care of him for a while. Besides, you're eating my family's food and living off us now—can't you even manage a piece of fruit?"

I gave him a flat look, then turned and walked into the kitchen.

Once I'd set it on the table, Liam took a piece, put it in his mouth, then frowned and put it back.

"These strawberries are so sour. I want an apple instead."

I turned around and cut an apple.

He ate two pieces and set it down, saying he wanted grapes.

I washed each one clean and brought them to him.

No matter what he wanted to eat, I never once said "no."

In the middle of the night, my phone chimed.

I jolted awake. Maureen had sent me a text.

Liam wants milk. Go heat it up.

I clenched my fist, thought of that ninety-nine percent progress bar, and took a deep breath.

Endure it.

I went downstairs, heated some milk, and brought it to Liam's door.

Liam took the cup, smiling brightly.

"Thank you, Zachary. That was a lot of trouble."

The progress bar didn't move.

Petty stuff like this apparently didn't count for anything.

Over the next few days, several of the projects Liam headed up gradually started bringing in money.

The way Mr. and Mrs. Roman looked at him grew gentler by the day.

At the dinner table, Mr. Roman smiled and took the jade off his neck, pressing it into Liam's hand.

"Liam, this jade has been with me for many years. It's yours."

Liam demurred, shooting me a quick glance.

"Sir, this is too valuable, it wouldn't be right..."

Maureen said with a smile,

"If my dad's giving it to you, just take it."

Liam put on the jade, turned his head, and glanced in my direction.

I finished the last bite of rice in my bowl, put down my chopsticks, got up, and walked out the door.

The balance on my card had built up quite a bit.

I headed straight to the mall, planning to treat myself.

In a bag shop, I spotted a light brown wallet I liked.

The saleswoman took it out and set it in front of me.

Suddenly, a hand reached in from the side and snatched the wallet first.

Liam stood beside me, tilted his head, and smiled.

"Oh, I think this wallet is really nice. It suits me perfectly."