Chapter 74
Adrian hung his head low, staring blankly at his shoes.
His shors still looked pristine, but he couldn’t help thinking he was a jerk.
He mumbled. “I just don’t understand how Lydia ended up like this. She used to be such a sweet, well–behaved girl. She’d never dare do something like this. Maybe this is just a misunderstanding
Zina shot him a look and snapped, “After all this, you still think it’s just a misunderstanding?”
Speechless, she wanted to lash out, to tear into him, but simply didn’t know where to begin.
Drawing a deep breath to steady herself, she lifted her gaze and met his eyes with deliberate focus.
“I’ve nothing left to say. If that’s what you think, then get out.”
Adrian waved his hands with fluster. “That’s not what I meant!”
i
He could see the disappointment in Zina’s eyes all too clearly. And he knew, deep down, that every bit of it was because of
him.
He didn’t mean to speak in that way, but the words just wouldn’t come out right.
“Why do I always just screw things up? he thought bitterly.
It’s like I’ll never measure up to my older brothers…
A wave of dejection, mixed with other emotions, engulfed him.
Finally, he pushed himself to his feet, his gaze lingering on Zina.
I’m sorry. Zina. I know I don’t deserve to be called your brother after this. I’m not asking you to forgive Lydia. But I swear I’ll make it up to you. I will…”
“Forget it, Adrian. Please see yourself out–my place can’t accommodate someone of your stature.
Zina shut her eyes, unwilling to utter another word.
She had thought her plan was clever. By feigning illness and summoning Yvonne and Adrian early, she could finally expose Lydia’s true colors.
Only now did she realize just how much she had underestimated the weight of over twenty years of family ties
“Not everyone is like the Sinclair family, after all, she thought, a bittersweet sense of relief and disappointment washing over
her.
*****Meanwhile, Lydia, summoned outside by Yvonne, found her true torment was just beginning.
Her fingers twisted into the fabric of her skirt like anchors, her body frozen in terrified stillness. The weight of unseen eyes pressed her gaze downward, locking it to the scuffed toes of her shoes.
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Chapter 74
日
OX
Yvonne remained silent, standing there with a blank expression, as if waiting for Rosic to explain.
Taking a deep breath and studying carefully the girl before her, she struggled to reconcile this timid figure with the street- tough persona she’d witnessed just moments earlier.
Yet the undeniable evidence before her eyes left her no choice but to accept what she had just witnessed.
“Lydia, get down on your knees–now!” she commanded.
Her voice was a gathering storm, lightning in every word.
Lydia flinched and immediately dropped to her knees with a heavy thud.
With a blank mind, she began pleading desperately.
“Mom, I know I was wrong, I really, truly do! I just lost my mind for a second. That’s all I only wanted to play a harmless prank on Zina. I never meant to actually hurt her. And my friend, he was just talking big, he knows the Lambert family’s standing, he really wouldn’t dare follow through!”
Her face was as white as a sheet, her whole body shaking like a leaf.
Her voice wavered as she lifted her chin just enough to stare at Yvonne’s collarbone. Her fingers nervously picked at her clothes while her helpless eyes darted around, searching in vain for any source of support.
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