Shortly after, Nick returned with an old cell phone."Luckily, it's still charged. I checked and found the video I took of Ivy."Before Nick could continue, Elliot snatched the phone out of his hands.Hayden leaned closer to Elliot, trying to get a glance at his sister.Elliot opened the video and a chubby little girl appeared on the screen.Ivy looked well-fed and happy in the video, and anyone would be able to tell how well she was treated. She laughed while shaking the toy in her hand. She was sitting on a carpet. She smiled at the camera, and her bright eyes blinded Hayden. Elliot instantly burst into tears.Nick had not expected Elliot to cry and immediately handed a box of tissue to Hayden, hinting for Hayden to hand it to Elliot."Don't cry." Hayden shoved the tissue paper in Elliot's hands. "Ivy might still be alive."Elliot wiped his tears dry and said, "She's so adorable... She is so adorable... I shouldn't have been so mean to her.""What are you talking about?" H

Twelve years had passed, and Taronia was experiencing an exceptionally harsh and unforgiving winter. The doctor had come to give the old woman an injection, but her skin no longer allowed him to find her veins. He shook his head at Irene before leaving.Tears rolled down Irene's face as she watched the doctor leave."Irene..." murmured the old woman weakly.Irene swiftly wiped her tears away and calmed herself before turning around and heading back to bed."Don't be afraid, Grandma. The doctor forgot to bring the medicine. He is heading back to the clinic to take it." Irene did not want the old woman to worry.The old woman had been bedridden and ill ever since she had tripped and fallen a year ago. Had Irene not tended to her carefully, she would have passed away a long time ago. After a year of fighting to survive, the old lady felt weak and weary. She had no energy left to continue the fight. She had been unable to eat for three months and had wasted away. She had become a

"Irene, what are you doing standing there? Come help! We are welcoming another young master into this house. The butler is bound to have chores for you," Mrs. Flores yelled.Irene set her purse down and hurried over.An hour passed, and Mr. Woods' car pulled up outside the mansion. Shortly after, he entered the house, and the argument that took place between Mr. and Mrs. Woods echoed throughout the living room. "Lucas is my son. His mom has abandoned him, and I can't just let him die!" Mr. Woods roared. "I am sending him to the South Block precisely because I don't want you to throw a tantrum! If you still can't take it, get out of here!"Stunned, all the frustration boiling within Mrs. Woods turned into tears. She could never leave the Woods family while all her children were here. This was her home."Why would his mother abandon him after raising him all these years? Why is she sending him here now? It is surely all a part of her plan to get a share of the money!" sneered Mrs.

That afternoon, after Lucas retired to his room, Irene returned to the kitchen in the main block. "How was it, Irene? Did he bully you? Did that dog bite you?" Mrs. Flores asked."Mr. Lucas said I'm a poorer cook than him and that he won't let me work there anymore if I don't improve my cooking by tomorrow," Irene said gloomily. "The dog is fine. It didn't bite me.""Don't worry, Irene. I'll teach you a few recipes. I promise that you will be okay by tomorrow night.""Thank you, Mrs. Flores." Irene got back on her feet right away. "Mrs. Flores, I think that Mr. Lucas isn't that bad of a person. He didn't call me ugly. Though he complained about my cooking, he still finished everything.""Maybe was very hungry. It's surprising that he didn't call you ugly, though.""I'm surprised, too. Which is why I have to do my job well and clear my debt."Mrs. Flores was instantly overwhelmed by emotions when she saw the bright smile on Irene's face. "Is it okay to not go attend your univers

Mrs. Woods had lost her appetite when she was informed of Lucas' return. "That b*st*rd! Here I thought that he is a proud kid! He said that he would never forgive his father yesterday, and I thought he would never return. Who knew that he would not last one day before crawling back here? What a joke!""Don't get mad, Mom. He's just an illegitimate child! Living in the South Block is already an insult, but he is probably foolish enough to think that it's a privilege! He is the type of person who knows no shame, and probably, does not have the wit to accomplish anything. He said that Dad begged him to come here. We don't have to stir up a conflict with him. At least, not on the surface," said Noah, the eldest son of the Woods family. "We shouldn't risk angering Dad over him.""You are right, Noah. Fighting with your dad won't change the fact that Lucas has become a member of this family. I will just hatch my plots in the dark, and soon, your dad will start to look down on him. That w