Chapter 5

He dodged.

The jade sculpture shattered at his feet.

I stood there like a cornered animal, chest heaving violently, glaring at him with all my might.

I expected him to rage like usual, to grab me by the hair and throw me out.

But he didn't.

Jasper just stood there. The mockery and malice on his face slowly faded.

For the first time, he looked at me with an expression I couldn't read.

Silence stretched between us, suffocating and oppressive.

After a long while, he finally moved, turning and walking into the kitchen.

Soon, a chaotic clattering sound came from inside, like a battle.

Half an hour later, he emerged carrying a bowl of noodles and placed it on the coffee table in front of me.

The bowl was... a disaster. The noodles were clumped together. Half-cooked vegetable leaves floated on top, along with a burned fried egg.

"Today is your birthday, right?"

His voice was stiff, with an unnatural awkwardness.

"My brother told me to watch over you carefully. Keep you from learning bad things outside."

He explained clumsily, as if trying to find a lame excuse for all his previous cruelty.

I looked at that bowl that was supposedly "longevity noodles." My heart felt nothing.

I said nothing. I turned and walked straight upstairs.

That night, I finally understood everything clearly.

Ethan's adoption was nothing more than a charity show to boost his reputation.

My father had been one of Ethan's founding employees. He and my mother died in a car accident while on a business trip.

I was sent to the orphanage. It was years before Ethan remembered me.

He didn't need a daughter. He just needed a prop to demonstrate his benevolence.

Early the next morning, before dawn, I grabbed the worn duffel bag I had arrived with and left that luxurious prison without looking back.

I returned to the orphanage.

When the director saw my pale face, she sighed and pulled me into her arms, gently patting my back.

"Ava, eat something first."

Just that one embrace broke me. I hugged her and sobbed uncontrollably.

That evening, an international call came through.

It was Ethan.

His voice carried the tone of a superior placating a subordinate:

"Ava, stop throwing a tantrum. Jasper doesn't know better. I'll discipline him. Wait until Stella and I come back to handle this."

I gripped the receiver, listening to him with unusual calm.

"Mr. Chase,"

I spoke softly, surprising even myself with how calm I sounded.

"I just have one question for you."

There was a pause on the other end.

"Do you really believe I wrote that French love letter? I've never even taken a French class at school."