She reached the door to her room and placed her hand on the handle, praying the two of them hadn’t locked it.
With a hard twist, Hazel Sinclair pushed the door open.
Her eyes lit up. ’It really wasn’t locked.’
Stepping out of the room, she followed the system’s directions down to the first-floor hall.
A lot of people were standing there. As Hazel Sinclair walked slowly down the stairs, her gaze swept over the crowd before finally landing on Serena Sinclair.
She had come down so quietly that no one knew she was standing behind them.
Under their interrogation, Serena Sinclair couldn’t take it anymore and screamed at them.
"Yes, I’m jealous of her!"
"She’s not even a Sinclair, so on what grounds does she get to live better than me?"
"Her food, her clothes, her allowance, the dresses, jewelry, and bags she buys—everything is better than mine."
"Even after you found out she wasn’t your biological daughter, you never thought of sending her away. You just let her keep living in the Sinclair Family home. Of course I’m jealous."
Serena Sinclair looked at them and said coldly, "My mom favors boys over girls, and my dad just listens to her. I’ve never had it easy at home."
"How am I supposed to stomach it when an outsider with no Sinclair blood lives better than me, someone who actually has it?"
Simon Sinclair looked at her and retorted coldly, "Even so, why would you do something like this?"
"I just can’t stand seeing her happy. I did it because I didn’t want her to come back," Serena Sinclair replied icily.
Her face, usually wreathed in smiles, was now cold, her eyes revealing a chilling indifference.
Hazel Sinclair stood to the side, watching the scene unfold, her mind screaming, ’Wow, wow, wow!’
’System, is this really Leon Sterling’s unforgettable first love?’
’She doesn’t really look the part.’
[I don’t know, but she is indeed the person Leon Sterling was obsessed with getting close to during his school days.]
[After he became a successful entrepreneur, he came to the Sinclair Family to propose a marriage alliance and specifically asked for her.]
[However, Serena Sinclair looked down on Leon Sterling. So, while she didn’t explicitly reject the marriage proposal back then, she used a few tricks to get out of it.]
The system’s casual remark stunned Hazel Sinclair, who had just been enjoying the drama. ’So, the reason the original owner and Leon Sterling ended up in bed together back then was partly thanks to Serena Sinclair?’
’Wow, this woman is truly venomous,’ Hazel commented.
With her commentary complete, it was time for her to take the stage. ’A scene like this just wouldn’t be complete without me.’
"Serena... do you hate me?" Hazel Sinclair got into character in a split second. Thanks to this tendency to cry at the drop of a hat, just thinking of something sad was enough to make her eyes well up.
The moment she spoke, everyone fell silent and turned to look at her.
They found Hazel Sinclair standing at the top of the stairs, her eyes red and brimming with tears. The sight was simply heart-wrenching.
Her two older brothers, her parents, and Simon Sinclair felt their hearts ache for her.
Hazel Sinclair had always been so well-behaved and sensible; the most outrageous thing she had ever done was sleep with Leon Sterling. Mr. Sinclair was filled with regret. ’Why did I have to be so harsh with her over that incident?’
’Because of this niece, I haven’t seen my own daughter for so many years.’
Mrs. Sinclair wiped her tears, her heart breaking. ’If I had known, I wouldn’t have clung to that ridiculous pride.’
"I really thought of you as family. Why would you do this to me?"
Hazel Sinclair raised a hand to wipe away a tear, her voice still soft and vulnerable, tugging at everyone’s heartstrings.
"Did I do something you didn’t like?"
"I’ll apologize to you then." As Hazel Sinclair spoke, she lowered her head, and large teardrops fell onto the floor.
’Holy crap, is this tear-incontinence thing really this powerful? The teardrops are huge!’ Hazel couldn’t help but complain to the system. ’I was just trying to cry a little.’
[Isn’t this constitution a good thing?] the system asked, a faint hint of amusement in its mechanical voice.
[The tears come on command. How amazing is that?]
’Good my ass! If I start crying the moment I open my mouth to argue, how am I supposed to win any fights?’
’All my insults about people’s mothers and ancestors would lose half their impact if I screamed them through sobs.’
Seeing her cry just irritated Serena Sinclair to no end. ’Cry, cry, cry, that’s all she ever does.’
’She’s probably cried away all her good fortune.’
"What are you crying for!"
"It’s disgusting to see you cry, acting like the whole world is bullying you," Serena Sinclair couldn’t stand it anymore and yelled at her.
Hearing this, Caleb Sinclair shot her a glare and snapped coldly, "Shut up. Is it your turn to speak?"
Mrs. Sinclair walked over, reaching out to hug her, but her hands stopped midway.
"Sweetheart, don’t be angry with Mom. Mom knows she was wrong."
"Sweetheart, Mom and Dad aren’t angry with you anymore. The messages that woman sent were all fake."
Mrs. Sinclair explained, terrified that Hazel Sinclair was still angry at them.
Hazel Sinclair, her head still lowered, froze for a second before shouting internally: ’My sweet, rich mommy!’
’She smells so good. I just want to bury myself in Mom’s arms and whine like a baby.’
’Mom!’
Hazel Sinclair looked up at her, about to say that she wasn’t angry anymore, ready to leap into Mrs. Sinclair’s arms at any moment.
Just then, Leon Sterling’s voice rang out in the living room.
"Mom, Dad, Big Brother, Second Brother, Little Sis, good evening. I’m here to take Hazel home." He was standing at the entrance, dressed in his finest suit.
Leon Sterling spotted the tearful Hazel Sinclair among the crowd. He paused for a moment, then frowned and started walking towards her.
"What are you doing here!" Ethan Sinclair shouted impatiently upon seeing him.
"I’m here to take my wife home." Leon Sterling stood before him, then took the check from his pocket and offered it with both hands.
"Thank you for the check, Second Brother, but I don’t need it now."
Hazel Sinclair stared at the man who had suddenly appeared, a little surprised. ’Why would he show up here all of a sudden?’
"What are you doing here?" Hazel Sinclair immediately demanded.
"Didn’t you say you didn’t want me anymore? What are you doing here!" ’It would be a waste not to stir up some drama.’
Leon Sterling walked up to her and, looking down, said slowly, "I’m sorry. At the time, I thought the Sinclair Family could give you a better life."
"But I can’t accept divorcing you."
’So he’d shamelessly and selfishly run over to take me back.’
The moment Mrs. Sinclair saw him, she didn’t care if Hazel Sinclair would be angry; she just threw her arms around her daughter and snapped at him.
"Get out! This is my daughter."
She was like a mother hen protecting her chick, terrified of losing it.
Leon Sterling’s arrival allowed Serena Sinclair to breathe a sigh of relief. At the same time, she was glad that they were now too busy to deal with her.
’I should be able to slip away now.’
With that thought, she turned to leave but was stopped by Simon Sinclair. "Cousin, where do you think you’re going?"
"You haven’t even apologized to Hazel Sinclair yet, and you’re trying to leave?"
Caught, Serena Sinclair froze in her tracks.
’Apologize to Hazel Sinclair?’
’Absolutely not.’