“As for the fees, since she already paid them, just treat it as compensation for all the hard work your nurses and aides have done over the years. How does that sound?”
The director chuckled. “As long as the family signs and your mother agrees, we have no objections at all. Then let me thank you in advance, Mr. Steele.”
Serena had no idea that the 50,000 she had just paid had been casually turned into Donald’s favor to someone else.
Friday was the Levines’ designated family day.
Trevor came home with his injured sister.
Deanna’s eyes immediately fell on the small square of gauze on Amber’s collarbone. “What happened, Amber? Did you get hurt?”
Trevor answered calmly, “Yes, Mom. Amber burned herself.”
Nathan’s brows furrowed. “How did you burn yourself there?” His eyes darkened, sharp with suspicion. “Amber, let your mother see it. She should put some ointment on it.”
Amber’s throat tightened. She knew her father had misunderstood.
Sure enough, her mother’s gaze shifted, cold and questioning.
She bit her lip, feeling a pang of hurt. When had she become so untrusted in this family?
Trevor seemed to sense their suspicion and bristled. “Mom, Dad, what are you doing? Amber got burned. How could I lie to you about that?”
“It’s not that we don’t believe you,” Nathan replied, softer now. “It’s just that burns should be left uncovered.”
Amber’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she shifted her gaze. “Then… could you help me put some ointment on it, Mom?”
Seeing his sister like this made Trevor’s chest ache. He silently cursed Serena.
If it weren’t for her, would his sister have been misunderstood by their parents?
Deanna opened the first-aid kit and gently peeled back the gauze. The burn was just a small red mark. She let out a sigh of relief. “Amber, you have to be more careful. I worry about you living alone. Maybe you should move back home.”
“Mom, it’s fine,” Amber said. “Sometimes I practice singing late at night. Living somewhere else prevents me from disturbing you.”
Deanna chuckled. “You’ve always said you wanted to be a big star. Are you really going into the entertainment industry now?”
Amber looked down and smiled. “I wrote a new song recently. I’m recording a demo. I don’t know if I’ll even release an album yet.”
Trevor watched her smile and felt a rare wave of peace wash over him. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you release an album.”
Deanna nodded slightly. “Good. Sign with Trevor’s company. No one will dare bully you. Go have fun, and when you’re tired of it, your dad can arrange a nice, easy job for you at the company.”
When it came to Amber, Deanna and Nathan were attentive.
Though she was adopted, she never lacked the privileges of a Levine heiress-except for one non-negotiable rule: Amber could only be their daughter. Beyond that, she could do anything she wanted.
…
When Bryce came downstairs, he saw only Nathan and his family. “Sebastian isn’t back yet?” he asked.
“I left the office when Sebastian was still in a meeting with them,” Nathan replied. “He should be back soon.”
Just then, Sebastian walked in. Calmly removing his coat, he glanced around at the half-empty table, his expression unreadable. “Everyone waiting on me?”
Sebastian carried himself with a maturity and composure beyond his years.
Bryce smiled. “Not long. Come sit down and eat with us.”
Trevor looked at his uncle in awe. If he were as strong as Sebastian, he wouldn’t be so weighed down by worry.
“Trevor, why aren’t you coming over?” Sebastian asked.
“Coming,” Trevor replied quickly, rising.
…
At the table, Bryce asked a few concerned questions about Amber’s burn.
Sebastian, however, merely raised an eyebrow. “Where’s your burn, Amber?”
Amber felt her palms tighten. There was something in his tone that made her uneasy. “It’s nothing. Just a small spot-hot water splashed on my collarbone.”
Sebastian’s gaze lingered briefly before moving away. “Mm, not too serious, then. But Rena’s injury… that one was much worse.”
Amber’s chest tightened, and she gasped. Why would Uncle Sebastian say that? Did he actually see it?
Trevor frowned deeply. “Uncle Sebastian, she’s the one who threw the hot coffee at Amber. How is she the one who got hurt?”
It was overwhelming, and for a brief moment, Trevor’s parents and Bryce froze, unsure how to respond.
Sebastian’s gaze, dark and penetrating, fixed on his nephew. “Rena is your fiancée-don’t tell me you didn’t notice she got hurt,” he said sharply.
A heavy silence descended over the dining room, so thick that even a small noise seemed deafening.
“Sebastian, what exactly is happening?” Bryce asked.
Sebastian set his fork down with deliberate calm. He lifted a napkin and wiped his lips before pulling out his phone. “My driver recorded this two days ago. Dad, please take a look at this.”
Amber’s face was drained of color. She leapt up from her chair. “No, Uncle Sebastian, you’ve misunderstood!”
He allowed the words to hang, firm and deliberate. “Watch the video first. Then, we can see if this is truly a misunderstanding.”
All eyes turned to his folding-screen phone. A sharp female voice echoed from the video, and they saw a cup of steaming coffee flying directly at Serena’s chest.
It was clear that Kyana and Amber had instigated the confrontation.
Sebastian chose not to show the moment when Serena retaliated.
His lips curled lazily, and his lashes drooped, yet the weight in the room felt suffocating. “Amber, why didn’t you tell Trevor that you were the ones who threw coffee at Serena first?”
Trevor’s chest tightened instantly.
Could Serena be burned too?
He replayed her image from the office earlier-her neck had been faintly red. At the time, he had barely noticed and moved on.
If that’s true, why isn’t she saying anything?
“Sebastian, Amber didn’t throw the coffee in the video. That was actually Rena’s younger sister,” Deanna said awkwardly, defending her daughter.
She had noticed Bryce’s expression darken the moment Sebastian spoke and feared Amber would take the blame.
Even though Amber was adopted, she had grown up comfortably. It was only after Bryce witnessed that incident that they decided to send her overseas.
Trevor’s frown deepened. “Uncle Sebastian, Kyana has always had conflicts with Serena. Amber just got dragged into it. Isn’t it unfair to blame her?”
He disliked the sharpness in Sebastian’s tone. A surge of frustration rose in his chest. So, Serena stays quiet just to tattle to Uncle Sebastian? Of course she does. No wonder she’s a lawyer-always scheming, always smart.
Trevor couldn’t tolerate her calm, unwavering demeanor. It grated on him.
Sebastian’s expression hardened. He shot a cold, unreadable glance at his nephew, sending a shiver of unease through Trevor.
“Trevor, after watching this, shouldn’t your first concern be for your fiancée?”
Trevor choked on his words. “I…”
Nathan interrupted sharply, cutting through the tension. “Enough, Trevor. You’re in the wrong here. Rena is your fiancée-your wife in two weeks. How could you be the last to know she was hurt? If your uncle hadn’t told you tonight, who knows how long you would have remained oblivious! Invite Rena for dinner tomorrow. Both you and Amber will apologize to her.”
Trevor’s voice rose in protest. “Dad, why?”
Bryce, silent until now, slammed his hand on the table. “Why? Because she’s your future wife!”
Trevor’s face flushed red, then paled.
Amber mirrored his shock.
After everything Serena had said to her today, the thought of facing that woman again tomorrow made her skin crawl.
On top of everything else, she was expected to apologize to Serena.
Amber clenched her palm tightly, her lips paling from tension.
Trevor noticed and felt a pang of sympathy.
Deanna, knowing her son far too well, worried he might say something else to irritate Bryce. She shot him a sharp warning glance. “Trevor, listen to your dad.”
Trevor inhaled deeply and muttered, “Understood.”
Gradually, the tension in the room began to ease.
Bryce let out a derisive snort. “Aren’t you going to thank your uncle, Trevor? What would you have done if he hadn’t stepped in?”
Trevor’s chest tightened, and he ground his teeth before forcing out, “Thanks, Uncle Sebastian.”
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