Time passed quietly.
A maid eventually noticed her and approached with cautious steps.
"Miss Brenda, do you need anything?" she asked politely.
Brenda looked at her, and a memory surfaced.
This was the same maid who had once advised her that if she wished to survive in the Almond family, she must obey Mr. and Mrs. Almond's every order.
From the moment Brenda had returned to the family, there had been no overwhelming joy.
No tears of reunion. Instead, she had felt as though she was being evaluated, like a rare product placed under inspection.
When they discovered that Brenda possessed strong talent while Lana had appeared ordinary at the time, they had quickly sided with her without hesitation.
Her brothers had been no different.
At first, they had shown little enthusiasm, even ignoring her.
Then one day, almost abruptly, they began treating her with exaggerated kindness and support.
Now she wondered if all of them had hidden motives.
