Chapter 2

The moment I stepped through the gate, a blast of freezing water hit me head-on.

The wind whipped around me, and I couldn't stop shivering.

"Ms. Lockwood, I was filling the pond. You could've warned me before showing up," Jade said, still holding the hose steady.

She didn't stop spraying until I was drenched to the bone.

I forced my eyes open.

To my dismay, the roses I had carefully tended for years at the Hawthorne residence were torn out and tossed across the lawn.

Where the flowerbed once bloomed, a small pond had been installed, with workers now busy planting water lilies along its edge.

I said nothing and turned to walk away.

But the weight of my drenched clothes slowed me down. After just a few steps, I began to shiver again.

Meanwhile, Wesley and Nathan lounged in the living room, sharing a look of disdain as they took in my disheveled appearance.

It was clear they were ridiculing me for making a fuss the moment I stepped through the door.

"Damn, Savannah, you actually remembered to come home. I thought you'd vanished for good," Wesley sneered.

Nathan chimed in, "Her dad's dead, so her mom brought her into our family. Where else would someone like her go?"

A sharp ache tightened my chest.

My mind drifted back to the day I first arrived at the Hawthorne residence.

Nathan had gripped my hand tightly, worried I'd feel out of place. He kept telling jokes, trying to coax a smile from me.

"Savannah," he said gently, "this is your home now."

Wesley had even given up the largest, most comfortable room so I could have it.

Though we moved countless times over the years, he never wavered, always ensuring I had the best space.

Once he started working, he bought a house close to his office.

He promised to put it in my name, saying it would be a home for the three of us.

Once Jade became my assistant, though, she began to get in and out the company and the villa at will. Every day, she either latched onto the Hawthorne brothers or schemed to turn them against me.

At first, I held back, feeling sorry for her troubled past.

But to my disbelief, she crossed the line—shattering the keepsake my father had entrusted to me, right before my eyes.

I couldn't stay silent any longer. I stepped forward to confront her, only to be pushed aside.

Wesley's expression darkened. "Jade's had a hard life. Why do you have to make things worse for her?"

Nathan added, "She just graduated. You're older—can't you show some leniency?"

Gazing at the broken fragments of my father's keepsake, a sense of confusion and helplessness washed over me.

From that moment forward, everything changed.

To them, I was no longer important.

Jade was quietly taking over, becoming the mistress of the house and driving me out without mercy.

At that point, staying wasn't even an option anymore.

Staring at the chaos they'd created, one thought repeated in my mind—pack up and leave now.

As I made my way upstairs, I spotted my belongings thrown carelessly across the hallway.

With his arm draped around Jade, Wesley was barking orders to the housekeepers to clear my things out.

Their eyes blazed with arrogant contempt.

"Savannah, you and your mother are nothing but dogs raised by our family. Since you can't recognize your place, it's time you learn some respect!

"From this moment on, you're off the clock. Jade will take over your duties. You'd better step down and learn how to be a proper assistant instead of bullying your subordinates."

Nathan was even harsher. Just to please Jade, he smashed the birthday gift my mother had bought for me.

"Savannah, stay away from Jade, or I won't go easy on you."

If the old me had heard those words, I'd have been broken, tossing and turning through countless sleepless nights.

But now, I was ready to walk away, drained of any desire to argue.

It all felt meaningless.

I simply nodded, a faint smile on my lips. "Yes, you're right about everything. I'll gather my things and leave soon.

"Mr. Wesley, if you see me as a liability to the company, then I'll resign."

Wesley sneered, "Just like Jade said—you've been clinging to our family, trying to take what doesn't belong to you. Too bad this company carries our name. You won't see a single dime.

"Still, for your mother's sake, I'll throw you a bone and offer you the assistant position.

"But don't get it twisted—in my eyes, that's the only role you're fit for. Don't even think about aiming for more."

I walked past Wesley without hesitation. "I won't ask for anything," I murmured.

This place had once been filled with moments I held dear, but in the end, it was never truly mine to call home.