Chapter 2

I could tell what kind of trick was hidden in Steven's contract just by glancing at the table of contents, but I didn't want to get involved.

In my previous life, I died from overwork while working on a case. In this life, I only wanted to quietly live as someone who never spoke.

If the Sutton family went bankrupt, so be it. At worst, I could take some money from my trust fund and move to the countryside to farm.

I kept my head down and continued twisting the Rubik's Cube, with the pieces shifting softly.

I turned the wrong piece by mistake. The Rubik's Cube slipped from my hands and landed on the cashmere rug.

It wasn't loud, but it stood out in the silent conference room.

Everyone's attention instantly turned to me.

Annoyance and disappointment flashed across Dad's eyes, while Julian frowned and looked away.

Yara came over to me. She bent down, picked up the Rubik's Cube, and put it back in my hands.

"Celeste, be good. Why don't you go play in the lounge outside?"

Her voice was gentle, and she didn't scold me.

She even took a mint from her pocket, unwrapped it, and put it in my mouth.

"We have some things to take care of here. You'll bother Dad if you stay," she said.

Yara patted my head. There was no anger in her eyes, only the kind of pity people felt for someone they saw as useless.

That was how the Sutton family was.

They never yelled at me or hit me, but they slowly pushed me out of the family in the gentlest way possible.

Steven came over too.

He crouched down to my eye level, wearing a warm, affectionate smile that seemed impossible to fault.

"Ms. Celeste, listen to Yara," he said. "There are some of your favorite little cakes outside. I'll have my secretary take you to watch cartoons, okay?"

As he spoke, he waved toward the door. "Lily, take Ms. Celeste outside and close the door."

I held the mint in my mouth. It was so sweet it tasted bitter.

Steven had blatantly overstepped his role.

He had worked for the Sutton family for ten years, but he was still just someone they paid to work for them.

Now, he was trying to force them out of their own company, and my family didn't even react.

"Let's go, Ms. Celeste." Lily Hale, Steven's secretary, came in and took me by the arm.

"Mr. Gould, why the rush to send her out?" Zander suddenly laughed.

He slowly turned the coffee cup in his hand, looking at me with interest.

"So this is the Sutton family's youngest daughter everyone's been talking about?"

His tone was mild, yet his words sounded like a sharp insult to every member of the Sutton family.

Dad's face went from flushed with anger to deathly pale in an instant.

Julian whipped around and shot Zander a sharp look.

"Mr. York, don't drag my family into business matters," he said. "Celeste might not be mentally capable, but please show her some respect."

His tone was icy.

Although he usually looked at me with disappointment, he still instinctively protected me at that moment.

Zander chuckled. "Mr. Sutton, you misunderstand. I wouldn't dare disrespect Ms. Celeste.

"I just think that since this is a moment that will decide your family's fate, the whole family should be here to witness it.

"You should let Ms. Celeste see how the family business changes hands under your watch."

His words were devastating.

Yara trembled with anger and pointed toward the door. "Zander, you're taking this too far!"

Steven immediately stood up and stepped in front of Yara.

He dipped his head slightly, his tone so sincere it made me sick. "Mr. York, Yara was just upset. Please don't take it personally.

"But it really isn't appropriate for Ms. Celeste to stay here. If she gets frightened, Mr. Richard will feel terrible."

Steven turned to Dad. "What do you think, Mr. Richard?"

Dad looked at me for a long moment. His eyes held exhaustion, helplessness, and a hollow resignation.

When I was eight years old, Julian turned down a million-dollar job offer in high finance so he could stay home and teach me to read and write.

He spent the entire year with me.