Chapter 4

After finishing breakfast, Matthew suggested taking me for a walk in the yard, claiming he wanted to bond with me. I was well aware that he was up to no good, but I followed him because the grass in the yard looked particularly lush.

He led me to the fountain, where there was no one else around.

"Stop playing dumb, Drake," he whispered in my ear. His tone was vicious, stripped of all his earlier frailty. "Do you think you can reclaim everything that belongs to you just because you're back? Dream on!"

I stared at the steady stream of water gushing from the fountain, finding the sound strangely soothing.

"Say something, you useless piece of shit!" Noticing that I was ignoring him, Matthew was so angry he reached out to push me into the fountain pool.

I saw it coming, but I didn't dodge. I let his momentum carry me backward and fell into the pool.

With a loud splash, water sprayed all over his face. I sat in the shallow water, letting the fountain pour over my head and wash over the orange perched on top of it.

Matthew was caught off guard. He had expected me to struggle and scream. However, I simply sat quietly in the water and closed my eyes with a look of pure enjoyment.

"Help! Drake jumped into the fountain!" Once he came to his senses, he immediately started yelling for help.

When Sage and Garrett rushed over, they found me sitting in the middle of the fountain like a stone statue.

"Drake, what the hell are you doing?" Sage leaped into the water, attempting to pull me out.

I held her hand down and said earnestly, "Don't move. I'm cleansing my soul. The water temperature's just right. Why don't you sit down and give it a go as well?"

Her hand trembled, and she actually took an involuntary step back.

Matthew was still on the edge of the fountain, wiping away his tears and claiming that I had tried to push him, only to slip and fall in myself.

I wiped the water droplets off my face and smiled at him. "Thanks for the push. I really like this pool."

His face paled, as if he had suddenly thought of something. I, on the other hand, thought how nice it would be to lie on the lawn in my wet clothes and soak up the sun.

…

After returning to my room, I changed into a clean gray hoodie.

Chloe pushed the door open and walked in with a bowl of royal jelly. Her expression was still grim. "Have some, Drake. I'm only doing this for your own good."

In Drake's memories, this was the woman who, when Matthew had bullied him, had casually said, "You're his older brother. You need to be the bigger person."

Chloe set the royal jelly on the table, an inquisitive look in her eyes. "Be honest with me. Where did you really go this past year? Did you run into bad guys?"

Oh, right. I had promised Drake that I would help him get revenge. How could I have forgotten that?