Chapter 3

I dropped out of high school when I was 16 years old just so I could pay for Delilah's education for the next ten years.

Yet, all I received was her accusations of me emotionally manipulating her.

Delilah kept clinging to Douglas tightly. There was nothing but fear in her eyes when she looked at me.

A wave of despair surged into my heart at that moment.

To her, I, her biological sister who had grown up with her, couldn't even hold a candle to a young man whom she had known for only a year or two.

"You're right. You are all grown up now." My voice was so calm that even I found it hard to recognize myself at the moment. "From now on, you'll take responsibility for your own life. I won't meddle in your business anymore, nor will I give you a single cent."

After that, I turned on my heel and walked out of the apartment before descending the stairs.

Delilah's cries came drifting from behind.

"Trish! Trish, I'm sorry! I—"

But Douglas quickly pulled her back.

"Just let her go. Women like her are total pushovers. Once you go home and turn on the waterworks, Patricia will definitely surrender everything she has to you without a doubt."

…

After leaving the building, I dug out my phone right away and punched in three numbers.

"I'd like to make a police report. Delilah Scott, the top scorer on this year's college entrance exams in our city, was lured by a young man named Douglas Scott back to his own residence. She's being held there against her will, and I believe that he's trying to sexually assault her."

It was already extremely late at night by the time the police escorted Delilah home. Her hair was a mess, and her eyeliner was already smudged around her eyes.

Soon, she sank into the couch and curled up there.

"Trish…" Her voice was extremely hoarse. "Douglas pinned all the blame on me right in front of the police. He told them that I was a slut obsessed with him, that I wanted to sleep with him, and that I was more than willing to give him all my money."

Delilah buried her face into her knees, her shoulders soon trembling violently.

"Am I the biggest idiot in the world, Trish?"

As I looked at the way Delilah curled into a small ball, I dug my nails into my palms quietly.

"Douglas told me that he came from a poor family. No one bothered raising him properly ever since he was a kid. Heck, he never had a proper, warm meal before.

"He told me that no one had ever treated him with sincerity in his whole life. That's why I wanted to treat him better…"

After swiping the back of her hand across her eyes heavily, Delilah raised her head to look at me. By then, her eyes were extremely red and swollen.

"Little do I know that he's been treating me like a complete idiot. To him, I'm nothing more than a personal ATM and a maid. As soon as he gets into trouble, I'm the first one he casts out just to save his own ass."

I just watched Delilah silently.

Suddenly, she shot to her feet and pulled out her phone. There, she blocked Douglas on all social media platforms right in front of me.

After that, she logged into a college application portal so that she could change her dream college. Finally, she showed me her phone.

Her primary choice was now updated to Harvale College.

"Trish, from now on, I'll cut off all ties with Douglas. If I ever speak with him again, I don't deserve to be your sister."

It was then that I stood up from the armchair and pulled Delilah into a tight hug.

Finally, the uneasiness that had been plaguing me completely dissipated into nothing.

"Sometimes you have to learn things the hard way. At least you learned it before it was too late."

Since then, Delilah seemed like a completely different person.

After I got off work every day, I'd see a hot meal waiting for me on the dining table.

When the dirty laundry piled up, Delilah would get them done. She even secretly bought me a new outfit, which she left by my pillow in a neatly folded stack. A note came with it.

"Trish, you'd look stunning in this outfit."

At night, Delilah would curl up on the couch while doing research on Harvale College's dorms.

As she scrolled through her phone, she'd ramble excitedly, "Trish, every dorm has its own bathroom! The dorm is big enough to house four students! Oh wow, there's even an air conditioner installed in each dorm!"

All in all, Delilah seemed like she was looking forward to living her college life to the fullest.

During this time, the live comments never showed up in front of my eyes. Hence, I gradually started to relax.

When I was at work the next day, my assistant, Tanya Miller, passed me a business contract.

As soon as I picked up my pen and was about to drop my signature, rows of live comments suddenly barged into my vision without any warning.

"Lils did it! She copied the key data of Patricia's company into the USB!"

"Doug quickly sold it to a rival company! The money he receives will be the starting fund of his own business!"

"Patricia's company will receive a lethal blow next week, causing her cash flow to dry up. She'll have no choice but to ask Doug for help."

"That's when Doug forces himself on Patricia. Since then, she stays in her own lane."

"I don't have the heart to read this part! Lils is emotionally devastated because of this chain of events! Doug is so cruel to her!"

"Don't worry. When Doug goes through the redemption arc later on, he'll give Patricia away to his middle-aged debtor to prove his devotion and love toward Lils. Naturally, Lils cheers up immediately, and they successfully patch things up."

My pen slipped through my slackened fingers, soon clattering onto the floor.

At the same time, I felt a strong chill running down my spine.