Chapter 1

Lucille Kirk let out a scornful laugh.

"Clement, what kind of stunt are you trying to pull this time?"

She gave Mabel a dismissive glance. "What? Are you really so desperate to play hard to get that you're using a girl with a hearing impairment as a prop just to get under my skin?"

My father's expression darkened as he turned to me.

"Clement, don't say things you don't mean just because you're upset," he said in a low voice. "Be the bigger person."

My mother quickly rose to her feet and forced a smile at Lucille's parents.

"The kids just had a little disagreement," she said. "Clement is only acting out because he's upset. Lucille, please don't hold it against him. We'll talk some sense into him when we get home."

Lucille's mother, Melissa Williams, immediately chimed in.

"They're still young. It's normal for them to have disagreements," she said. "Besides, it's only natural for a boy to be a little more accommodating toward a girl."

She said it casually, but the satisfaction in her eyes was impossible to miss.

As far as Melissa was concerned, the more hopelessly devoted I was to Lucille, the easier it would be for the Kirks to keep my family under their thumb.

The comments continued to flash wildly before my eyes.

"Wasn't that a little too obvious?"

"He's just lashing out because he can't have her. Now he's completely losing it. How pathetic."

"Mabel is the real victim here. She got dragged into this mess and humiliated just because he needed a prop."

"Lucille has already made herself clear. Why won't he just give up?"

I watched the words drift past without feeling the slightest ripple of emotion.

Ever since we were kids, everyone had assumed I was in love with Lucille. After all, I was always at Kirk Manor.

I brought her breakfast on the way to school. When she skipped class to go street racing, I helped her father, Bryce Kirk, track her down. Whenever Lucille got herself into trouble, I was the one who stepped in to clean up the mess.

Even when she started spending her nights at bars to escape the pressure and expectations of her family, I covered for her again and again. Then I did everything I could to help her get her life back on track.

To everyone else, I was pathetic.

They saw me as nothing more than Lucille's loyal lapdog, always following her around and cleaning up after her.

But none of them knew that the only reason I had agreed to grow close to Lucille, as our parents had arranged, was never because I had feelings for her.

The person I really wanted to see was the girl standing quietly behind her—Mabel Harris.

She wore a faded white shirt and stood there holding the Kirk family's car keys and the women's coats. A cheap hearing aid rested behind her ear, its edges worn smooth from years of use.

Lucille loved calling her "dummy".

But I knew something no one else did.

Mabel hadn't been born deaf.

Ten years ago, Mabel was injured while saving me from an attacker. He struck her in the ear with an iron bar, leaving her face covered in blood. Even then, she refused to let go. She clung to him and shielded me with her body.

Afterward, she was taken in by the Kirk family's chauffeur and eventually began working for the Kirks as a servant.

And if I wanted to stay close to her, I had no choice but to play along with my parents' arrangement and spend my days orbiting Lucille.

Mabel couldn't always hear what I said, but she always watched my lips carefully.

Her eyes were quiet but steady, nothing like the spoiled, headstrong Lucille.

I reached for the college application materials on the table, ready to explain myself, when the door to the private dining room suddenly swung open.

Sawyer Spencer walked in.

He wore a perfectly tailored suit that struck the right balance between polished and casual. In one hand, he carried a box of expensive imported pastries, looking completely at ease.

Lucille's eyes immediately lit up, and she stood to greet him. "Sawyer, you're finally here."

Sawyer gave her a faint smile, his manner polished and self-assured.

"Traffic was pretty bad. Sorry I'm late."

Lucille took the pastries from him and slipped her arm through his. Then she shot me a pointed, almost challenging look.

"Mom, Dad, I want you to meet someone. This is Sawyer, my boyfriend."

The private dining room fell silent.

Melissa's smile froze, while my parents exchanged stunned glances.

Then, one by one, everyone turned to look at me.

I found their reaction a little strange. It wasn't as if he was my boyfriend.

The comments, however, exploded all at once.

"Here we go! The classic love-triangle showdown!"

"The second male lead is about to completely lose it, isn't he?"

"The female lead is finally introducing the male lead she was always destined to meet!"

"Come on, Clement! Hurry up and lose your mind! Give us the humiliation scene we've been waiting for!"

Sawyer gently patted Lucille's hand, signaling for her to let go, then walked over to me.

His voice was calm and reasonable, but there was an unmistakable note of condescension underneath it.

"Clement, we're all adults here. I know how you feel about Lucille, and I know our parents have always hoped the two of you would end up together.

"But feelings can't be forced. Lucille has always seen you as a friend. The only reason she never made things clear was that she didn't want to damage the relationship between your families."

He adjusted his cuff and looked down at me.

"I hope you can handle this with some dignity. Let Lucille and me be together, and try to keep whatever pride you have left."