Jealousy

"Who are you people?"

"Why am I here?"

Ivy Belle reached out her finger, lightly touching Theo Kensington's chest, her wide eyes gazing hazily at everything around her in deep confusion.

Victoria Sterling frowned, so anxious that her eyes turned faintly red. She quickly sat down and pulled Ivy into her arms, her voice trembling as she forced the words out:

"You... Ivy? You don't remember me? It's us—your family!" Valeria Sterling, standing beside her, curled her lips into an appreciative smirk. Her family had a solid academic background and would never let anyone step foot into that filthy entertainment industry. Otherwise, based on talent alone, her older sister would have certainly claimed the Best Actress crown!

Ivy Belle didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked toward the old lady who had disliked her from the very beginning, her eyes carrying a faint trace of anticipation. Unsurprisingly, less than two minutes later, Old Mrs. Sterling limped over to the side of the bed with her cane, raising her hand without a word to slap Ivy across the face.

"Grandma!"

"Mother!"

The Sterling family members and Theo Kensington shouted in unison, unable to believe their eyes.

"Mother... what are you doing?" Richard Sterling was the first to react. While he admitted he had never liked Ivy Belle, she had only just woken up; any distress would surely be bad for her. Furthermore, her mental state seemed to be faltering—if she went crazy, it would only create more trouble.

Old Mrs. Sterling merely snorted coldly, wishing she could strike Ivy with her cane. Although advanced in age, she had received exceptional care over the decades and remained remarkably healthy. Unless told, anyone would guess she was in her mid-sixties rather than nearly eighty.

"Look at what she's done to this family! Having an accident anywhere else is one thing, but right in front of the Sterling mansion? It cost us a fortune to suppress the media! Even a dog knows how to guard the house, but since she came here, who knows how much money she's sucked out of this household?"

Ivy Belle winced in pain, clinging tightly to Victoria Sterling as she whimpered and sobbed:

"It hurts so much! This old lady is... so scary..."

"Who are you calling scary, you brat?" The old woman flew into a rage. No one had ever dared to speak to her so impudently before, so naturally, she couldn't hold back and wanted to rush forward to teach Ivy Belle a lesson, only to be stopped immediately by Beatrice Vanderbilt.

"Mother, please calm down! Don't let this ruin your health!" As she spoke, Beatrice Vanderbilt winked at Valeria Sterling to hold the old woman back while she quickly stepped in to reason with her and keep things from escalating.

Richard Sterling, nursing a headache, felt that since Ivy Belle had regained consciousness, there was no need to linger. He reminded the others to take good care of her and then opened the door to leave.

"Why... why did she hit me?" Ivy cried, her fingers clutching the hem of Theo Kensington's shirt as she whimpered, aggrieved and desperately seeking an explanation.

He and Victoria Sterling exchanged a glance, arriving at a silent consensus. Looking at Ivy Belle's utterly oblivious expression, both were convinced that she had truly lost her memory! Who would have thought that a minor accident could cause such brain trauma? Inside, their feelings were complex, unsure of how to explain the situation to her.

If this were real, everything would become so much easier to handle. What could someone with a shattered memory possibly do? They felt a mix of relief and anxiety. Relieved because it meant they could easily trick her into signing the consent forms for the surgery, yet anxious because if news leaked that the adopted daughter of the Sterling family had lost her memory, things might spiral out of control again. Word of mouth could distort anything. People would surround them with gossip and scandal—accusations of mistreatment, discrimination... Such a headache!

"Don't be scared. Grandma has always had a short temper. You just don't remember, so you aren't used to it. She hits everyone—even me. So, Ivy, don't take it to heart!"

Victoria Sterling gently wiped away Ivy's tears, softly stroking her back to soothe her. Sniffling, Ivy Belle nodded, her eyes accidentally locking with Valeria Sterling's. She bit her lip tightly, her intentions unreadable, before abruptly pulling away from Victoria's embrace. She turned her head, looking blankly and intently at Theo.

"Who... who are you?"

It felt as though someone had driven a blade straight into Theo Kensington's heart, bringing an ache so intense he could barely breathe. He slowly stepped closer to Ivy Belle, his trembling hands reaching out to cup her cheeks, his voice thick with emotion:

"You... you don't remember who I am? I'm your Theo. You and I... we're lovers, aren't we? Don't you have even a tiny bit of memory left?"

"Lovers? You... are my boyfriend?" Ivy Belle pursed her lips, a look of utter confusion and innocence washing over her face, as if hearing the concept for the very first time.

"Yes! I am your Theo, your boyfriend!"

As he spoke, he reached out and pulled her into his arms, his eyes overflowing with deep, lingering love and heartache, unable to accept that he had been completely forgotten.

Valeria Sterling had already clenched her fists tight, her entire body fuming as she glared at the affectionate pair in front of her. Just a few minutes ago, she was the one being pampered, and now she had to watch that very same man turn his back to dote on someone else. She was never good at exercising restraint—and naturally, few women could remain calm witnessing such a sight—so she could only vent all the bitterness in her heart through the most primitive way possible: launching a violent attack!

"Ivy Belle! Let go of him!"

Valeria grabbed Ivy's hair, relentlessly hitting her to pull the two apart. Her long fingernails scraped across Ivy's still-flushed face, leaving a bleeding scratch across her cheekbone.

"Ah!" Ivy Belle buried herself deeper into Theo Kensington's chest, her mouth endlessly crying for help.

"Valeria, let go of her!"

Theo hurriedly pushed Valeria away, wrapping his arms securely around Ivy's head to protect her from any further harm.

"You... how could you do this to me?"

"Valeria!" Victoria Sterling didn't approve of her sister's outburst either. She quickly restrained Valeria, secretly shooting her a stern look of warning.

"Theo... Victoria... the two of you..." Indignant and sobbing with her face in her hands, Valeria ran out of the room, cursing incessantly under her breath.

Victoria looked back at Ivy Belle, her expression unreadable. In the end, she gently patted Ivy's head once before rushing out to chase after her sister.

Now, the room had grown vastly quieter, leaving only Theo Kensington and Ivy Belle. She was still whimpering and sobbing, muttering continuously:

"Scared... so scary..."

He looked at the small, fragile girl, feeling an immense pang of heartache. Ivy had only just woken up, yet she was already subjected to such violence; for reasons he couldn't grasp, his heart twisted in agonizing pain!

"Ivy, don't be afraid! It's okay now, it's okay..."

Ivy Belle shook her head, tears streaming down her face without pause. Pouting sullenly, she released her hold on Theo and lay back down on the bed, curling herself under the blanket until only her eyes peered out, choking out through her sobs:

"I... I don't know you... Everyone is so scary... so scary..."

Theo's eyes turned red as he gazed at her in sorrow. Even now, he couldn't bring himself to believe that he had been completely forgotten. His trembling hands lightly touched Ivy Belle's hair as he poured his heart out:

"I am your lover! Please... please, even if you don't remember who I am yet, don't be afraid... we shouldn't be like this..."

Before he could finish his sentence, she pulled herself under the blanket, hiding her tear-stained face as she sobbed and whimpered softly.

"Ivy..." Theo Kensington felt utterly at a loss. He wanted to say more, but realizing her mind was scattered and anything he said would be useless, he could only give up. His initial thought was to stay by her side and care for her, yet the moment Valeria Sterling crossed his mind, he bit his lip, his eyes darting slightly. Hesitating, he stood up and spoke gently:

"Get some rest. I'll go outside and call the doctor. Your health isn't stable yet, so don't get agitated. Lie still like a good girl, and I'll come back as soon as I'm done." After speaking, Theo lingered for a moment, softly pressing a kiss onto the thin blanket covering her face before turning away.

"You... wait... I want to see Hazel..."