Chapter 3

On the day I turned a month old, the Fairchilds booked the most luxurious hotel in the entire city to host a banquet. I lay peacefully in my cradle. [These demons are definitely going to stir up trouble again today.]

Mom stood beside my cradle, gently patting my little tummy, her eyes filled with reassurance. While the guests were showering me with flattery, my fourth-oldest brother, Emerson Fairchild, my fifth-oldest brother, Evan Fairchild, and my sixth-oldest brother, Ezra Fairchild, walked in and gathered around Natalie.

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to them.

Natalie wore an exaggerated pink puffy dress and a large rhinestone-encrusted bow on her head, hugging a teddy bear. "Ev, is it really okay for me to dress like this? Won't I steal Nev's spotlight?"

I almost threw up the milk from the night before. [Whose baby dresses like a pink poisonous mushroom that came to life?]

Evan was a racecar driver with the most flamboyant personality. He threw his arm around Natalie's shoulders. "You look great in everything you wear, Nat. You'll always be the most spoiled little princess in our family!"

Ezra was a painter, and he gently stroked Natalie's head. "Even though Nev's the guest of the hour, you are forever number one in your brothers' hearts."

The guests around them looked at one another in awkward silence.

Natalie skipped over to my cradle. "Happy one-month-old, Nev! I prepared a gift for you."

Then, she pulled out a rattle. "I bought this with my allowance. You won't dislike it, right, Nev?"

Batting her eyelashes, she abruptly swung the rattle toward my face. In the blink of an eye, a sharp spike on its edge went straight for my eye.

I lifted my eyelids disdainfully. [Seriously, this stunt again? Out of the eight worlds I fought my way through, five fake heiresses pulled this same stunt. Is your manual for stirring up trouble wholesale from the same supplier?]

Even though this body was sluggish, my combat instincts were still intact. I swung my chubby little arm and smacked the rattle aside. The sharp spike grazed right past my cheek.

In a heartbeat, Damian wrenched the rattle from her grip.

Natalie conveniently tumbled into Evan's embrace and burst into aggrieved tears. "Why did you take my gift, Mr. Lockwood? I just wanted to play with Nev. Why'd you hit me, Nev?"

Evan instantly flew into a rage. "How dare a lowly bodyguard like you lay a hand on Nat!"

Damian's expression was grim as he thrust the rattle in front of Evan's face. "Mr. Evan, if this spike had pierced Ms. Nevaeh's eye, they wouldn't just be 'playing around' anymore."

Evan was stumped for a moment before curling his lip indifferently. "Isn't it just a cheap toy that wasn't polished properly? It's not like Nat did it on purpose. Do you really need to blow things out of proportion like this?"

With that, he clapped his hands, and a waiter pushed a display case forward. Inside it sat a dazzling and radiant diamond tiara.

"Ignore them, Nat. This is a gift from Ezra and me. It might be Nev's one-month celebration, but you will forever be our little princess!"

The entire venue went into an uproar. This tiara had fetched an astronomical price at an auction just a few days ago.

Covering her mouth, Natalie was so thrilled that her tears were about to spill over. "Ev, Ez, this is way too expensive! I can't accept it... Nev will be upset." Even as she spoke, her eyes were glued to the tiara, as if she wished she could put it on her head right that instant.

Lying in my cradle, I watched them coldly. [Playing the big shot on Dad's dime just to disgust me… Do these fools really think the agreement's just for show?]

Mom let out a derisive chuckle before slamming her coffee mug heavily onto the table and bursting their little bubble. "Since he thinks a spiked toy is merely a trivial matter... Damian, pass down the word to lock up Evan's garage. He's banned from racing for the next three months. Send him to the team's logistics crew to work as a mechanic, and have him personally polish ten thousand parts."

Evan's expression changed drastically. "Mom, you can't—"

"Also, Ezra," Mom cut him off sharply, eyeing Ezra coldly. "Since you have so much free time on your hands, your touring art exhibitions for the second half of the year are completely canceled. Go to the suburban orphanage and paint exterior walls for free!"

Ezra trembled all over, his gentle and refined image shattering completely.

Noticing that things were going south, Natalie hastily hugged Evan's arm and started shedding tears again. "Mom, please don't blame Ev and Ez! This is all my fault. I don't want the tiara anymore. I'll give it to Nev…"

Mom looked at that astronomically expensive tiara, her eyes filled with nothing but mockery. With a flick of her wrist, she said, "Damian, since Natalie said she doesn't want it, go ahead and smash that eyesore of a thing! Let's see how much noise it makes."

Without a moment's hesitation, Damian brought a hammer down, shattering the display case into pieces. The invaluable tiara was crushed beyond recognition, its diamonds popping loose and pelting the ground in every direction.