Chapter 5: Stealing Is A Bad Habit

Toby scolded Allison for being selfish, for not caring about others, and for lacking compassion.

Nigel also told her that only shallow people liked roses, and she should learn from Sherrie to understand moral principles and develop a character like bamboo.

Ruth tried to comfort her, saying that when people died, they were gone.

What was more important, a bunch of plants or Sherrie’s life?

In the end, all the roses along the wall were pulled out, making Allison feel alone and abandoned.

Her family members, who had been crying together, finally calmed down. Ruth wiped her tears with the back of her hand and suddenly remembered how cold it was. She turned to Allison and said, “Go take a hot shower with Ella to wash away the bad luck. From now on, we are still a family.”

Ella came out smiling and walked ahead to lead Allison.

The house her father left behind was a standalone villa, the place where Allison had grown up. But after three years away, it felt both familiar and strange. The layout was the same, but many things looked different now.

The shoe rack at the entrance was filled with pink fuzzy slippers owned by Sherrie. The framed portraits on the walls were of Sherrie. Even the thick carpet covering the staircase was placed there to keep Sherrie from falling. Her old room on the second floor was now Sherrie’s. It had the best sunlight and the best view, and there was no way they would have left it empty for three years.

As expected, Ella led her to a small room. Allison remembered it had been converted from a walk-in closet, slightly better than a maid’s quarters.

Allison didn’t recognize Ella. She must have been hired after Allison was sent to the psychiatric hospital.

When she entered the room, Allison instinctively looked toward a hidden surveillance camera in the corner of the wall. Without showing any reaction, she asked, “Ella, what happened to the former housekeeper?”

“Oh, she went back to her hometown three years ago. I heard her husband found a younger woman, and she wasn’t happy about it, so she went back to cause trouble,” Ella said with a sneer. “What man doesn’t cheat? If she makes a scene like that, it only hurts his pride more.”

Allison glanced at her but didn’t respond. Seeing that Allison wasn’t interested in the topic, Ella laughed softly and went into the bathroom to run the bathwater.

Meanwhile, Allison used the moment to check the drawers. The room looked like it had been set up in a hurry; there wasn’t a single electronic device inside.

Allison looked up at the surveillance camera again. On her way inside, she noticed several cameras had been installed throughout the house. They were clearly meant for her. Everyone thought she was crazy, and they were afraid she might harm Sherrie, so they needed to watch her constantly. If they were that afraid of her, why did they even bring her back from the psychiatric hospital?

Feeling suspicious, Allison saw Ella step out of the bathroom, so she quickly went inside and locked the door.

Ella knocked on the door. “Hey, why did you lock the door?”

“I’m taking a shower,” Allison briefly answered.

“You don’t need to lock the door for that!” Ella said in an annoyed tone.

Allison replied, “Do you not lock the door when you shower?”

Ella glanced toward the bathroom, then reached for her work uniform. But just as she was about to leave, she reached into her pocket and suddenly realized her phone was missing.

Inside the bathroom, Allison quickly took the phone apart, removed the SIM card, set it aside, and disabled the location tracking.

Then she began typing rapidly on the phone’s keyboard.

Outside, Ella pounded on the door. “Did you take my phone?”

Without turning around, Allison said, “I haven’t seen it.”

Ella didn’t believe her. “Open the door and let me in. I’ll check it myself.”

Allison brushed her off. “Wait until I’m done showering.”

Ella couldn’t force the door open and grew furious. She shouted through the door, “If you don’t open up, that means you definitely stole it! Just wait! I’m telling Mr. Nigel!”

Allison ignored her rant and focused on the phone screen. After a moment, the noise outside stopped. Ella had likely left.

Using Ella’s phone, Allison accessed the Rogers family’s security cameras.

On the screen, she saw Ruth and Nigel already sitting in the living room. Ronan had pulled Sherrie aside to talk to her.

With a gentle look, Ronan said, “Sherrie, we brought her back this time to discuss breaking off the engagement. You can’t keep hesitating.”

Sherrie bit her lip, looking troubled as she pushed him away. “Your engagement is with the Rogers family. I’m an outsider. How could I take my sister’s fiancé? I can’t betray Allison.”

Ronan walked around and faced her again. He leaned down to look at her blushing face and coaxed, “Come on, it’s the modern age. Arranged marriages are an outdated custom that should have been abolished long ago. Besides, our whole family has already agreed to call off the engagement. If it helps, I can apologize to her. If she refuses, she’ll never see me again.”

Watching the surveillance footage, Allison smirked coldly. So that was their plan. No wonder they hastily brought her out of the psychiatric hospital. They wanted her to give up her fiancé.

She remembered that when Ronan was born, he had been in a breech position and got stuck in the birth canal. No hospital in Kansas dared to handle the delivery. It was her father who used an old medical method to keep Ronan’s mother alive long enough to give birth to him. His mother had survived death that day and was so grateful that she arranged the engagement between their families.

And now, the Lopez family wanted to give that gratitude to Sherrie instead.

Soon enough, Ella came back. She used a key to unlock the bathroom door and burst in without any politeness. “Ms. Rogers, stealing is a bad habit. If Mr. Nigel finds out, he’ll send you right back to the psychiatric hospital!”

She was certain Allison had taken her phone.