006: Another One With Selective Hearing

Serena stood at the front gates, waiting for an Uber to accept her request.

The neighborhood was far from downtown, so it took a full ten minutes before a car finally arrived.

But unbeknownst to her, this whole time, a Maybach hid in the shadows of the night.

Sebastian glanced at his watch. "She just got home—and now she's heading out again?"

…

It wasn't until Serena collapsed onto the bed in her 1,000 square feet apartment that she finally felt like she had come back to life.

She checked her bank balance—she was just a little short of being able to buy the place outright.

After college, she had mostly lived alone in rented apartments. Donald had never withheld her tuition, but from the moment she came of age, she had already made up her mind to leave home.

The Steeles no longer felt like a place she belonged. And to Donald, she was nothing more than a pawn he could move around when needed. If she truly wanted to break off the engagement with Trevor, her relationship with her father would inevitably become irreparable.

Gradually, Serena drifted into a deep sleep, enveloped in such thoughts.

…

At 5 p.m., after leaving the courthouse in her black suit and seeing her client off, Serena received a call from her father.

"Rena, bring Trevor home for dinner tonight," Donald said. "Yvonne made your favorite dishes. Come back early."

Serena hung up and let out a quiet scoff. There was no way she was calling Trevor. If so, she might as well go back and make things clear in person.

"You're back, Ms. Steele," Sherry said. She had been the family's longtime housekeeper. She was also the only one who still insisted on calling Serena "Ms. Steele"—and every time she did, Kyana would shoot her a glare.

"Sherry, I brought you some almond shortbread from Southridge Road. You love them, don't you?"

"Thank you, Ms. Steele. You're always so kind to me. If only your mother were still around."

Serena smiled and patted her shoulder. "Don't say that. If they hear you, they'll make things difficult for you again."

She walked into the foyer in her work suit, and Donald's expression darkened slightly. "Why didn't you change before coming back?"

He had never liked his eldest daughter's profession—arguing cases for a living didn't strike him as ladylike at all.

"Didn't you tell me to come back early?"

"Go wash your hands first. Trevor's already here."

Serena frowned faintly and turned toward the living room, where she saw the man sitting on the couch.

"Why are you here?"

She hadn't called Trevor at all. There was no reason for him to show up unannounced.

"I phoned Trevor, telling him to come," Donald said, shooting his daughter a glare before quickly switching to a courteous smile. "Don't take it to heart, Trevor. Serena speaks without thinking—she's always been blunt and careless."

Trevor's lips curved slightly. "That's exactly what I like about Rena, Mr. Steele."

"Ugh."

Serena hadn't meant to react—it was genuine nausea.

Donald's face darkened. "Where are your manners?"

Serena tugged lightly at the corner of her lips. "You guys go ahead and eat. What I had this morning hasn't even digested yet—I can't manage dinner."

With that, she really did head back to her room. However, the moment she pushed the door open, a stack of boxes behind it toppled over.

Her gaze sank as she swept her eyes over them—large and small delivery boxes, some opened, some still sealed. Her bedroom in this house had practically turned into a storage room.

"Oh—Serena, why didn't you say anything before barging into my room?"

Serena narrowed her eyes slightly. "Your room? Kyana Steele, you have five minutes to explain why my room is full of your trash."

Kyana lifted her chin, curling her lips smugly. "Your room is bigger than mine. And you don't even live here anymore—what's wrong with me putting some things here? Serena, you're not really getting mad over something this small, are you?"

It was one thing for Serena not to live there, but for her space to be filled with someone else's filth—that was a big no-no.

She smiled lightly. Without even bothering to avoid the dust, she bent down, scooped up the boxes on the floor, and hurled them straight into Kyana's room.

"Serena! What are you doing? Are you crazy?!"

Serena smiled faintly. "I wasn't before. But I'm getting there."

The commotion upstairs finally caught Donald's attention. "Yvonne, go take a look. What are they arguing about up there?"

Yvonne stood up at the words. "Alright." She chuckled lightly as she walked off. "Honestly, Rena really is something—every time she comes home, she ends up fighting with Kyana."

Trevor didn't actually come to the Steeles' very often. Even though he and Serena had dated for five years, the number of times he'd been here could be counted on one hand.

"Should I go up and take a look?" he asked.

"No need. Sit. Sisters arguing is normal."

…

When Yvonne reached the second floor, she saw her stepdaughter in what looked like a frenzy, tossing every last messy cardboard box into her own daughter's room.

"Rena, what do you think you're doing?"

Serena cast her a cold glance. "Kyana should be graduating this year, shouldn't she? She's not a child anymore. But you, Yvonne, really ought to teach her how to behave. Otherwise, once she steps into society, people will point at her back and curse her for having no upbringing."

"Why you!"

"Alright, enough. Kyana's still immature," Yvonne cut in quickly. "She didn't think using your room would upset you so much. Next year, I'll talk to Donald about it—this villa is due for a renovation anyway."

Serena's eyes turned icy. This villa was the only piece of her childhood memories left from when her mother was still alive. Now they wanted to destroy even that.

"Sure, Yvonne," Serena replied coolly. "But why bother renovating when you can have my dad buy Kyana a whole new place as her dowry instead? After all, Grandma might not even agree to a renovation."

Yvonne's expression stiffened. She looked deeply at her stepdaughter before forcing out a laugh. "We'll talk about it when the time comes."

All this girl can do is use the old hag card on me.

…

The room was coated in dust. Serena had Sherry come in and clean it again, then arranged to have the bedroom lock replaced. One key would be given to Sherry; the rest she would keep herself.

By the time she went downstairs, Trevor and Donald's conversation had just ended.

"Alright, it's getting late," Donald said. "Trevor just got back from a business trip—he came straight over after landing. Rena, go back and take good care of Trevor. Let him rest."

Serena let out a soft scoff. "Don't worry. He has plenty of people to take care of him."

Trevor wasn't offended. "Let's go, Rena. We still have to register the marriage tomorrow, don't we?"

Kyana had just come downstairs in time to hear that line, and a trace of malice flashed through her eyes. Is Trevor really planning to marry that shrew?

Donald laughed loudly and nodded repeatedly. "Good, good! Tomorrow's a good day to register your marriage. Rena, I want a word with you. Trevor, why don't you wait in the car for a bit?"

Trevor took a deep look at the father and daughter, then smiled faintly. "Alright, Mr. Steele. I'll wait in the car."

The moment he left, Donald shut the door, and his expression darkened immediately. "Rena, watch your attitude when you speak to Trevor. What kind of wife talks to her husband like that?"

"Don't like my attitude? Perfect." Serena shrugged. "I'm not planning to get married anyway."

"What did you say?!" Donald's voice shot up. He pointed at her and demanded sharply, "Say that again."

Great. Another one with selective hearing.

"I said,I'm not getting married."