"No, my brother is innocent!"
Faith Walsh's fists clenched tightly as she stared desperately at her brother, Owen Walsh.
He was gaunt, his eyes vacant, a mere shell of the man he once was after enduring prolonged physical and mental suffering.
He had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal.
The judge's gavel came down with a resounding thud. "Owen Walsh, you are hereby sentenced to ten years in prison."
"Owen, no!" Faith's body gave way under the weight of despair, causing her to slump to the floor.
As Owen was being led away, he turned back, his voice echoing in the silent courtroom, "Faith, I'm sorry for everything! Don't worry about me. Take care of yourself..."
His words trailed off into a whisper.
Tears streamed down Faith's face.
...
Half a year ago, their father had been deceived by their second uncle, Liam Walsh, and all his property had fallen into Liam's hands. When Owen realized what had happened, he picked up a kitchen knife and attacked Liam.
Liam had been seriously injured, so he was unwilling to let Owen go easily. He hired the best lawyer to sue Owen in court, swearing to make Owen pay the greatest price!
As for Faith, she had turned from a rich daughter into an orphan.
When she walked out of the court, her mind wandering, she did not notice an expensive car was parked not far away.
"There's really no other way to solve this. Liam has concrete evidence, and all he wants is for Owen to go to jail..." Louie Haynes, the lawyer who had just defended Owen, uttered helplessly.
The driver looked at Faith's pitiful back and sighed, "She suffered such a heavy blow, yet she has no one else to talk to. She's still a student too. How can she continue living like this?"
In the back seat, a man was dealing with documents. Hearing those words, he looked up at Faith.
There were still tears streaming down her gaunt face, and her shoulders were trembling.
For some reason, he was moved by the sight.
"Bring her back home."
He decided.
Two years later.
Faith picked up the makeup brush and stroked it across her face.
"Madam Richards, do you think I'm beautiful?"
Madam Richards smiled sardonically, "You're so beautiful. Mr. Steele would be stupid for not fall for you."
Faith did not notice her expression and felt happy with the compliment. Hillard Steele was finally coming back.
She still remembered the first day she was taken back to Steele family. Back then, Hillard had only glanced at her apathetically and ordered, "From now on, you'll live here."
Faith looked at the pity in his eyes, her feelings complicated.
What other choice did she, who had been abandoned by the whole world, have?
Hillard glanced at her hair dampened by the melting snow and ordered, "Clean her up."
After that, he turned around and left.
Since then, Faith had been staying here.
Hillard was busy every day, rarely back to see her.
During the days he was around, Faith felt particularly at ease. To be exact, she would feel that way just by physically being by his side.
As time went by, anyone could see that Faith had special feelings towards Hillard.
Although he was cold by nature, he was still kind to her.
When he was not around, Faith often sneaked into his bedroom, held the pillow he used, and breathed in his scent greedily.
When the servants in the house found out, they would scold her behind her back, saying that she was too devious, that Hillard didn't like women, and that he would kick her out soon.
She had never taken those unpleasant words to heart and was still waiting for him with hope.
Today was Hillard's younger sister, Carole Steele's birthday. Preparations for it had been done a long time ago.
Faith had already chosen a maroon evening gown to wear. Her skin was fair, and she looked incredibly beautiful. She lifted the hem of her dress and walked down the spiral staircase gracefully. She raised the corner of her lips and smiled slightly, attracting everyone's attention at the banquet.
Everyone discussed her appearance. "Is that the neglected Miss Walsh?"
"Surprisingly, she's beautiful."
"I heard Hillard helped her brother with the lawsuit, but unfortunately, he was still convicted. How miserable!"
Hillard shot her a meaningful look, and no one knew what he was thinking.
The once weak girl had grown up.
Faith felt that everyone's eyes were fixed on her, and she felt particularly nervous. Was Hillard also looking at her?
Would he... like her in a red dress?
As the protagonist of the party, Carole failed to notice Faith. She drank too much. Raising her glass, she said happily, "Thank you for coming to my birthday party. There is another good news to announce. My second brother, Hillard, is getting engaged!"
The audience burst into an uproar.
Hillard pursed his lips and stayed silent.
Faith's heart tightened. She clutched her sleeves tightly, and all sorts of emotions welled up in her heart. Her eyes turned watery.
Hillard was getting engaged?
Which family did the bride belong to? Faith had never expected such a thing.
Then, a stranger approached her, saying, "Miss Walsh, may I buy you a drink?"
Feeling utterly downcast, she didn't even look at him properly.
She accepted the glass of wine and downed it in one go.
That was just the beginning, as she continued to drink heavily.
Eventually, she ended up vomiting in a corner, weeping.
Her state was even worse than it had been two years ago.
In the dead of night, she mustered all her courage and barged into Hillard's bedroom.
The moment she smelled his familiar scent, she felt slightly comforted.
In her drunken haze, she leaned into a warm embrace.
"I really wish I could stay here forever..." she mused.
Through her blurred vision, she thought she saw the man swallow hard; then he flipped over and pinned her down...