At this moment, Ruby Bluen's heart filled with sweetness. She felt that she and Marcel Horne were finally going to be together; it felt as though the storm had passed and clear skies had emerged, a sign that their fortunes had turned for the better after hitting rock bottom.

She was especially grateful to Glades Horne and her sister. If Glades hadn't suddenly seen the truth of the situation, and if it hadn't been for her sister's drunken words, she and Marcel would never have been able to be together legitimately. That icy mountain would have always pushed her away simply because she was Glades Horne's fiancée.

That icy mountain is too foolish, too slow.

My heart was never with Glades Horne. By pushing me away, did he think Glades and I would be happy? I feared that in the end, all three of us would be in pain.

"Marcel, I'm waiting for you to come back," Ruby Bluen gently stroked her phone, murmuring affectionately.

"This time, we must face the storms of life together. You mustn't foolishly push me away again, and I absolutely won't be fooled by you again. I will cling to you until we're in the church," Ruby Bluen mused to herself, daydreaming about walking down the aisle on a red carpet, wearing a pure white wedding dress, under the blessings of family and friends, each step taking her closer to Marcel Horne.

"Big sis, come back to earth." Suddenly, a large hand waved boldly in front of her.

Snapping back to reality, Ruby Bluen saw her dear brother standing before her desk, looking at her with a half-smile.

"Leo, how can you enter without knocking? That's very rude," Ruby Bluen chided, her cheeks flushing. The swelling on her face from the slap Adele Horne had given her yesterday had completely subsided.

"Big sis, what are you thinking about? You just got back yesterday, and today you're already back at the office. You're here in body, but not in spirit," Leo Bluen complained a bit.

He was the Vice President of the Bluen Family consortium, a position higher than Ruby's. After Ruby had fled her wedding, he had also taken over the Finance Department. Despite his seemingly frivolous exterior, he was quite mature in his work. He understood the vast Bluen Family consortium thoroughly, and his business acumen was by no means inferior to that of the Horne family scions.

"It's nothing. Oh, Leo, Julia has come back too. Have you gone to see her yet?" Ruby Bluen changed the subject.

"Not yet, I haven't had the chance. Julia and Glades will come to our house for dinner tonight. Mom just called to let us know and told us both to be home for dinner," Leo Bluen said. As he mentioned his dear second sister and Glades Horne, he cautiously observed his elder sister. Seeing Ruby Bluen's face show nothing but blessings, without any resentment or anger, he finally relaxed.

Ruby Bluen nodded. "Mhm."

After the siblings chatted for a while, they noticed it was already half-past eleven, so they left the company together.

「Hospital.」

Julia Bluen walked into the ward carrying a take-out container of lean meat porridge.

Adele Horne hadn't eaten breakfast that morning and was now suffering from a severe cold. Although her fever had subsided, the symptoms of the cold remained, so she shouldn't eat anything too greasy. Julia, however, stood her ground and had brought Adele a take-out container of lean meat porridge.

She had specifically instructed the restaurant not to add anything other than oil and salt.

Had it not been a bit far from home, she would have wanted to go back and cook some porridge for Adele herself.

The sunlight outside had become slightly scorching. T City, a major southern metropolis, was quite different. Even in early winter, the sun at noon still had a stinging heat to it.

The windows in the ward were open, allowing sunlight to stream through, warming the somewhat chilly ward and brightening it up. This made the patient feel more comfortable, as if no illness could be truly terrifying when there was sunlight in one's heart.

Adele saw that Julia, contrary to her wishes, had indeed brought a type of porridge she had never eaten in her life. She was instantly enraged, feeling that Julia was deliberately going against her and taking advantage of their family's absence to mistreat her.

Julia never placed herself on the pedestal of a wealthy heiress; when it came to food, she valued suitability over price. She believed that Adele needed to eat something light like porridge at the moment, so she persisted. Adele, however, was accustomed to gourmet delicacies and sumptuous feasts, and being quite extravagant, naturally interpreted the bowl of porridge as Julia's attempt to torment her.

"Julia Bluen, you're deliberately abusing me! I said I wanted food from the Emperor hotel—I want the culinary skills of a five-star chef! I can't stomach anything not made by a top chef! But you went to some cheap little eatery and brought back this dog food for me! Are you even my sister-in-law? Is this how a sister-in-law behaves? Are you trying to kill your sister-in-law while she's sick…?" Adele's fever was completely gone, and her spirits had returned. She was starving and had been eagerly awaiting Julia's return, only to find Julia had brought back such a meal. How could she not be angry?

She had always seen herself as a princess, the princess in the eyes of T City's inhabitants. The food she ate, the clothes she wore, the things she used, and the entertainment she enjoyed—none of it could be matched by other girls her age. Though she wasn't popular and had no real friends, every girl envied her. This was simply because she was born into a top-tier, prestigious family like the Hornes, and had five powerful and handsome older brothers.

But now, her own sister-in-law, Julia, was trampling on her princess's dignity, making her eat porridge that she wouldn't even feed to her pet dog.

"Exactly, Second Miss Bluen, what you did is wrong. Look, you've upset Adele, and that's not good for her health," Orlando Evans also gently chimed in from the side, but she called Julia 'Second Miss Bluen' instead of 'Mrs. Horne.' It was clear she still hadn't given up on Glades Horne and was foolishly dreaming of becoming Mrs. Horne. However… an involuntary thought of the sinister warning from James Horne, that devious illegitimate son, made Orlando shiver internally. Her infatuation with Glades Horne was forcibly suppressed by several degrees.

James Horne had leverage over her. That Demon had warned her: if she dared to harm Julia Bluen or try to break up Glades and Julia, he would upload certain photos to the internet. This would utterly destroy her reputation and dignity. Furthermore, it would implicate her parents, who were desperate to climb the social ladder, and even affect the business of her uncle, who cherished her like his own daughter.

She couldn't understand why James Horne bore no resentment towards Glades Horne. Why was he so different from other illegitimate children?