Ste remained silent, forcing Max to grab her arm “What are you doing rummaging up in the kitchent this at a ce for you

Ste halted abruptly, turning to face Max with an icy re.

Realizing his blunder, Max awkwardly tried in exin, “I mean, the kitchen’s full of dangerous stuff. If you’m not doing anything, maybe just go back to

“I’m hungry.” Ste said fly

Max’s anger red up instantly. “You’ve got some nerve saying you’re hungry! What were you even doing instead

ad ofing to dinner?

Ste looked up at him.

Under her steady, piercing bgare/b, Max suddenly felt a pang of guilt and awkwardly looked away.

“Fine, if you won’t let me eat, then I won’t,” Ste said coldly. “I’m a public figure now. If I die here, the scandal and fallout will be beyond your control.”

With that, she walked out

The living room was still filled with cheerful chatter, but the moment Ste appeared, the room instantly fell silent.

Without ncing at anyone, Ste headed straight bupstairs/b.

Back in her room, Ste shut the door and pulled bout /bher bbrand/b–new phone.

For three years, Ste had been baway /bfrom home,rgely out of touch with the outside world. Even back in Dusty Pines, the news she could get was severely limited,

Soon after, there was a knock at the door,

“Come in,” Ste said, her eyes still glued to her phone.

Andrea, the maid, set a bowl of noodles in front of Ste and said gently, “Ms. Ste Hayes, please eat while it’s hot. Mr. Max Hayes made these noodles himself He knows how much you love them.”

Ste nced at the bo

bowl of noodles with a sunny–side–up egg and a dash of soy bsauce/b. It was exactly how she used to love bit/b.

Once, when Anna was sick, Andrew and Fiona took her to the hospital. Coincidentally, Andrea, the only maid in the house at the time, was also outb, /bso there were no other servants left at home.

Max and Ste bwere /bleft at home alone, Ste was starving, so she went to find Max. Whether he was tired of her constantining or just hungry himself, he eventually went to the kitchen to make some noodles.

Neither of them knew what they were doing, but their awkward efforts created a vor that would stay with Ste forever.

Although her patents favored Anna, Ste thought they neverpletely neglected her. The asional kindness she received only reminded her that it was only natural for Anna to get more attention, gen her poor health.

bBut /bwhen bMax /bdecided to save Anna first, Ste gave up on them entirely. She finally realized that all the so–called kindness had been nothin–hut her own desperate delusion. From the start, everything they offered her was just charity.

“Andrea, thank you. Please take it away,” Stefa muttered.

“Um.” Andrea hesitated, looking troubled.

10:08 Wed, 3030: G.6)M

“Just leave it there Ste added.

Relieved, Andrea left the room with a happy smile.

Ste overheard Max ask Andra if she had eaten. When Andres confirmed she had, Mar’s spirits visibily lifted

Ste stared at the noodles. She was really hungry. bShe /bhadn’t wanted to eat, but she knew she couldn’t just stare herself. She’d promised Eleanor would take good care of hersell

There’s no point in bearing myself

Hfor people like them,‘ she thought.

Ste finished the noodles in the end, Just as she was about to return the bowl, there was a knock at her dont

Not hearing any response from inside, Anna spoke up gently, “Ste, Emily’s here. She has so much the wants to say to you. Could you let

ant to see me?”

The door stayed firmly closed. Emily bit her lip anxiously and whispered, b“/bDoes Ste not want t

“Ste does need some time to process this, but she’s really kind–hearted. She’ll surely understand you,” Anna assured Emily

The two of them waited in suffocating silence, the air heavy with tension.

Finally, the door slowly creaked open. Anna immediately nudged Emily’s shoulder and whispered, “Ste opened the door!”

Emily looked at Ste with hopeful eyes.

bou /bwant?”

However, Ste remained expressionless with a bowl still in her hand. “What do you

Anna smiled and said, “Ste, Emily would like to talk with you.”

“Take this out for me,” Ste said tly, handing her the bowl.

Max suddenly stored over, snatched the bowl from Ste, and snapped angrily, “Ste, Anna isn’t your maid. What gives you the right to boss her around like that?”

Though bSte /bwas used to such remarks, she couldn’t help but nce at Max when she heard his words.

“Max, it’s nothing. Just a small favor, Anna interjected soothingly” b“/bYou’ve misunderstood.”

“Who knows if she’s doing this on purpose? Just because I made her some noodles, she thinks she can boss everyone around!” Max red at Ste, nat with a brother’s affection, but with the cold intensity of an enemy.

Ste didn’t even spare Max a nce. With someone else there, she couldn’t be bothered to stoop to his level. She turned to Emilly and said tly. “Come

Emily nced bback /bat bAnna/bb, /bher eyes silently pleading forpany.

Anna gave bher /ban encouraging nod, so Emily reluctantly stepped inside and gently closed the door behind herb. /b

In the room, Emily felt heavy pressure that she had never experienced before.

Ste’s silence made Emily feel increasingly theasy. Just as Emily was about to run, Ste’s voice broke the tension. “You wanted to L you?”

didn’t

Emily took ba /bdeep breath, gathering all her courage before speaking hesitantly. “Ste, I’m sorry. I know this must be incredibly hard for you to ept, but Anna has truly been so bkind /bto me. While you were away, she helped me through so much,

b01/b:1

“You know, I’ve always worked odd jobs, but it wors

renough to

off our debts. One time, data collectors even came to our house.

“If it hadn’t been for Wenja. Literally wouldn’t have known what to do. Maybe I smolida te

Ste remained utterly silent, offering neither a word not a nce to Emily.

so be here talking to you now

Emily wasn’t even sine if Ste was really listening, but since Ste didn’t interrupt or make a scene, it gave Emily the courage to go on

She said, “After getting to know Anna, I realized we might have misunderstood her. Ste, have you ever thought that maybe i

“Since you’ve both grown up together, why is it that your parents and even your brother always treat her so kindly, but not you? Do you think the Houm might be with you?”

Before Emily could finish, Ste shot her an icy re that instantly silenced her.

“Are you done?” Ste asked, her voice low and heavy

Emily suddenly snapped, her voice rising “Ste, you can’t keep acting like this. You’re balways /bso quick to judge others, Anna has been nothing but good to you. Do you even realize how many nights she’s cried herself to sleep since you left home?

“She was so scared that your parents and bMax /bwould see her crying, so she’d only bbreak /bdown in front of me. She kept saying s she’d been the one taken away instead of you

“She even attempted suicide several times. She just couldn’te to terms with you being gone.

desperately wished

“She’s your twin sister. What you share goes far beyond just being siblings. Everything you’ve told me before bwas /bjust your side of the story. Anna has always been so guilty. Why bcan’t /bbyou /bjust forgive her?”

E