Chapter 2
I glanced down at myself—the cheap clothes I’d bought online had faded from washing, my canvas shoes were worn out, and my hands were covered in calluses from years of lab work. Compared to Elaine’s elegance, I really did look more like a maid.
“Quentin, it’s me,” I said hoarsely.
Quentin glanced at me in shock, then his expression quickly turned to disgust. I followed behind them, tiptoeing into the house.
The last time I came home was for Mom’s birthday, but she had angrily thrown away the birthday gift I’d carefully prepared. I had also been kicked out of the Wilde residence like I was nothing.
Once inside, I discovered that every corner of the house was decked out in birthday decorations, warm and inviting.
Andreas went to the study to discuss business with Dad, while Mom accompanied Elaine to her room to change clothes. Quentin, not wanting to see me for another second, slammed his bedroom door and locked it.
When I pushed open my own bedroom door, I found everything had been changed. The bed, clothes, my books, and even my completed experimental data—everything was gone.
I was frantically searching through the room when Quentin kicked the door open and stormed in. “What are you looking for? These things aren’t yours to mess with!”
To make it convenient for her piano practice, they had converted my room into Elaine’s music room. But I didn’t care about that part.
I asked anxiously, “Where are my books and the files that were in the boxes?”
Quentin shrugged and said, “We thought you didn’t want them anymore, so we gave them to Clara to sell as scrap.”
When I heard those words, I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. I collapsed weakly onto the floor, closing my eyes in despair.
Those files contained nearly a year’s worth of data from my round-the-clock research, and now, it was all gone. Besides, the house was massive, and they could have stored my things in the basement instead of just throwing them away when they converted my room into Elaine’s music room.
