?Chapter 1164:


    About thirty minutester, a knock at the door forced her to abandon her spot outside Alec’s room. Ruby and Mack arrived together, stepping inside. Alec emerged from his bedroom, shooting a frosty look in Ruby’s direction. “I’ve already exined it to you.”


    “Isabe, you can’t freeload here. If you want to stay, you’ll earn your keep—cooking, cleaning,undry, every bit of housework.” Ruby didn’t bother to hide her irritation. “No need to remind me what you want, Alec, I know exactly what to expect.”


    Mack tried to cut through the tension, his voice gentle. “Mom, Dad, could you both just stop arguing? We finally have a roof over our heads together. Can we at least try to talk like a family?”


    Isabe couldn’t stay silent any longer; she had to warn Alec about Rosie. Without dancing around the issue, she asked, “Dad, was that Rosie you were on the phone with just now?”


    Fury shed in Alec’s eyes. “You little spy! Eavesdropping on my calls now?”


    She owned up to it without flinching. “I did. But honestly, Dad, after all these years, don’t you realize how maniptive some people are? You just spilled every detail about us to her. That was foolish!”


    Alec’s temper snapped, his voice sharp. “What do you know, Isabe? If it weren’t for Miss Harper, we’d have had no ce to live now! You should be grateful for what she’s done for us!”


    Ruby and Mack exchanged a long look—neither disagreed with Isabe’s warning.<fnbb5a> Newest update provided by Find~Novel</fnbb5a>


    With zero hesitation, Ruby said, “Alec, do you have any idea how we ended up broke and working jobs no one else wanted?”


    Alec gave a dismissive snort. “Isn’t it because you’re all ipetent? Messing things up and making Miss Harper angry?”


    Fury zed in Ruby’s eyes. “That’s not true, and you know it! Isabe is talented—there’s nothing she can’t do. But Rosie, with all her schemes, tried to force our daughter into sleeping with some old man. When Isabe refused, Rosie snatched back everything she’d ever given us and made sure no one would hire any of us. We had to take whatever work we could find just to survive. She maniptes everyone around her. Keep helping her, and you’ll wind up worse off than me.”


    Backing her up, Mack said, “Exactly, Dad. Rosie’s the one who ruined us. Think about it—what’s going to happen if she finds out we’re here?”


    Alec only shrugged, unbothered. “Doesn’t matter to me. I have food, a roof over my head, and a bed. That’s enough. None of you helped me when I hit rock bottom. Remember? I’ve already been kind enough to let you stay here. I will not concern myself with anything else.”


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    Isabe couldn’t hide her frustration. “You really think you’re more clever than us? Rosie’s nothing but trouble. Please, stop telling her everything.”


    Alec was defiant. “Don’t act like Brenna is any different. You work for her, and she’s just as bad as Rosie. The Harper family has always brought us misery; don’t forget how our family went bankrupt in the first ce.”


    Isabe’s patience finally snapped. “Brenna might not be perfect, but she’s better than Rosie. From now on, you’re not to say a word to Rosie about us. If she kicks you out and you end up on the street, don’t expect any help from us.”


    Reluctant though he was to admit it, Alec had to concede that Isabe made a good point. After what happened to Isabe and Ruby, he had no reason to trust Rosie.


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