When my mother passed away so suddenly, and I was thrown out of the Williams family''s house, I would''ve ended up on the streets if you hadn''t helped me. I probably wouldn''t have even had a chance to say goodbye to her."


    But her words didn''tfort Antoney. He just shook his head and said, "I still feel useless. I can''t protect you now, and I couldn''t protect my mentor back then, either. She was terminally ill, and I didn''t even know."


    Ste replied softly, "Antoney, none of this was your fault. You don''t need to me yourself."


    Her mother had hidden her illness from everyone. She''d even sent Ste to live with the Williams family, afraid Ste would notice something was wrong.


    Unlike the tragic stories you see on TV, Ste and her mother had never struggled to make ends meet. In fact, they lived quitefortably. Otherwise, her mother wouldn''t have been able to support Antoney as well.


    Before leaving the Williams family, Ste''s mother had taken arge sum of money with her. She was a talented violinist-she made good money from performances and teaching students. Thanks to her, Ste nevercked for anything.


    Her mother always gave her the best she could afford-food, clothes, everything. When Ste got older, she developed a sense of thrift and once told her mother she didn''t need the very best of everything. But her mother insisted. "I want you to have the best, so you won''t be dazzled by a man''s shallow gestures when you grow up. I want you to see the world for yourself."


    They traveled together often, visited fashion shows and concerts. But her mother was just as strict as she was generous. Ste''s achievements with the violin didn''t mean she could ck off in her studies.


    Like her friend Keen, Ste grew up learning several foreignnguages. After starting school, she was always at the top of her ss. Her mother enrolled her in all sorts of activities-painting, etiquette, calligraphy-her schedule was


    packed through her teenage years. Dating? That was out of the question. She simply didn''t have time.


    Back then, Ste never understood why her mother was so strict. But after returning to the Williams family, she finally realized the reason.


    Her mother had raised her to be ady of means, to have poise and confidence. Ste''s eyes had been opened to the world, and she knew her standards were higher than most.


    She used to think her life was already pretty privileged—until she moved back to the Williams family''s estate. Only then did she learn what true wealth looked like.


    Her bedroom was bigger than her


    entire old house. A vase in the corner, carelessly ced, was worth millions. The house itself wasn''t just a mansion-it was a manor, practically a castle. Just driving from the front gate to the main


    ver


    residence took twenty minutes. The grounds were unimaginably vast.


    Ste had always been confident, thanks to her mother''s careful upbringing. She''d never known what it meant to feel inferior—until she returned to the Williams family.


    who made no secret


    Unlike Jasper w


    of his disdain, her three older


    brothers and half-sister never said a


    cruel word to her. But their polite distance, the way they indulged Aurora while keeping Ste at arm''s length, made it clear: she''d never truly be one of them. To them, she was just a stranger who shared their blood.


    But the moment that truly ripped away thest pretense that cameter, and it changed everything...