Chapter 75 Questions
Liam feared that things were heading toward an ugly ending, so he made up his mind to find Tra hear the truth straight from her.
When he finally caught sight of her, Walter was already standing before her, speaking with a weight in her voice that Liam had never seen him use on her.
The sight made Liam pause. He slipped back into the shadows of the hallway, wanting to hear what was being said without being seen.
Walter’s tone was steady, but there was no mistaking the firmness behind it. “Ms. Tracy, are you working a job somewhere?”
Liam went still, as though the words themselves had locked him in ce.
Working? Tracy?
She had been cushioned by privilege from the moment she was born<b>, </b>raised in an environment where every need was met without effort. The idea of her taking on a job felt almost absurd.
Tracy knew that if Walter was asking, he already knew about her job. So she didn’t try to deny it.
“Why?” Walter asked, clearly baffled. “They should’ve given you enough to live on. <b>If </b>you needed money. you could havee to me. Or Mr. Franklin. Why would you put yourself through such hardship?
She could see the genuine care in his question, but she also knew she could not depend on her grandfather forever, and she refused to keep herself bound to the Jackmans.
“Walter, I’m not part of the Jackman family anymore. From now on, I’ll earn my <b>own </b>living.”
Walter’s gaze softened with sympathy.
He had always had a tender spot for her, yet he also knew that once Tracy made up her mind, no one could change it.
Still, he tried. “Don’t work yourself to exhaustion, and don’t push yourself too far. Mr. Franklin and I will always be here for you.”
Tracy felt her throat tighten, and she nodded firmly, “I know.”
Around the corner, Liam stood frozen. He watched her with a mixture of disbelief and an ache in his chest that felt like a fist tightening around his heart.
He had heard her im before that she wasn’t truly a Jackman, but he had never believed she meant it.
This time<b>, </b>though, a creeping panic began to take root.
It felt as though he was on the brink of losing the sister he had grown up beside, the one who <b>had </b>been closest to him all his life..
The fear that rose in him <b>was </b>sharp and almost choking.
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Chapter 75 Questions
He didn’t want to hear the quiet disapproval in Walter’s voice toward the Jackmans, nor did he want <b>to </b>face the truth in it. His pulse raced as he turned and hurried away.
No.
Tracy might not share their blood, but the bond they had built through the years was undeniable.
Does she <i>really </i>think <i>our </i><i>years </i><i>mean </i><i>less </i><i>than </i><i>blood</i><i>? </i>
<b>It </b>was such a narrow, selfish way to think.
<i>She </i>must <i>have </i><i>been </i><i>speaking </i><i>out </i><i>of </i><i>anger</i>, <i>out </i><i>of </i><i>bitterness </i><i>over </i><i>being </i><i>sent </i>to the Angelic Etiquette Academy
That has <i>to </i><i>be </i>it.
Lost in these thoughts, Liam didn’t even notice Erin until he nearly walked right into her.
She flinched, frowning as though ready to scold him, but when she saw the faraway look in his eyes, her expression shifted. “Liam … Liam! What’s wrong with you?”
She called out to him several times before he blinked and returned to himself.
“It’s nothing …
He moved to leave, but Erin caught his hand. “Liam, tell me what happened.”
She had been the one to tell him about Chris and Tracy, hoping it would drive him straight to Tracy for a confrontation.
She knew his temper, and she expected the argument to grow loud enough that she could share it with the rest of the Jackmans and turn them further against Tracy.
But this vacant, unsettled version of him wasn’t what she had expected.
When their eyes met, Liam felt as though he had been thrown a lifeline.
He told her exactly what he had just witnessed, then asked quickly, “Erin, she said she’s not one of us. That had to be just anger talking, right?”
Erin hadn’t thought this would be what unsettled him so deeply, and for a moment, her expression flickered before she masked it.
He was too lost in thought to notice.
<i>“</i><i>Of </i>course it’s just anger,” she said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Her mind was already spinning.
“She grew up surrounded by luxury and is already used to spending without thinking. She must be <b>short </b>on money now, and that’s why she’s working. Tracy’s being stubborn, that’s all. If she needed <b>help</b><b>, </b><b>she </b>could have asked the family. There’s no need for her to make things so hard on <b>herself</b><b>.</b>”
Liam’s brows furrowed. “So<i>, </i>she’s only working because she needs money? She’s not <b>actually </b><b>cutting </b><b>ties </b>with us?<b>” </b>
Chapter 75 Questions
There was doubt in his voice. He wanted to believe it, yet his soul was not too sure if this was the reat answer to his question.
“Of course not, Erin said, her voice steady and reassuring. She’s not like me. She’s had everyfort since she <b>was </b>a child. She couldn’t stand the grind of real work.
“She’s just too proud to bow her <b>head </b>and ask for help, so she’s making her own money. When the family hears about it, they’ll only feel sorry for her.”
Her gaze sharpened slightly. “Remember how she pretended to be kidnapped once just to get money from you? This time, she’s probably just taking <b>a </b>softer approach.”
The fog in Liam’s eyes began to lift, reced by a cold, hard edge.