Chapter 83 Come Knocking
A sharp knock rattled against the door of the tiny rental apartment not long after
The kitchen door was closed, so Ronald didn’t catch the sound. Tracy had no choice but to get up and see who it was.
As she moved toward the entrance, a question crossed her mind: who could be visiting at this hour?
When she opened the door, she was met with thest person she expected–Erin.
Erin’s face was full of open contempt, and she didn’t try to hide it when Tracy appeared. Tracy, how cari you stand living in a ce like this?”
She pinched her nose with theatrical disgust and stepped back two paces, acting like the air inside was unbearable.
The moment Tracyid eyes on her, her expression grew cold. “What do you want?”
Erin ignored the chill in Tracy’s voice and moved forward with a bright, almost sickly sweet smile. “I came to apologize for Liam. I hope you won’t <b>stay </b>mad at him, Tracy.
“To convince me to help, Liam spent his entire month’s allowance on thetest designer bag and practically begged me toe.”
Erin shook Tracy’s shoulder lightly, making sure the bag hanging from her arm caught the light. “I told him it wasn’t needed. We’re family, and as his sister, helping family is a given. But he insisted, saying I’m his only sister and this was the only way to prove how serious he was<b>. </b>
“Tracy, Liam letting mee here is him giving you an out. One that gives you grace. Don’t be stupid enough to throw it away.”
She called it an apology but brought nothing but a tone thick with provocation and smugness.
That expression was all too familiar to Tracy/
Whenever they were alone, Erin would wear that look to brag about how much the Jackman couple adored her, how Andrew spoiled her, and how Liam always had her back.
But the moment the Jackmans appeared, she’d switch to a fragile, patient mask, whispering, “It’s all my fault, Tracy. Please don’t be mad.” Her yoice would be all soft and weak.
Her act made it seem like Tracy was the one bullying her.
Before, Tracy would have rushed to deny it, desperate for the Jackmans‘ approval. She’dsh out at Erin in frustration, which only pushed the family further away.
Now, she simply looked at Erin with the kind of distant curiosity one might reserve for a street performer.
She no longer cared about that family, so Erin’s boasting felt as empty as a clown’s performance.
When Tracy kept silent too long, Erin’s confident smile flickered.
<b>1/3 </b>
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09:18 <b>Fri</b><b>, </b>5 Sept
Chapter 83 Come Knocking
Something wasn’t right Tracy <b>was </b>supposed to be seething with jealousy. How eld the ware at Ed that and say nothing?
The quiet was broken by Ronald’s voice calling from inside. “CeeCee, who’s at the door?
Erin’s smug look turned to surprise as she leaned in, trying to see inside.
Tracy <i>is </i>living with a <i>man</i><i>? </i>
Momentster, Ronald’s handsome face appeared behind Tracy, bathed in sunlight. His gaze locked on Erin’s expectant eyes<b>. </b>
<i>Wait</i><i>, </i><i>that’s </i><i>the </i><i>woman </i>who <i>was </i>with <i>Liam </i><i>back </i><i>then</i><i>. </i>
What the <i>heck </i>is <i>she </i><i>doing </i><i>here</i><i>? </i>
Ronald frowned and his smile faded.
Erin’s face brightened again. Her voice dropped to a soft, fluttering tone. “Hi, I’m Erin, heiress of the Jackman Enterprise. Are you my <i>older </i>sister’s boyfriend?”
Her wide eyes were innocent but clearly curious about Ronald.
Tracy’s stomach dropped, and her hand gripped the door handle tighter without thinking.
The first time Erin met Tracy’s friends, she had worn that same mix of shyness and interest, calling them with affection or using their names gently.
Soon enough, she had surrounded herself with them<b>, </b>bing the center of attention.
As Chris once said, Erin could charm anyone easily, and she would fill them with the urge to defend her from any perceived harm.
And some of those friends promised Tracy they would stand by her and teach Erin a lesson, despite her new status as the Jackman family’s favorite daughter.
Erin would turn them into her defenders in the span of an hour.
Parents, brothers, lovers, friends–everyone in Tracy’s life eventually became Erin’s.
How could Ronald, a man she barely knew, be any different?
She lowered her eyes, hiding the storm in her chest.
She had thought leaving Angelic Etiquette Academy meant she had nothing left to lose.
Yet in this moment, a sudden fear filled her.
She feared Erin was a curse she could never shake, that anything close to her would always be taken.
Tracy kept her head bowed, her presence heavy and quiet.
Erin lifted her chin, her smile shining with quiet victory.
Chapter 83 Come Knocking
Right then, Ronald spoke. “Older? Hey, missy, if we take off that chunk of Earth’s crust you call <b>makeup </b>you’d have more wrinkles than a mole rat and the face of one. The crazy old bat in the local inylum would look like a supermodel next to that kind of face. CeeCee? She’d practically be a goddess, you filthy miral
Erin’s face froze.
Tracy snapped her head up, surprise shing in her eyes as she stared at Ronald.
No one had expected him to say that.
“How dare you…” Erin’s voice trembled with rage <b>as </b>she clenched her teeth. Her eyes burned with a fury that seemed ready to tear him apart.
The trick that had never failed her–the charm that won over even those who grew up with Tracy for 18 years<b>–</b>shatteredpletely against this man.