Chapter 1945


    "Why are you docking points? My answer was right." Cicely frowned and pointed at thest problem


    on her test, for which Seth had shed her score by more than half.


    Seth flipped the test over and scrawled an 89 at the top.


    "Seth, I should have gotten a 95."


    "You didn''t show the calction process. Leaving you with four points is already being generous,"


    he replied.


    Cicely pouted, “The process isn’t important. Isn’t it the final result that counts?”


    Seth nced at her coolly, “Maybe you can take it up with the teacher who grades your exams.


    They might give you your points back.”d2


    Seeing that Seth was not in a good mood, Cicely didn’t insist further. "Fine, I''ll just write it out next


    time."


    Seth stood up and tossed the test back to her. "Write out the process ten times. No lunch until it''s


    done."


    "Seth..."


    "Try to haggle and it’s double."


    Cicely red at him, “Who’s haggling? I was just going to say I’m thirsty.”


    Seth left the room without another word. He went downstairs to the dining room, poured a ss of


    juice, and instructed the maid to bring it upstairs. Then, he walked towards the kitchen and said


    indifferently, “Let’s have lunch in half an hour.”


    The busy servants paused and then responded, “Mr. Seth, lunch is almost ready, and Ms. Patty is


    home today.”


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    “Then let her eat first.”


    “I’m not particrly hungry myself. Waiting a bit is no big deal.” As soon as Seth finished speaking,


    Patty’s nonchnt voice came from behind him. “What about our little guest? It’s not nice to let her


    go hungry, is it?”


    “It’s all thanks to her.”


    Patty’s brow twitched, “So it’s because of her that I have to starve a bit? I’ll have to remember this.


    She’s brought her spoiled ways to our house.”


    Seth’s brow furrowed slightly, “I never said you had to wait for her.”


    Watching Seth walk past, Patty suddenly said, “Are you worried I’ll be prejudiced against her?”


    He paused, “Not at all.”


    Patty wrapped her shawl tighter and walked out, “I thought that having Danielle join the Ellis family


    would be easier for her if there was a child her age there. But it seems I was too optimistic. Cicely


    skipped a grade, and now there’s a gap. Danielle must be feeling quite upset.”


    “She’s an Ellis. How she feels is none of our business. It’s not for you to worry about.”


    Patty sat down on the sofa, straightened her clothes, and after a while, responded half-heartedly,


    "Well, that’s true."


    Seth watched her for a second, “Make sure to eat lunch on time. Don’t wait for us.” With that, he


    went upstairs.


    Cicely was sipping her juice, writing half-heartedly in her notebook. Sensing his foul mood, she set


    down her ss, “Are you hangry? You could have punished me after lunch, you know? How about


    joining me for a bite first?”


    Seth gave her a frosty look.


    Cicely pushed the remaining juice towards him with a smile, “You can have this to fill your stomach


    first. Give me ten minutes, and I''ll join you for lunch.”


    She handed him the juice without waiting for a reply and returned to her desk. “You’re torturing


    yourself by not letting me eat. You won’t feel good eating alone, right? Isn’t this self-torture?”


    “Want me to bring lunch up here and eat in front of you?”


    Cicely made a face, “Eating in the bedroom? That’s just gross.”


    “I don’t see that stopping you.” Seth ignored her, nced at the juice in his hand, and ced it


    beside her, “Finish it.”


    She took it, sipping as she watched him, “Weren’t you supposed to drink it?”


    He watched as she downed the juice and buried her head back in her work. He pursed his lips and


    sat on the bed, returning to his book. But within ten minutes, Cicely heaved a sigh and stood up.


    "Done!"


    Seth looked at her, his eyes holding a trace of skepticism that made Cicely pout immediately,


    “What''s with that look? I put in a Herculean effort so you wouldn’t go hungry, okay?”


    He inspected her notebook. The work was passable. “Let’s eat.”


    Cicely responded to his indifference with a slight pout and followed behind him.


    They didn’t see Patty; the servants said she had already eaten. Patty’s appetite had always been


    small, and it hadn’t changed with age. It hadn’t done her any harm; she was the picture of health.


    The lunch spread was rich and nutritious, as Cicely hade to expect from her visits here.


    "School starts tomorrow. How about we go out this afternoon for a proper date?"


    Seth nced at her, "If you''re not interested in studying, head home after lunch."


    "You are so boring."


    Seth’s lips tightened, and he gave her a chilly look. She quickly took a sip of her soup and looked


    away.


    "I have a test this afternoon."


    Unsurprisingly, on theirst day, both ended up in the room, engaged with schoolwork.


    During the tutoring sessions, Seth had introduced her to some sophomore material, so when school


    started, Cicely found the sses easy rather than challenging.


    Seth’s high school life was tightly scheduled. Although Cicely craved more time with Seth, he wasn’t


    willing to spare much.


    Weekends were no different. At most, Cicely would impose herself on his study time at his house.


    Apart from academics, they seldom discussed anything else.


    Cicely had never been one to restrain herself, except with Seth.


    It wasn’t just her. Even those around her found it baffling. The carefree, often inconsiderate heiress


    of the Ellis family was now making concessions for someone else.


    Creighton always carried a soft spot for his daughter Cicely, but whenever he saw her lounging


    around the house, listless and bored, a frown would crease his forehead. He had suggested more


    than once that she should get out and clear her head, but she seemed disinterested in everything.


    Day in, day out, if she wasn''t glued to her smartphone, she was sprawled on the couch channel


    surfing, a picture of pure ennui.


    The weekends, however, did inject her with a bit of vim, for reasons Creighton was well aware of.


    As the semester drew to a close, he noticed that even the weekends stopped sparking any joy in his


    precious girl. He had tried to talk to her about it. She just gave him a look of boredom mixed with


    resignation. "Is college really that hard to get into? Does Seth really need to study so much? He''s


    so bright, getting into college should be a cinch, right? But it seems like he never has a spare


    moment."


    Cicely couldn''t stop talking about Seth, and Creighton began to ponder deeply.


    "Dad, even if he didn''t study this hard, he could still get into college, right? Worstes to worst, he


    could just..."


    Cicely''s voice trailed off, shaking her head as she dismissed her own suggestion. "Forget it, he''d


    never ept that kind of arrangement."


    Creighton gently patted her head, "Yes. Besides, he does need to work a bit harder than others."


    That way, he could rest assured, entrusting both his darling daughter and the future of thepany


    to him.


    "Mmm." Cicely hugged her knees, resting her chin on them, seemingly indifferent to Creighton''s


    words. "I hate high school."


    Creighton chuckled, "How about we go shopping this afternoon? I''ll find someone to go with you."


    Cicely shook her head, "I don''t really feel like going out."


    Not long after she spoke, Danielle came downstairs, d in a cozy sweater, clutching her backpack.


    She always managed to keep aposed expression, and Cicely could rarely read anything on her


    face.


    Danielle carried herself with an air of aloofness that suited the Ellis family''s stature. Having lived


    with them for half a year, she had grown ustomed to their ways, her mannerisms and style


    adopting a touch of the rich girl ir.


    However, no matter how well she knew the Ellis family, her rtionship with Cicely remained


    lukewarm.


    Upon seeing Creighton and Cicely in the living room, Danielle paused, greeted Creighton, and


    mentioned she had a study date at the library.


    Creighton never restricted Danielle''s freedom. Besides the deeper bond he shared with his


    daughter, he treated Danielle with the same care he showed Cicely.


    Cicely had nothing much to say to Danielle either, giving her a brief nce before looking away.


    Lately, Danielle had been nailing the Ellis family heiress look, at least in the fashion department,


    dressing with much more attention to detail.


    However, perhaps some poeple just didn’t get along. Despite being of the same age, the two people


    who should have been the closest as friends seemed to naturally dislike each other.


    After Danielle left, Cicely sat on the couch for a while before heading upstairs, her day''s homework


    still unfinished.


    Her room had been specially fitted with a desk, arranged almost identically to Seth''s. As her


    interactions with Seth dwindled over the semester, so did her mood and, consequently, her


    academic performance.


    She rested her head on the table for a while, then habitually picked up her phone and called Seth


    about a math problem. She had done this too many times. When Seth answered her call, his tone


    was noticeably impatient.


    "Cicely."


    "Uh-huh?"


    "These formic questions—you sure you want to ask me over and over?"


    "Yeah. It''s not like you can''t tell what I''m really asking."


    Cicely''s eyes drooped, "I''m actually struggling. Lately, everything feels so difficult, Mr. Seth, I need


    your help."


    "I don''t have time. You can ask your ssmates or teachers if you have questions."


    "Seth, you know I don''t want to ask them."


    "Cicely," Seth''s voice turned chilly, "whether you want to or not is your problem. I already told you I


    don''t have time for games."


    Seth''s attitude sparked a flicker of anger in Cicely, which she quickly suppressed.


    "Are you really that busy?"


    "I don''t have time to joke around with you."


    "I see." Cicely paused for a moment, sighed disappointedly, and said, "Well, when you''re not busy


    then."


    There was a brief silence on the other end before Seth''s tone softened slightly, "Yeah," followed by


    a few seconds of silence before the call ended.