In the car, Rose glanced nervously at her brother, biting her lips. The silence between them felt suffocating, and she feared what he would do next. As if reading her thoughts, he reached over and snatched her phone without a word, confirming her worst fear. His silence was far scarier than his anger.
"B-Brother..." Rose's voice came out in a meek whisper, like a frightened kitten.
Sebastian didn't even look at her as he spoke, his voice cold and detached. "For the entire holiday, you're coming with me to the company. You'll learn business deals. No arguments. And if I see you with this," he held up the phone briefly, "even for a second, you're banned from eating chocolates."
Her eyes widened in shock, but before she could respond, the car had pulled up to their mansion. The driver, sensing the tension, quickly opened the door. Sebastian stepped out with his long legs, effortlessly adjusting his suit. He didn't wait for her, striding towards the luxurious mansion as if she weren't even there.
"Nooo! It's boring, brother!" Rose whined, her voice almost breaking as she scrambled out of the car, racing after him. "Wait!"
But her plea fell on deaf ears as he continued his path inside, his coldness leaving her no room to argue. Rose pouted but had no choice but to follow behind.
After entering the mansion, the soft chime of the doorbell echoed through the grand hall. Moments later, the door was opened by their ever-loyal butler, Ford.
"Young Master," Ford bowed deeply, his formal greeting met with a brief nod from Sebastian. As Sebastian loosened his tie, his sharp gaze fell on the butler.
"Are Mom and Dad inside?" he asked, his voice steady and emotionless as always.
Ford straightened up slightly, his eyes briefly flickering with unease before he answered, "Yes, sir. Your grandfather and grandmother are also present, and..." he hesitated, lowering his head as if reluctant to deliver the final piece of news, "They also brought Miss Sienna."
Sebastian's cold expression remained unreadable.
"Not again..." Sebastian muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible. Rose, who had been following closely behind, suddenly stiffened at the mention of Sienna. Her big black eyes filled with insecurity, and her small hands began trembling slightly.
As they entered the lavish living room, Sebastian headed straight for the large sofa where the family sat. His mother, Ana, was comfortably seated beside his father, Alan Carter, who was engrossed in his phone, no doubt checking the latest stock report. Across from them, his grandmother, her hair streaked with silver, sat with a serious expression, while his grandfather had an approving gleam in his eyes as he focused on Sienna.
Sienna, with her sleek black hair and perfectly tailored designer dress, was seated gracefully, her red-painted lips forming a shy smile. She looked down demurely as Sebastian approached, her gaze briefly meeting his before lowering again.
Sebastian didn't acknowledge her as he strode into the room, his cold expression unchanged.
Rose cast a cautious glance at Sienna, her heart pounding. Without making a sound, she quietly slipped upstairs.
"Rose!" her grandmother's sharp voice rang out, making the young girl freeze on the stairs. "How dare you ignore your grandmother? Come down here and talk to us. It's been a month and a half since we last saw you," her tone was cold and stern.
Rose shivered, her small hands gripping the banister tightly. She looked down at her feet before descending the stairs slowly. "Grandma..." she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.
Her grandmother, Bria, eyed her with a mix of disappointment and frustration. "You should learn something from Sienna," she continued, her words laced with reproach. "She's perfect. She knows how to communicate with her elders, how to respond in any situation. You, on the other hand, will never grow if you don't learn to communicate properly."
Rose's eyes filled with tears, her gaze dropping to the floor. She felt like the weight of her grandmother's expectations was too much for her small shoulders to bear. How could they forget she was just twelve? Schoolwork, the constant pressure to be perfect, the feeling that she could never measure up to their standards—it was all suffocating her. More than anything, she wanted to run away, to escape the walls that felt like they were closing in on her.
And then there was Sienna. Rose hated her. Sienna always found subtle ways to make her feel inadequate, pointing out how her eyes weren't beautiful enough, how her skin wasn't smooth like hers, how art was a waste of time and that Rose should only focus on her studies. Sienna's words lingered, cutting deeper than her grandmother's cold remarks.
"Mom, that's enough," Alan Carter, Sebastian's father, said in a tone of disapproval, his stern eyes turning toward his mother. "Rose is still young. Let her be free to explore what she likes."
Ana Carter, Sebastian's mother, stood up beside her husband, her voice gentler but equally firm. "Yes, Mom, don't pressure her. Rose is just a child. She will grow up and find her own way."
Grandmother Bria frowned, her eyes hard as she shook her head. "You're spoiling her. When Sienna was twelve, she won the state piano competition, ranking first. And Rose—what has she done? She's good for nothing, maybe decent at art, but that won't take her far. Nowadays, art holds no value. It's fine as a hobby, but as a career? I'm afraid it's just a waste."
She turned her disappointed gaze toward Rose, who stood there silently, feeling smaller with every word. "You should learn business, show some interest in stocks, in piano, science—something useful."
Bria then shifted her attention to Sienna, her eyes lighting up with hope. "Will you help teach my Rose piano? And perhaps even guide her on the stock market and trends? You're the only one I trust for this. Nowadays, girls become too modern, forgetting the value of tradition. But you, Sienna—you balance old traditions with modern grace so perfectly. I would love to see you as my granddaughter-in-law."
"Grandma!" Sebastian interrupted coldly, his deep voice cutting through the room like ice. His dark eyes fixed on Bria, freezing the conversation in its tracks. "Don't you think it's time for you to retire and enjoy life instead of meddling in ours?"