"Mr. Wilson, it’s just a misunderstanding," Rowan said quickly, pulling Camille behind him. He was worried Daniel might really hurt her.
"Easthan is awful! Everyone hates me! I want my godfather! I want to go back to Carcosa!" Stephanie suddenly burst into tears.
Daniel and Rowan were both startled by her sudden outburst. The argument stopped instantly. Panicking, they rushed to calm her down.
"Steph, I’m sorry. I’ll take you home now. No one will bully you again," Daniel said gently as he tried to hold her.
But Stephanie fought back. She kicked and waved her arms wildly. Camille ended up getting hit, but no one was comforting her.
"Little brat! How dare you hit Ms. Nelsen!" Anthony barked. He was used to pushing people around, so he scolded Stephanie without thinking.
Everyone turned and glared at him.
Daniel and Rowan, especially, gave him cold, deadly stares.
"Mr. Nelsen, you’ve trained your people well," Daniel said coldly as he walked toward Anthony, clearly furious.
Anthony was so scared that his legs gave out, and he dropped to the floor.
"Is this how you usually act around Ms. Nelsen? Her attitude has completely changed. So, do you want to leave the Nelsen family now, or wait for the old master to punish you?" Rowan had been unhappy with Anthony for a long time. He used this chance to put him in his place.
"Mr. Nelsen, please forgive me. I won’t do it again!" Anthony begged, throwing a look at Camille.
That’s when she understood. Anthony got himself punished on purpose so that Rowan wouldn’t punish her instead.
That woman’s daughter is my enemy too!
"The Nelsen family has no place for someone like you. Get out," Rowan said as he pushed Anthony aside.
Once Anthony was out, his future and fate would be in Daniel’s hands.
"Stephanie, please forgive me. I was wrong. I really was. Please ask Mr. Wilson not to punish me!" Anthony dropped to his knees and begged her instead of Daniel.
Stephanie stood there, confused. She didn’t know what to say.
Anthony’s actions pushed Daniel to his limit.
He raised his hand, and his bodyguards rushed in. They covered Anthony’s mouth and dragged him out.
Camille stood in the corner with tears in her eyes. She didn’t dare say a word.
She didn’t want Anthony’s sacrifice to go to waste. More than that, she was scared of making Daniel even angrier.
She was also worried that if things got worse, Grandpa might show up in Easthan.
If Grandpa saw Stephanie’s face, he might...
"Steph, it’s not safe here. Let’s go home," Daniel said again, determined to take her with him.
She turned away and wouldn’t look at him. She mumbled, "If you let me stay here for a few days, I won’t tell my godfather you bullied me."
Who is this godfather? My men still haven’t figured it out.
"Mr. Wilson, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of her," Rowan said, trying to appease Daniel.
Daniel frowned deeply. He clearly wasn’t happy.
Camille suddenly had an idea. She swiftly interfered and said, "Daniel, Steph is so adorable. Everyone will love her. Don’t worry about leaving her here. I’ll make sure we get along together."
Hmph. Once Daniel leaves, Stephanie will pay for this.
"You can stay here, but you have to promise me something," Daniel said.
Stephanie looked at him. She knew he had agreed.
"What is it?" she asked.
"You have to video call me every night for half an hour," he replied. He was trying to fix things between them.
"It’s a deal." Stephanie smiled at him for the first time.
Daniel felt both relieved and a little bitter inside.
Before leaving, he assigned two trusted bodyguards to stay with Stephanie. He also set up a tracker on her phone so he could always know where she was.
Rowan had to return to work once Daniel left. He looked at Stephanie and asked gently, "Steph, do you want to come to the office with me?"
Stephanie shook her head. "I’ll stay here. Daniel said he’d buy me toys."
"Okay. If you need anything, you can go to Mr. Williams or call me." Before leaving, Rowan gave Camille a warning look, reminding her not to bully Stephanie.
Daniel was still restless as he left. So he called his other assistant, Benjamin, and asked him to keep an eye on Stephanie.
"Steph, want to go to the swing?" Camille said with a fake smile, trying to lead her away from the bodyguards.
Stephanie smiled sweetly. "Thanks, Auntie, but I want to go back to my room and wait for Daniel to bring me toys."
"It’s still early. Come on, I’ll push you," Camille insisted, grabbing her wrist tightly.
You’re small and weak. You really think you can go against me? I could snap your wrist right now.
"A-Ah! Waa... Waa... Auntie, don’t pinch me!" Stephanie screamed, yanked her arm back, and ran straight into Mr. Williams’ arms.
Williams was in his fifties and had a granddaughter around Stephanie’s age. Seeing her cry, he looked worried and asked, "Steph, what happened?"
"Auntie pinched my arm," she said, showing him the red mark.
Stephanie had noticed Camille was about to pinch her. So before she could, Stephanie quickly cried out for help. The redness on her arm was actually from when she struggled earlier while Daniel tried to hug her.
She had very fair and delicate skin, so even a small touch left a mark.
Williams had served Old Mr. Nelsen before Rowan and was now trusted to assist Rowan directly.
If he believed Camille had hurt a child, the good image she had worked so hard to build over the years would be destroyed.
"How can you lie like that at such a young age? Didn’t your mom teach you to tell the truth? Mr. Williams, look at my hand. She pinched me just because I tried to take her to the swing," Camille said, pretending to be wronged.
She showed the back of her hand. It was red, with the skin almost peeling. She had secretly pinched herself earlier.
"Um... Steph, did you pinch Camille?" Williams asked. He couldn’t tell who was telling the truth.
Stephanie looked at him, then turned to Camille. She looked scared. She held back her tears and nodded slowly. "I was wrong. I won’t do it again."
"Don’t try to play the victim," Camille said quickly. "You really hurt me. But I won’t blame you. I promised Daniel I’d take good care of you." She bent down and patted Stephanie’s back.