Ugh. Who the hell is crying like that?
Leo felt a wave of goosebumps crawl up his arms as the piercing, pitiful voice echoed from the hallway.
He turned toward the door with a frown.
A girl stood there, petite and delicate, her eyes red and watery from sobbing. Her small hands clutched the doorway as she looked at Ava Carter with wide, concerned eyes. Surprise—and perhaps relief—flashed across her face.
Ava's eyes narrowed. Her voice was calm, but sharp.
"Oh. Sophia? What are you doing here?"
Sophia, Ava's adopted sister.
A soft ding in Leo's mind was instantly triggered:
> [Sophia Carter – Ava's adopted sister. Due to her weak and innocent personality, she is deeply loved by Mr. and Mrs. Carter. Ava's fall into villainy was greatly influenced by this favoritism.]
Oh... it's her.
Leo silently collected the empty soup bowl from Ava and stepped aside, staying out of the way but watching everything unfold.
He remembered Sophia's role clearly. In Ava's previous life, it was this girl's manipulative innocence that slowly drove Ava to the edge.
Loved by everyone, constantly praised, always forgiven—even when she made devastating mistakes. In contrast, Ava was cast out, misunderstood, and eventually banished to a remote villa like this one.
Even when Sophia's actions led to a catastrophic financial loss, the Carter family blamed Ava without hesitation. It was Sophia who dismantled the company. And it was Ava who was punished for it.
If that wouldn't turn someone into a villain, what would?
Sophia took a step forward, her hands behind her back, her eyes shimmering with tears. "Sister Ava… we're family."
"Lianlian was so worried when I heard you fainted. Mommy and Daddy were busy with company matters and asked me to check on you."
Ava's grip tightened on the quilt. Her face was unreadable.
"Thank you," she said flatly.
Sophia offered a gentle smile. "It's what a little sister should do... Oh! One more thing."
She looked at Leo, her eyes flicking over him like he was some tool to be borrowed. "Could you help me carry the supplements I brought? They're downstairs, but... they're a bit heavy for me."
She tilted her head, her voice soft and weak, every syllable oozing with vulnerability. "Pretty please?"
Leo blinked.
Excuse me? Why am I being dragged into this?
Still, he glanced at Ava, who remained expressionless. It didn't seem like she planned to dismiss Sophia.
So, Leo bowed slightly and said, "Yes, Miss. I'll bring up the items for the Second Miss."
And with that, he turned and pushed the tray cart out of the room, leaving the two sisters alone.
As soon as the door shut behind him, the softness in Sophia's expression evaporated like morning fog in sunlight.
Her lips curled into a mocking smirk. "Wow, Ava. Got yourself a cute little pretty boy now, huh?"
Ava didn't bother replying at first. She looked away and muttered coldly, "Too tired to keep pretending in front of Mom and Dad? So you're here to poke at me directly now?"
Her nails dug into the bedspread. The flashes of her past life returned—her parents' deaths, Sophia's betrayal, the humiliation she had suffered.
This time, she wouldn't fall for that fake angel act.
Sophia tilted her head. "Pretend? Oh no, everything I do is genuine. It's not my fault that people love me. I'm just here to remind you of your place—the once-glorious Carter heiress, now exiled to the countryside."
Then her voice dropped, almost with mock sympathy. "Oh right, the family gathering is coming soon. That's when Mommy and Daddy will announce the new heir."
She pouted. "Of course, I'm adopted, so I can't possibly compete with you. I only hope… big sister won't throw poor little Lianlian out of the family."
Ava said nothing. Her face remained calm, but rage simmered beneath the surface.
This girl was as poisonous as ever.
---
Meanwhile, downstairs…
Leo found the so-called "heavy" items Sophia couldn't carry.
He stared.
"...It's just a basket of fruit?"
He picked it up effortlessly with one hand. "Seriously? This is what she needed help with?"
He shook his head. The system had warned him what kind of manipulative snake Sophia was. Clearly, she had just wanted an excuse to isolate Ava.
Too bad for her, Leo wasn't on her side.
But before he could head upstairs again, a sharp voice called out from the hallway.
"Leo."
He turned to see a woman dressed in a sleek black uniform, standing tall with a stern expression and cold eyes. She radiated authority.
She crossed her arms. "Don't get ahead of yourself. You're new. Just because you made a bowl of soup doesn't mean you get to act like Ava's right hand."
She stepped forward, her voice sharper. "Put down the fruit. I'll take it upstairs."
Leo raised a brow.
"Who the hell are you?"
Her face twitched in surprise. "I'm Zuri, Ava's personal attendant. I was the one who carried her home after she fainted at the ball."
Leo gave a mocking chuckle. "And yet here I am, doing her bidding while you're playing security guard downstairs."
Zuri narrowed her eyes. "Watch it."
Leo leaned in, towering slightly over her with a grin. "You know what Ava said before I came down here?"
Zuri hesitated. "What… what did she say?"
Leo thumped his chest. "She told me to bring the fruit up. Both she and the Second Miss approved it. If you interfere, you're disobeying a direct order."
Zuri paused, stunned.
Did Ava really say that?
Leo gave her a wink. "Try not to steal the job of the number one lackey."
Zuri's face twitched as a question mark practically hovered over her head. She looked at him like he had three heads.
Before she could respond—
A scream pierced through the air from upstairs.
"Aaaaah—!!!"
Zuri's face changed. "That sounded like... the Second Miss!"
She dashed upstairs, Leo right behind her.
---
They reached the hallway just in time to see a group of followers crowding Ava's door, whispering and gasping.
Inside the room—
Sophia sat on the floor, covering her cheek with one hand, red-eyed and weeping.
Tears streamed down her face as she looked from Ava to the gathering crowd. "S-Sister Ava… why did you hit me? I-I just said Grandpa's health was bad and you should come home more... and then you just—wahhh!"
She broke down into sobs.
Ava stood, fists clenched, staring down at her with burning fury.
Zuri hesitated, torn. She looked at Ava, then at Sophia on the floor.
"Miss... surely there's been a misunderstanding?"
Ava said nothing.
She had expected this. Everyone always sided with Sophia. In her last life, not one person had ever doubted Sophia's false tears.
Zuri lowered her head. "I-I just mean… Second Miss always greets us and is kind…"
Ava didn't flinch. She had no intention of trying to prove herself anymore. They'd never believe her. Not now, not ever.
She tightened her fists.
So fake. So manipulative. Even my own people fall for her act.
Sophia wiped her cheek with a trembling hand, secretly smirking behind the tears.
Perfect. One little outburst, and the Ice Queen's already being isolated again.
Just then, Leo pushed past the crowd and stepped into the room.
Ava sighed inwardly.
He probably thinks I really hit her...
Sophia looked up, blinking with fake surprise. "Oh... you're here..."
She smiled faintly, her cheeks still red from crying. "Please help me… I don't know why Sister Ava—"
SMACK!!!
Leo's slap came out of nowhere.
"You're numb if you cry that much!"
He glared at Sophia, fire in his eyes. "You got your tears all over the lady's carpet. You gonna pay for the dry cleaning, princess?"
The entire room froze.
Sophia's head tilted to the side. Her mind went blank.
Did... did she just get slapped?
She blinked rapidly, unable to process what had just happened.
Leo shook his hand as if shaking off the dust. "And don't give me that 'boo-hoo' act. I've seen better performances at kindergarten recitals."
Ava's jaw dropped slightly.
The rest of the followers stood in stunned silence.
Sophia, for once, had no comeback.
Leo dusted off his shirt and grinned. "Now then... shall I walk her out, Miss?"