Chapter 2

"Ethan, is it really okay to leave Ms. Sullivan like that?" Julia asked timidly. I hid behind the curtain, and I could see a trace of smugness flash in her eyes. Ethan let out a cold laugh. "She's done so many outrageous things to you. This is just a small punishment and a warning. Besides, she's tough. Getting roughed up a bit won't affect her." Xander sneered and added, "She's offended too many people. Even if she gets hurt, she deserves it. Julia, you're still too kind. A vicious woman like her deserves to die." I was shocked upon hearing that. So, they really didn't like me now. In fact, they hated me to the point of wishing for my death. Pain made me bend down, clutching at myself. Julia's eyes sparkled with amusement at their words, but she put on an act. "Ms. Sullivan is your fiancee, no matter what. She'll marry one of you in seven days. You pushed her to that drunkard for my sake. While I'm touched by that, I'm still the daughter of a housekeep—" At this point, Julia stopped herself mid-sentence. "I'm afraid that when Ms. Sullivan comes back from the bar, she'll lash out at me. I wouldn't care if it were just me alone. But I'm worried she might target all of you because of this." Julia's eyes reddened, her gaze toward Ethan and the others brimming with worry. Not being able to bear it any longer, they pulled her into their arms. They all looked pained. "We won't let Penny hurt you ever again. Don't worry." "Everything is her own doing. It has nothing to do with you. You don't need to worry." Xander looked at Julia with tender affection and patted his chest in reassurance. "The Sullivans may be one of the five great families, but they can't withstand the combined strength of the other four. If Penny really dares to lay a hand on you…" At that, his face darkened as he continued, "We'll unite and bring down Sullivan Group first!" When the others agreed, my eyes widened in disbelief. I had thought they were only targeting me, but now they wanted to destroy Sullivan Group as well. Ethan gently stroked Julia's cheek. "I know what you're worried about. Don't be afraid. No matter which one of us Penny chooses, we will only love you. I'll arrange everything properly. If Penny doesn't know what's good for her, then I'll let her pay the price!" Cruelty flashed across his face. My heart skipped a beat, and I accidentally tugged too hard on the curtain, making it sway. They immediately looked over. "Who's there?" All of their eyes turned on me. I could no longer hide, so I stepped out expressionlessly. Ethan's and the others' faces instantly darkened. Perhaps out of old habit, they instinctively wanted to explain themselves to me. Julia's face dimmed in an instant. A flash of malice crossed her eyes as she moved toward me even faster than the men could. "Ms. Sullivan? Why are you back so early?" she asked. Julia's expression instantly changed, and fear flashed in her eyes. "Ms. Sullivan, nothing happened to you, right? Please let me explain. It all happened so suddenly. I didn't expect Ethan to pull you over. I should've been the one to go through that." As Julia spoke, her eyes instantly reddened. "Ms. Sullivan, don't blame them. It was my fault. I'll make it up to you right now." With that, she suddenly lunged forward. The window behind me was still open, and with Julia's sudden pounce, I immediately lost my balance, nearly toppling backward. "Ah!" Julia let out a sharp scream. My eyes instinctively darted toward Ethan and the others. If it were before, back when I hadn't fallen to this point, they would have stepped in right away to shield me from the danger. But now, when I looked at them, Ethan didn't hesitate for a second before reaching out to grab Julia. The other three didn't even glance in my direction. They were all surrounding Julia, focusing on her with concern. "Julia, are you alright? You're far too naive. Why would you plead with Penny over something like this?" "Yeah. Even if you stayed silent, she wouldn't dare act against us." They spoke one after another, paying no attention to me, who was struggling desperately by the window. Only after Julia had basked in their affection did she timidly point in my direction. "You should help Ms. Sullivan down first. I'm afraid she'll hold a grudge otherwise. What should I do if she targets my mother because of this?" As she spoke, her eyes reddened again, tears rolling down her cheeks. Ethan and the others ached with pity. Then, they turned to look at me, their eyes burning with anger. "Penny, you know it happened suddenly. I only did what I had to at that moment. Why did you have to go after Julia?" Ethan was the first to question me. Xander and Henry quickly followed, frowning at me. "Penny, we know you're not that kind of person, but what you did today was really out of line. Hurry up and apologize to Julia, or we will not pull you back up." After everything that had happened before, I already knew they wouldn't save me. I had no hope for them at all. I struggled desperately, just one step away from climbing onto the window ledge. Just then, Ethan clamped down hard on my arm, as I didn't answer them. In my disbelieving gaze, he pried my fingers off the ledge one by one. "Ethan! What the hell are you doing?" I used every ounce of strength I had to grip the ledge. My nails were nearly ripped off, my fingers torn and bloody. But Ethan, who once would feel distressed over even the smallest scratch on me, acted as if he didn't see it. He ignored my struggle and kept prying my fingers loose, and I was on the brink of falling. Ethan stayed calm, but his voice was cold. "Penny, we spoiled you far too much in the past. That's why you've become someone this vicious. It's only the second floor. At worst, you'll break a bone. If you won't apologize, then take this as a lesson." At that moment, Xander and the others came over to my side. Henry glanced at me worriedly, hesitating before saying to Ethan, "Maybe we should pull her up. She's terrified of pain. If she falls, she's going to cry for a long time." Ethan didn't take his words into consideration as he replied, "It's exactly the pain that will teach her a lesson." Xander even held Julia back when she tried to step forward to stop Ethan. He was soothing her gently, as if she were the one about to be hurt. Hearing this, I realized that whether I apologized to Julia or not, they were going to push me down. I looked at them one last time, erasing all the feelings I'd ever had for them. Then, I let go.