Chapter 2

Timothy was the first CEO I met when I came to this world. He was a bastard child. When I first got to know him, Samantha had turned her back on him for money. His family had also kicked him out because he had a tumor in his liver. In order to tackle him, I took him back to the house I was renting so he could live with me. I went with him to every doctor's visit and worked hard to get him money for his medical fees. I even donated my liver to him when we found out that our blood types were compatible. When Timothy recovered from cancer, I stayed by his side while he started his business and became a powerful CEO. However, right when Timothy's affection meter reached 99%, Samantha came back. Samantha told Timothy that she hadn't left him all those years ago because of money, but because his family had threatened her to do so. She told him that she'd missed him every single day while she was overseas, and that she'd suffered greatly in her time there. Even though Timothy never acknowledged it, I knew he was still touched by her—because his affection for me fell to 90% on the day Samantha came back. Timothy then brought Samantha home. When Samantha accused me of giving her attitude, Timothy's affection for me fell to 80%. When Samantha framed me for shoving her aside, his affection for me was reduced to 70%. For the next five years, Timothy's affection meter rose and fell before finally settling at 30%. I never thought it would change ever again. Yet, when I opened my eyes in the hospital, I saw that Timothy's affection for me had risen to 50%. Not only that, but his attitude toward me had changed as well. The moment he saw me getting up, he hurried over to tuck a pillow behind my head. "Careful now. The doctor said your head's a little concussed." A layer of ice had formed on the lake's surface on such a cold day. So that was why my head hurt so much—it had struck the ice. However, Timothy's gentle tone still surprised me a little. He felt uneasy under my stare and turned his head to the side. "We found the bracelet. I'm sorry for accusing you of stealing it earlier. It was the housekeeper who stole it. She said she accidentally mistook the bracelet for her own. I've since fired her." "Sam acted on impulse previously, Rosalie. I've already spoken to her and told her to apologize to you." Who was going to apologize to me? Samantha Hale? Before I could react, Timothy had already dragged Samantha in from outside the door. She came over to my bedside and reluctantly apologized to me. She couldn't resist adding a backhanded jab right after, though. "Can't we just talk things through from now on, Rosalie? You gave everyone a real fright jumping into the lake like that. We're all grown-ups here. We can always sit down and settle any issues between us," Samantha grumbled. Previously, I would never upset Samantha in order to maintain Timothy's affection toward me. I never once retorted when she made her snide comments either. However, I no longer wished to pretend at this point. "What do you mean, talk things through? Did any of you listen to me when I told you guys my side of the story? I told you all from the start that I wasn't the thief, yet none of you believed me. "And Timothy—what kind of apology is this? Remember how you wanted me to kneel on the ground until nightfall in apology to Samantha? Since she wrongly accused me of stealing, shouldn't she get on her knees too?" I demanded. Samantha's face paled instantly. Timothy's brows furrowed together. Before he could say anything, Samantha was already putting up another dramatic act. "Rosalie is right. I'll go back and kneel on the dirt right away, just as long as she's not angry at me anymore," Samantha said. She then ran out of the hospital ward without another word. Timothy turned back to look at me. Even though he had a dark expression on his face, he didn't say anything mean this time. "How could you say that to Sam, Rosalie? She can't kneel that long with her weak constitution. I'm going to go stop her right now. Don't kid around like that from now on."