Bought as His Toy

Chapter 4 Goodbye

Stephanie's belongings were few. As she slowly descended the stairs with a small suitcase, not a single servant stepped forward to help her.

But she no longer cared. After all, they would all have left the next time she returned to this place.

The irony didn't escape her as she glanced at the suitcase in her hand.

From childhood, her dream had been to leave this cursed family, to shed the reputation of being an illegitimate daughter, and to live her own life. Now, she indeed had left, but as a man's mistress, no, merely just a plaything, to achieve her turnaround.

Before leaving, Tiffany blocked her way as she had countless times before, aiming to cause trouble.

"I must say, you serve him quite well!" Tiffany sneered. "Tell Theodore that you are nothing but a lowly bastard, a worn-out toy like many others he's discarded, and you don't deserve him. So, to make it up to him, tell him that I will take your place!"

"Are you ordering me or begging me?" Stephanie found that she wasn't even angry anymore, just amused.

Because she knew, with Theodore's recent stance, neither her so-called father Victor nor her sister Tiffany could dare do anything to her.

Thinking this, Stephanie couldn't help but laugh at herself.

But now, she didn't have time to ponder.

Tiffany, thoroughly provoked, raised her hand to slap her.

Stephanie grabbed Tiffany's wrist. "Did you think I never fought back because I couldn't beat you? You're the one who's been naive! And..."

Stephanie looked at their father standing behind them, silent as his two daughters squabbled. "Do you want me to meet Theodore with a slap mark on my face?"

"Enough." Victor tapped his cane on the floor. "Tiffany, apologize to Stephanie."

"Dad!" Tiffany's eyes widened in shock. Their father had always sided with her.

"I said apologize." Victor's voice was stern and brooked no refusal.

"Sorry." Tiffany gritted her teeth unwillingly but couldn't disregard their father's command.

"That's how you apologize?" Stephanie raised an eyebrow. The damage Tiffany had done over the years couldn't be resolved with a mere apology, but seeing her reluctant yet forced apology was somewhat satisfying to Stephanie.

"If you're so unwilling, then forget it. I wouldn't accept it anyway." Stephanie adjusted her suit jacket and whispered into Tiffany's ear, "My dear sister, what good did it do you to push me to this point? Letting me leave and become a teacher wouldn't have been better. But since things have come to this, those games you used to love... I'll play them with you slowly."

With that, Stephanie turned and left without looking back.

At Misty Manor, this was a luxurious estate spanning 2.5 acres and was built on a hillside.

Unlike the upscale apartment where she had met with Theodore, this estate was tightly guarded and shrouded in countless legends. It was the Nelson family's stronghold where Theodore usually lived and worked.

"Remember, you are only allowed in this room. You cannot come out normally. Food and clothing will be delivered to you."

Theodore didn't have the time to arrange accommodations for a plaything, so Stephanie was handed over to his personal secretary, Jennifer Brown.

Jennifer was a tall woman with delicate features, though now her face was filled with sarcasm and spite.

"Only allowed to stay in this room?" Stephanie looked around.

The room was quite large, roughly estimated at 860 square feet, and included a suite. Outside was a small living room. Inside were the bedroom, a walk-in closet, a bathroom, and even a balcony.

But...

'Was this really Theodore's or Nelson Brotherhood's order?'

Stephanie looked down, recognizing the expression on Jennifer's face. It was all too familiar. It was the same look Tiffany had whenever she prepared to torment her.

She was ninety percent sure Jennifer would deliberately make things difficult for her.

'As for the reasons... Well, there are too many. I am a plaything, a woman close to Mr. Nelson, a woman who moved into Misty Manor on my first day. Each reason was enough for me to be resented. The only question now is how I should respond.'

The first 22 years of her life had taught her that mere enduring only led to more severe abuse. But now, as a plaything even lower than an illegitimate child trapped in an unfamiliar environment, her situation might be worse than before.

So, she needed to ascertain whether this was Jennifer's personal vendetta or the rules of the Nelson Brotherhood before deciding how to respond.

"I was thinking of cooking for Mr. Nelson. My father and sister loved my cream soup and roast steak at home. If I'm confined to this room, I won't have a chance to cook."

Stephanie made a face of genuine regret.

'She believed it that easily? What a fool.'

Jennifer scoffed internally, her face full of smug satisfaction at having successfully made things difficult.

But Stephanie quickly added, "Maybe I should go and beg Mr. Nelson. Even if I can't go elsewhere, at least let me cook for him in the kitchen."

'What's a subordinate who fakes orders most afraid of? It's the fear of the other person confronting their boss with a fake order.'

Jennifer was no different. Her expression immediately changed from triumph to guilt and rage as she pointed at Stephanie, ready to scold her for not speaking out of turn in front of Theodore.

But before Jennifer could speak, three slow claps came from the doorway.

Theodore walked in, clapping with a playful smile on his face.