The "Bastard" Has Arrived
1040 Words
"Reaching above your station?"
I let out a cold, inward laugh. At the end of the day, Julian looked down on me simply because I was an adopted daughter. Ever since Mingyue returned, he had seized every opportunity to belittle and suppress me.
He wanted me to understand one thing: I should be grateful he even looked at me. To him, marrying into his family was a blessing I didn't deserve to question. I wasn't supposed to have pride; I was supposed to beg for his favor instead of acting distant.
Mingyue bit her lip, adding fuel to the fire. "Sera, you shouldn't get entangled with other men just because you had a spat with Julian. It’s... it’s not right. Mom and Dad will be so disappointed if they find out."
I flashed her a sharp smile. "Mom and Dad disappointed? I think you’re actually quite thrilled, aren't you?"
"I—" Mingyue froze. Since her return, she had assumed I was an easy target because I was accustomed to swallowing my pride in the Sterling house. She didn't expect me to strike back. Her face turned pale, looking pitifully frail.
"What's going on here?" Amidst the argument, the Sterlings—Arthur and Helen—arrived.
Seeing Mingyue’s teary eyes, Helen rushed to her side. "Seraphina misunderstood my relationship with Julian and wants to break the engagement. I was just trying to talk her out of it," Mingyue sobbed, looking utterly wronged.
The Sterlings were surprised, but secretly pleased. Helen frowned. "Enough. Let’s go back to the private room. It’s embarrassing to be seen arguing in the hallway."
Guests were already starting to stop and stare.
"I’m not going back. I’ve lost my appetite. I’m going home," I said. My head throbbed as much as my injured leg. But as I turned to leave, Julian blocked my path again, his grip on my arm tightening until it bruised. "Seraphina, you think you can just call off the engagement? Who do you think I am!"
"Let go!" I snapped, my brows furrowing in pain.
"Found a replacement already, have you? How far have you gone with that bastard?"
"You're disgusting, Julian. Don't project your filth onto others!"
"What did you say?" Julian was stunned. He had grown used to my gentle nature, forgetting that beneath the surface, I possessed a pride that couldn't be bought. To him, pride was worthless in a world where money and power were everything.
I wrenched my arm away from his grasp. "Don't touch me. You make me sick."
The crowd grew larger. Being called "filthy" in public wounded Julian’s fragile ego. The Sterlings realized that if people suspected something between their biological daughter and Julian, Mingyue would be branded as a homewrecker. They would never allow that. They wanted their biological daughter to marry the man she loved with a clean reputation.
"I’m filthy? You’re the one messing around with other men. You’re the dirty one!" Julian sneered, his rage blinding him.
Helen immediately grabbed me before I could speak. "Sera, this is your fault. Shut up. Haven't you embarrassed us enough?"
I saw through them instantly. My adoptive parents wanted Mingyue to climb over my ruins. They were willing to sacrifice my reputation to ensure their biological daughter was blameless. I had spent twenty years hoping they cared for me. I was a fool.
"You have the nerve to laugh!" Helen hissed. "Julian is still your fiancé. You ignore his feelings and mess around with other men, yet when your sister tries to help, you’re ungrateful!"
Arthur added coldly, "It seems we spoiled you too much. You’ve forgotten your place."
His words were like a blade twisted in my heart. No fate of a princess, yet all the temperament of one. The deepest wounds always come from those you call family.
"Other men? Just because I’m holding a man’s coat?" I scoffed.
"We know you feel neglected because of Mingyue," Helen said, trying to save face. "If you want to break the engagement, we can discuss it. Come back to the room."
"Mom is right. Sera, let's go back," Mingyue said, reaching for my hand with a saintly expression.
The moment she touched me, I instinctively jerked my hand away, shoving her aside. Mingyue stumbled, nearly hitting the floor.
"Mingyue!" Helen cried, catching her. She shot me a look of pure coldness. "Seraphina, have you had enough?" Arthur roared. "Apologize to Mingyue now!"
My right foot was screaming in pain, leaving my face deathly pale. Yet, I stood tall.
"What? I can't even command you anymore? I raised you, fed you, paid for the best teachers—and now that you’ve found another man, you think you can stop obeying me? You ungrateful brat!"
He wasn't just calling me a 'white-eyed wolf'; he was branding me as a woman without morals.
"Dad, it wasn't her fault. People are watching..." Mingyue whispered.
"Let them watch! Let everyone see what she’s done," Arthur glared at me. "Apologize! Is this the lack of upbringing I taught you? You graceless thing!"
I took a deep breath, ready to snap back, when a voice came from behind us.
"Shouting in a public place... Mr. Sterling, you certainly have a lot of 'upbringing' yourself."
Everyone turned.
A man stood there, his dark, chilling eyes reflecting a violent aura. He was tall, his presence so suffocating it felt as though the air had been sucked out of the room.
"Mr. Knight!" Arthur’s face went from rage to terrified sycophancy in a heartbeat. "What... what brings you here?"
"Because I am the person you were talking about," the man’s voice was low and gravelly.
"The 'other man'."
Standing behind him, Chen suddenly spoke up. "Sir, that’s not what they called you just now."
"Oh?"
"They called you a 'bastard'."
"Is that so?" Alaric Knight’s tone was slow and playful, yet as he lifted his gaze, the sheer pressure made it difficult for anyone in the hallway to breathe.
- Writer
