The Real Daughter Came Back to Chill and Kill

Back in the car, the air around Scarlett felt heavy. Percy didn't even dare to breathe too loudly.

After a moment, he carefully turned on Pride of Kings and nudged the phone toward her.

"Do you want to play a couple of matches? It might help blow off some steam."

Plus, he could use a few extra stars on his rank while they were at it. Scarlett glanced down at his phone screen, then pulled out her own device instead.

Her old pink phone was tucked into a clear, minimalist case. The smooth 120Hz display flickered to life, looking sleek and high-end.

She said casually, "Now that I think about it... It's been two seasons since I last logged into my own account."

Percy leaned over eagerly. "I bet you dropped outta Mythic rank by now, huh?"

Scarlett re-downloaded the game and logged in. As soon as the screen loaded, her rank fell straight from Supreme Mythic down to Celestial Star 1.

Percy couldn't help but burst out laughing as he compared it to his Mythic rank.

"Man, your rank is trash now, hahaha! Look at me, though! I'm so freaking awesome!"

Scarlett couldn't even be bothered to remind him that it was she who had carried him up there in the first place. Her slender, pale fingers lazily tapped across the screen, and she queued up a match without much thought.

Percy sat beside her, propping his face in his hands to watch her. He loved watching Scarlett play. She never looked like she was trying too hard, her fingers dancing across the screen with effortless precision.

Even her casual posture couldn't hide the fact that she absolutely dominated the battlefield.

Having her on your side was like

holding a winning lottery ticket while going up against her was like walking into a buzzsaw. By the time their car pulled into Jondalia Hospital, Scarlett had finally tucked her phone away.

Fever

The next day, Xavier finally got the green light to leave the hospital, but he was stuck at the manor for now. The moment Xavier set foot inside the manor, he disappeared straight into the study.

Scarlett had just returned to her room when Edmund came rushing over to find her.

"Ms. Quinn, could you please talk to Mr. Stroud? He's locked himself in the study, buried in paperwork again."

Scarlett frowned. He really doesn't know how to take care of himself. She'd had to be strict with him back in the hospital. There was no reading, no documents allowed, just pure rest.

But when she so much as turned her

back, he'd sneak financial books under the covers, read investment reports in secret, and even tiptoe around at midnight to glance at files. And if she caught him, he'd pretend to be asleep.

He was honestly harder to guard than a mischievous kid. Now, they'd barely been back ten minutes when he had already managed to vanish into the study while she was upstairs putting her things away.

Scarlett then headed toward the study. But she paused once she reached the door.

She remembered very clearly that Edmund had said she could explore the manor all she wanted, but the study was strictly off-limits.noveldrama

She glanced back at Edmund. "You're sure you want me to just walk in?"

Edmund nodded frantically. At this point, Scarlett already knew the Stroud family's biggest secret anyway. She wasn't just Xavier's savior but was also the Stroud family's savior.

Still, if she ever dared leak anything she knew Edmund would personally make sure she disappeared. But so far, he trusted Scarlett deeply and was placing all his hopes for Xavier's recovery squarely on her shoulders.

After getting Edmund's full approval, Scarlett dropped her hesitation and pushed

the door open.