The early morning light filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows. William Knight, dressed in a deep grey cashmere sweater, sat at the head of the dining table in a relaxed posture. A steaming cup of black coffee sat before him as he looked down, scrolling through international emails on his tablet. His profile was sharp, deep, and tinged with a cold detachment.
When Diana walked downstairs with light, quiet steps, she didn't realize he had returned from the neighboring city late last night. She paused, momentarily surprised, before scurrying to the seat opposite him like a silent little quail. She pulled out her chair and lowered her head to eat her porridge.
Normally, the dining room would have been filled with her constant chatter. She always had endless stories to tell—from campus gossip to a stray cat she saw on the street—sharing every tiny detail with him.
William's finger slid across the screen as he broke the heavy silence. "I heard from Maya that you've turned into a 'Model Worker' lately, running to the hospital every day to look after your senior?"
"Mm," Diana pursed her lips. "Aurora's mother has been in poor health for years and can't handle any more shocks. Aurora is terrified her family will fall apart, so she's keeping her own illness a secret. If I don't help out, she won't be able to carry the burden alone."
"It's good to care for your friends, but leave the caretaking to the professionals." William took a sip of his coffee. His tone was neutral, yet it carried the inherent pressure of a man used to being in command. "Don't wear yourself out until you look like a patient yourself. I didn't raise you all these years just to see you wait on others."
He never interfered with Diana's social circle, but a deep-seated, aristocratic sense of possessiveness made it difficult for him to watch the sister he treated as a precious treasure serving tea and water to someone else.
"I know what I'm doing, William," Diana murmured.
"The medical team is composed of the country's top hematology experts, and I've already had someone review the treatment plan. Nothing will go wrong. Put your heart at ease."
He had specifically looked into Aurora's condition only because he had noticed Diana's overwhelming anxiety. Diana's hand tightened around her spoon as she gave a low, quiet "Mm."
William set his cup down, his keen eyes catching a flicker of loneliness in her gaze. "Unhappy? Or do you think I'm overstepping?"
"No." Diana looked up quickly, then immediately averted her eyes, awkwardly changing the subject. "William, do you know any reliable economic lawyers in your circle?"
"Just back in the country and already planning a day trip to the courts?" William's long fingers tapped the table. A low, deep chuckle escaped his throat—a sound filled with a touch of doting helplessness. "Tell me, what kind of 'head-rolling' trouble have you gotten into this time?"
The morning sun danced in his eyes, and that slight trace of a smile made Diana's heart tighten. She shifted her gaze away. "It's not me. It's Aurora and her partner. They have a contract dispute, and the small firm she used before wasn't very effective. I want to help her make a clean break."
For him, this was a trivial matter. William turned off his tablet and said calmly, "Fine. Send me the details later, and I'll arrange for the top people in the field to handle it."
"Thanks, William."
The lawyer William sent was incredibly efficient, contacting Diana that same afternoon. He was a renowned "gold-standard" litigator famous for winning the toughest cases. Using him to handle a small startup dispute was like using a heavy cannon to swat a mosquito.
Diana spent the entire weekend immersed in the case, busy to the point of exhaustion. As for Skylar Miller's "ultimatum" to return to the Bell family for dinner, it had long since been tossed to the back of her mind.
When she returned to the Knight residence late Sunday night, a warm yellow wall lamp was still glowing in the living room. Maya was sitting on the sofa in a silk robe, clearly waiting up for her.
"Where have you been wilding off to? Do I need an appointment to see you in this house now?" Seeing her enter, Maya signaled for Maggie to bring over the hot milk. "A young girl shouldn't be working until midnight."
"Just helping my senior clean up some legal messes." Though Diana detested the smell of milk, she took the glass and drank it to avoid a lecture.
"You've been back for a while now... you still haven't shown your face at the Bell family home, have you?" Maya spoke tentatively. "They are your blood relatives, after all. Find some time to have a meal there. Don't let outsiders say the Knights haven't taught you manners."
The moment Diana heard this, she knew—Skylar must have complained to Maya again. The Knight and Bell families had deep, tangled ties, and Maya, caught in the middle, felt she had to give Skylar some face.
"I really can't find the time lately." Diana downed the warm milk in one go and forced a yawn. "I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. Foster Mother, I'm going up to sleep. You should rest too."
She bolted upstairs like a startled rabbit, leaving Maya downstairs shaking her head helplessly. "Look at that. Mention the Bell family once, and she runs faster than a hare."
"Miss Diana is just hurt. Aside from a surname, what has the Bell family ever given her?" Maggie muttered indignantly from the side. "Back then, when the Director slapped her so hard her face was swollen for days, her mother didn't protect her; she sent her abroad overnight to fend for herself. Now that the child is successful, she suddenly remembers her 'maternal authority'? If you ask me, she's right not to go back."
"That's enough, Maggie," Maya sighed. "Blood ties can't be severed. In the future, when Diana discusses marriage, the Bell family will still need to give their nod for the sake of appearances. Provoking Skylar won't do the girl any favors."
A moment later, Maya called Skylar to smooth things over.
"Diana isn't avoiding you on purpose. She received a lot of help from a senior while she was abroad. Now that the girl is seriously ill and her company is being cheated, Diana is just being her usual loyal self. She's been so busy I haven't even seen her for two days. She truly didn't mean to disrespect you."
This explanation did nothing to quench Skylar's anger. A cold snort came through the phone. "You haven't seen her? It seems to me she sees your William quite frequently."
Maya's expression darkened, her voice tinged with anger. "What is that supposed to mean? William has doted on her like a younger sister since they were children. It's normal for them to see each other. Are they supposed to avoid each other like strangers?"
Skylar let out a cold laugh and hung up. Immediately after, she sent a short, ten-second video.
The video was from William's birthday party. The lights were swaying, and the room was crowded. William was holding a knife to cut the cake, and Diana was standing beside him, looking up slightly. From the camera's angle, it looked as though William was tenderly pulling her into a half-embrace from behind. They looked far too intimate.
Watching the video, Maya's hand trembled, her face turning from pale to a sickly green.
Then, a voice message from Skylar arrived, her tone chilling. "Maya, have you forgotten why we sent her away five years ago? If the Knights think the scandal back then wasn't big enough, I don't mind sacrificing the Bell family's reputation to humiliate us all over again."
Diana was unaware of the storm brewing downstairs. She lay on her soft bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
She loathed the Bell family, not just because there was no place for her there, but because of that suffocating afternoon five years ago.
Her identity was a public secret in high society—the illegitimate eldest daughter of the Bell family. Her biological mother had been Sebastian Bell's subordinate. Back when Sebastian was a single diplomatic translator, they had a relationship the family refused to acknowledge. Unfortunately, the gap in social status became an abyss her mother couldn't cross.
Sebastian's grandfather had ruthlessly severed the relationship for the sake of Sebastian's career. And Sebastian, choosing between his career and his lover, chose the former without hesitation.
Her proud mother disappeared while pregnant and raised her alone until she was eight. However, even her mother eventually gave up on her, dropping her back at the icy Bell manor.
Diana had a bone-deep fear of being abandoned. That was why, five years ago, when the Bell family forced her to go abroad, she had knelt on the floor and begged them to let her stay. She had tried frantically to contact William, but her phone was confiscated, and she was locked in a cramped, narrow room.
That feeling of screaming into a void was a nightmare that still haunted her dreams.
The next morning, Diana was woken by the pungent, spicy aroma of ginger. Heading downstairs, she saw Maya in an apron, tending to a clay pot.
It was a broth made of dark red dates, old ginger slices, and snow pears, with plenty of rock sugar added to mask the sharp spice.
"Is someone sick?" Diana leaned in. Although she hated the taste of ginger, the familiar sweet scent reminded her of her childhood.
Kai Knight was away on a business trip, and Maya looked perfectly healthy. The answer was obvious.
"Your brother came back last night with a fever."
Maya poured the thick liquid into a thermal flask, giving Diana a complicated look. "It's been a cold spring, and with his personality, he refuses to take medicine. When you head out later, stop by his apartment and make sure he drinks this."
As soon as Diana heard William was sick, her lingering bad mood vanished. She quickly wolfed down a few bites of breakfast, grabbed the heavy thermal flask, and hurried toward William's apartment.