As expected, Bryce appeared in the dining room within the next minute, and not only he, but Gavin and Cooper also returned.
"What? She was crying?" Cooper came closer to me; he lifted my face and examined it. "Her eyes tell," he acknowledged, shaking his head.
"I... I was not," I murmured, but of course, none of them listened.
"Why were you crying?" Gavin asked. "Is it truly because of Bryce? You don't wish to work for him?"
"No... That's not it... I wish..." I stammered, shifting my gaze to Bryce; he was unusually quiet. No, he is not the loud type, but he is especially quiet now. When he's this quiet, the results are usually not good.
"Bryce, it seems like she really doesn't want to work for you today," Cooper said, turning to Bryce. "Maybe you should listen to Parker. Let her off. Maybe she needs rest."
But Bryce didn't answer; instead, he summoned my nanny—Nanny Marlowe.
Nanny Marlowe appeared in the dining space shortly.
"Yes, sir, you called for me?" Nanny Marlowe stood before Bryce.
"What did you say to her?" Bryce questioned, focusing all his attention on Nanny Marlowe.
"Sir?" Nanny Marlowe briefly glanced at me before returning her gaze to him.
"She is supposed to come to my office after school today, but she doesn't want to. What did you say to her?"
"What?" Nanny Marlowe gasped, glancing at me again. She was already sweating.
"I didn't... I didn't say anything to her," she whimpered.
"You must have said something to her," Gavin insisted.
"I swear to the moon goddess, I didn't. I promise I didn't." It didn't take long before Nanny Marlowe broke down and started crying.
"You shouldn't behave that way, Mrs. Marlowe." Parker, who had been silent, suddenly stood up and moved to her. He lightly touched her shoulder. "Your daughter is still in the hospital; she urgently needs a donor. Should we cancel her treatment? Do you wish for her death?" He gazed at her.
"No... No, sir... Please, don't...." Mrs. Marlowe went to her knees and started pleading. "She's my only hope, please."
After observing her for some time, Cooper spoke up again, "I think she's innocent; she has to be. She has shed a lot of tears."
"Who's the guilty one, then? Who said awful things to Amera?" Gavin grumbled.
"Might be her parents," Bryce groaned, and before I knew it, he was dialing my father's number.
My father's voice came through the loudspeaker the next second, "Mr. Brown, good morning to you." My father's nervous voice filled the room.
Hearing my father's voice brought tears to my eyes again, but I held them back. I can't cry. No. Not in their presence. I should never cry. And when I cry, they must never know that I cried.
Without responding to my father's greeting, Bryce went straight to the point and repeated the exact words he said to Nanny Marlowe: "Amera is supposed to come to my office after school today, but she doesn't want to. What did you say to her?"
"Really? She said that?!" my father exclaimed, then gave a nervous laugh. "Do not worry, Alpha, she'll show up; girls her age are usually rebellious, but I'll speak to her. She won't disrespect you again. Forgive her. Also, forgive me for not teaching her well."
Without responding, Bryce disconnected the call and returned his gaze to me.
"Your father is also innocent. Who is the person spoiling your mind against us?" he questioned.
"N... No one." With shaky breath and trembling knees, I forced myself to my feet.
"That can't be. Maybe her friend; her friend is the only other person I can think of right now," Gavin chimed in.
"Yes, she might be the one," Parker agreed. They were still speaking about her when she unexpectedly showed up in the dining room—Ruby.
She walked into the dining space with a huge smile on her face. "Amera, are you done with breakfast? You're a slow eater and..." She lifted her gaze, searching for me, but paused as soon as she saw the brothers.
A gasp left her lips, and she took two steps back; she wasn't expecting to see them here. They'd normally be in their respective offices by now, and I'm usually the only one here.
"You... I... Am... I..." Ruby stuttered, unable to form a sentence.
"Talk about the devil," Gavin folded his arms.
"Yeah, right," Cooper scoffed.
"Your brother still works at my company, doesn't he?" Parker fixed his gaze on her.
Ruby shook her head, immediately confirming his words.
"And you're also on scholarship," Parker continued.
"Yes," Ruby shook her head again.
"Why then are you spoiling her mind against us? Why are you such a bad friend?" he accused.
"A... I..." Ruby tried to speak, but the words got caught in her throat.
"I knew this would happen; I never liked her as Amera's friend," Cooper sighed.
"Yeah, you're right, maybe they need to stop hanging out together," Gavin agreed, but before another word was said, I quickly rushed into their midst.
"Amera has nothing to do with this, nor do my parents or Nanny Marlowe. I... I'm sorry, no one is spoiling my mind against you. It won't happen again," I apologized, lowering my head.
"Hmm," Bryce hummed as he stared at me.
"Are you sure?" Cooper asked, then shook his head. "If you're sure, then..." he flashed me a smile before walking away.
Bryce also walked away, followed by Gavin and Parker.
Once they had all left, my knees gave way and I collapsed to the floor.
I was close to death's gate. I was truly close.
This is what they do. This is what the brothers do: they torture and torment me, threatening me with the lives and safety of everyone around me.
This is not the first time, nor will it be the last, but their threats have become more frequent since I tried to escape and got caught.
Since then, they've been scrutinizing my every move; they've been bullying and threatening me in every way.
"Hey! Amera! Hey!" Ruby rushed to me and shook me.
"What was that about?" she yelled. "Were you trying to get me killed? You almost got my brother fired again. I almost lost my scholarship too. I can't believe you did this again," she screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks.