Chapter 124
Edith saw that Frank not only took the initiative to give her the pendant, but he even closed his eyes. She had already anticipated this outcome, but she still couldn’t help but hold onto a glimmer of hope. Reality slapped her in the face once again. Frank had a cold heart, and he felt no pity for her at all. She couldn’t help but think that if Brenda needed the pendant right now, maybe Frank would give it to her willingly. The more Edith thought about it, the more upset she became. Yet, she still couldn’t let go, nor was she willing to. She curled up on the sofa, biting her lip as she cried sorrowfully.
Damon said he needed to make preparations and pick someone up, so he temporarily left the office. Elliot looked at his three sons and adopted daughter, his gaze shifting between them. Cain and Joshua had directly snatched the beads from Leon’s hands and given them to their adopted sister. He had never expected it to happen. Even after taking the beads, they acted as if they were completely justified, leaving Elliot speechless and frustrated. He couldn’t help but wonder if, one day, only one person between Leon and Sienna could survive, these two sons might abandon their brother and choose their adopted sister. Elliot began to reflect on when this situation started and when the adopted daughter’s influence on his sons had grown this strong. His thoughts then shifted to his biological daughter, Phoebe.
Elliot was rarely at home. Sienna was only an adopted daughter, and he hadn’t spent much time with her either. But ever since Phoebe returned, his wife had constantly been talking about how Sienna was more obedient and well-behaved, while Phoebe was unruly. They said Phoebe was always trying to take things from Sienna and bullying her. They claimed Phoebe was already the true heiress of the Jenkins family, yet she still wanted to drive the adopted daughter out, even trying to strip her of her identity as a Jenkins. Elliot had worried that Phoebe had been raised with a narrow mindset because she didn’t grow up with the family. So he had allowed his wife and sons to act as they pleased. Elliot also hoped to teach Phoebe a lesson, so that when she returned, she would behave like a true heiress. He wanted her to realize that it was foolish to focus so much on an adopted daughter. But now, he might have been wrong. He wondered if his wife and sons were truly displeased with Phoebe just because she bullied Sienna and took her things, or maybe Sienna had been secretly manipulating things behind the scenes. If Phoebe had a grudge, she would settle it openly. She wasn’t the type to scheme in the shadows. If Phoebe didn’t like Sienna, she would have directly confronted her instead of resorting to underhanded tricks. After all, Phoebe didn’t even bother to be polite to him, her own father, let alone her mother and brother. So, she wouldn’t be afraid of Sienna tattling on her and only dare to bully her in secret.
Elliot remained silent, but when he looked at Sienna, his gaze turned colder. It seemed he needed to speed up the investigation into the relationship between his sons and the adopted daughter. If Sienna had indeed led his sons astray, then the Jenkins family could no longer keep her. Elliot even started to become suspicious of Damon’s suggestion to take Sienna in all those years ago.
Sienna was highly sensitive. She noticed that Elliot was looking at her with a probing and complicated gaze. She lifted her head and softly called out, “Dad.” Elliot’s gaze instantly returned to normal, and he even showed a bit of concern. “Sienna, are you feeling better now?” Seeing his concerned expression, Sienna let out a quiet sigh of relief. She obediently nodded. “I’m feeling better.”
Chapter 124
She had always wanted to get closer to Elliot, but he kept a certain distance from her. She also knew that Elliot had the final say in the Jenkins family. If she wanted to stay in the Jenkins family and continue living as a wealthy heiress, she couldn’t afford to make him unhappy. She thought about how her two brothers had snatched the beads for her earlier, and her heart sank.
Elliot was different from her brothers. He valued blood ties above all else. She couldn’t help but wonder if taking Leon’s beads caused Elliot’s displeasure. Forcing down her frustration, she said, “I’m not in that much pain anymore. Leon can keep using the beads.” In order to maintain a good impression in front of Elliot and secure her future, she had to endure. After that, she handed the beads back.
Before Sienna could even hand the beads to Leon, Cain shoved them back into her hands. “Leon is a man. A little bit of pain is nothing to him. You should keep the beads,” Cain said. Joshua agreed. “Yeah, you’ve been afraid of pain since you were little. You should hold onto them. Leon is a grown man. He shouldn’t fight his little sister over this.”
Leon was so furious upon hearing this that he wanted to strangle his two idiotic younger brothers. He glared at them coldly. “You two sure know me well. I hope when it’s your turn, you can say the same thing.” Leon thought these two idiots were beyond saving. He absolutely wouldn’t warn them; in fact, if he had the chance, he’d even push them toward experiencing the “reward” from Sienna.
Joshua and Cain thought Leon was getting more and more petty. They thought no man should fight with his little sister over something like this, but the chilling look in Leon’s eyes made them uneasy, so they didn’t dare to argue back. At this moment, Frank opened his eyes and glanced at the four of them. He had a smirk of amusement. He thought the Jenkins family’s adopted daughter was something else, playing these brothers like puppets. No wonder Sienna had managed to force Phoebe, the biological daughter, to sever ties with the family. It seemed that the Jenkins brothers weren’t raising an adopted sister for their amusement; rather, she was the one toying with them. And judging by Leon’s expression, Frank thought he didn’t need to give Leon some reminders.
Sienna also felt uneasy under Leon’s gaze, especially with Elliot watching. “Are you really willing to give them up?” She quickly handed the beads over again. “Leon, you should take them.” Leon didn’t accept them right away. He simply looked at her. “Are you really…?” Sienna froze for a moment before forcing a smile. “Of course. I’m doing this for you, Leon.”
Leon let out a sarcastic chuckle. The more pain he endured, the clearer his mind became. It was obvious that Sienna was only returning the beads because of their father’s presence. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have played the victim and let his two idiotic brothers do her bidding. Since she was offering to return the beads, he should take them. He reached out, but when he was just about to accept the beads, Joshua grabbed his hand. “Leon, if you’re not feeling well, just squeeze my hand instead.” Then Joshua stretched out his other arm, “Or you can bite my arm if that helps.”
Leon went speechless. This wasn’t just stupidity; this was next-level idiocy. Leon violently shook off Joshua’s hand, his tone filled with irritation. “Get lost. You’re disgusting me.”
Elliot finally spoke. “Sienna, Leon is a man. He can endure this little bit of pain. You should keep the beads for yourself.”
Chapter 124
Leon stared at Elliot in disbelief. He couldn’t believe his father had caught his brothers’ stupidity. Elliot gave him a meaningful look. “Leon, am I right?” A slight bitterness welled up in Elliot’s heart. He wondered if this was how Phoebe had been treated before she finally severed ties with them. Elliot’s words served two purposes: first, to prevent Sienna from becoming suspicious; second, to make Leon experience this treatment firsthand. From what he had gathered, Leon had been the most ruthless toward Phoebe.
Leon dared not argue, so he gritted his teeth and said, “Yes.” Then Leon looked at Sienna, his gaze colder than ever. “Sienna, you’re a girl. How could I fight you for something like this? You should just keep the…” He told himself he would never help Sienna again.