Chapter 25
Jamar realized that engaging in verbal sparring with Phoebe and Maddox was completely self-defeating. He was countered each time, leaving him quite frustrated. Particularly, Phoebe always sided with Maddox, leaving him, her brother, out in the cold. The more this happened, the more bitter Jamar felt. After all, Phoebe was his sister, not Maddox’s. His gaze toward Maddox now carried a few hostile undertones.
Originally, due to the previous quota incident, Phoebe had already been at odds with them. Could this guy be trying to steal Phoebe away? He glanced at Phoebe and noticed her cold gaze. It can’t keep going like this. He couldn’t let Maddox take his sister away; he needed to find a way to bring her back.
As for his four brothers’ suggestion to teach Phoebe a lesson first, to let her know her mistake, he decided to set that aside for now. After all, he was the older brother, and letting his younger sister off once didn’t seem so bad. It could also ease the tension and prevent Maddox from getting too smug.
He softened his tone as he asked Phoebe, “Are you cooking this afternoon?” Although Sienna had recently been learning to cook seriously, Phoebe’s cooking was indeed much better. Phoebe shot him a glance, replying, “Someone is treating us; no need for me to cook.”
Jamar was left speechless. He had originally planned to take the opportunity, when Phoebe was cooking, to mend their relations. At this time, Maddox noticed that Jamar’s attitude toward Phoebe wasn’t quite right. And Phoebe, who was usually very easy to get along with, was very antagonistic toward Jamar and Sienna.
Then, he suddenly remembered he had heard someone mention the affairs of the Jenkins family previously. It was said that the Jenkins family had found their biological daughter but hadn’t publicly acknowledged her identity or taken her to any events, and still treated their adopted daughter like their own blood. Maddox recalled how Jamar and Sienna interacted with Phoebe over the past two days and guessed that Phoebe was likely the long-lost daughter the Jenkins family had found after more than a decade. However, she had been treated unfairly in the Jenkins family, and that was why she didn’t want to bother with Jamar and Sienna, even despising them.
Maddox felt he had discovered the truth. With this thought, he became even more displeased with Jamar and Sienna. Phoebe doesn’t even want to bother with them, so why do they have to keep coming up? It’s really annoying. He looked at Jamar and said, with a hint of showing off, “Don’t worry. When we eat later, I’ll take pictures and send them to the group chat. So you can see enough.”
Jamar was left speechless, cursing inwardly. Who the hell wants to know what you eat? He sneered sarcastically. “Well, I really appreciate that.” “You’re welcome. Since you like it, I’ll definitely satisfy you more in the future.” Maddox curled his lips. “This guy is as annoying as ever,” Jamar thought, declining. “That won’t be necessary. It’s too much of a hassle.” “It’s okay. I don’t mind the hassle,” Maddox added cheerfully. Jamar retorted inwardly, I find you annoying. Can’t you understand that? Since it was live, he managed to restrain himself and didn’t voice his true feelings, despite being both angry and resentful.
Seeing his angry face, Phoebe secretly thought he deserved it, and Maddox looked more pleasing to her. Just as she finished arranging the dishes on the table and hanging the basket with meat over the well, David came over to invite the four of them to dinner at his home. To show gratitude for Phoebe and Maddox’s life-saving help, the Haynes family went to town to buy chicken, ducks, and fish and prepared a hearty feast of dishes.
Before eating, Maddox took out his phone to snap a photo, which he posted in the group a while later. On the other side, to put on a show, Sienna even took on the tasks of washing and cutting vegetables herself this time. She put in a lot of effort to prepare a table of dishes, arranging them beautifully on the plate.
The other three each took a bite, finding them passable but rather plain in taste. Erika even felt they were not as good as the work meals she had. Just then, a notification sound came from their phones. Upon opening it, they saw a photo posted by Maddox in the group chat. The food on the table in the photo, while not as presentable as in a restaurant, looked rich in variety and probably had a decent taste. The four, including Sienna, suddenly lost their appetite. However, having done a lot of work during the day, they were hungry and had to continue eating.
After a while, several more notification sounds rang out. They clicked on it like self-torturers, only to see Maddox taking a selfie while biting into a drumstick. He sent a message: [This braised drumstick smells so good, thumbs up!] After a while, he specifically sent a photo of a plate of stir-fried shrimp and fried spare ribs. Maddox: [Not only does this shrimp smell good, but it also has a hint of sweetness, delicious!] Maddox: [First time with vanilla pork ribs, yummy!] Phoebe: [I also like this fried shrimp] Lexie: [The vanilla pork ribs kills! Smell so good.] James: [I prefer the fried bacon; it’s better than what I’ve had before.]
Jamar and the other three were itching to curse at this moment. Jamar couldn’t help but say, “I want to block Maddox.” Reece chimed in, “I feel the same way.” Sienna and Erika just smiled without saying anything. Maddox was a top star, and saying such things on livestream could easily get them boycotted by his fans. Jamar reached out to make the setting. “Then I block him.” But Sienna advised next to him, “Jamar, don’t do it. It might be inconvenient to contact him if something happens. Besides, I find it quite nice that Mr. Hooper shares food pictures every day.” She said this just to win over Maddox’s fans.
Jamar had no choice but to stop what he was doing upon hearing her. Although he wasn’t happy inside, he habitually showed a doting smile. “Alright, whatever you say.” When Erika lowered her head to eat, she pursed her lips, complaining inwardly, One is hypocritical, and the other is too unconditionally doting. If Jamar had a girlfriend, would it be his girlfriend or Sienna, who matters more! But it seems now he would most likely jump in to save Sienna if his girlfriend and Sienna fell into the water at the same time. With this thought in mind, she suddenly felt rather bored, and her liking for Jamar diminished considerably.
Reece was aware of the relationship between Jamar and Sienna and didn’t find anything unusual. In the live chat, fans shipping the sibling relationship were cheering about how sweet and caring it was. Maddox’s fans didn’t develop a liking for Sienna but reproached her fervently: [Nobody cares. Maddie isn’t afraid of anyone in this aspect.] [With Maddie’s mouth, he’s been blocked by so many people; one more Jamar doesn’t make a difference.] [So there’s really no need for Sienna to act as a peacemaker.]
Then, the comments gradually shifted direction. [I suddenly realized Jamar is very doting on Sienna, but Sienna doesn’t seem to care much about him.] [I’ve noticed it long ago. Jamar and Maddox don’t get along, yet Sienna doesn’t side with her brother.] [The key point is Sienna was snapped at by Maddox several times before.] [If it were me, I probably wouldn’t be so magnanimous after being snapped at like that.] [So is Sienna really magnanimous, or is she just too fake?] [I feel unfair for Marr; he’s so doting on his sister, yet she only consumes his affection without standing by his side.] [Marr helps her with everything, but she never seems to stand by him even once.] [Every time, she just wants to be the peacemaker, making herself look nice.] [She’s simply an angelic bitch.]
Phoebe had previously paid for trolls to subtly influence public opinion at the right moments. As expected, once the trolls seized the opportunity, they started to lead public opinion. As a result, many of Jamar’s fans were led astray by the trolls and started to become dissatisfied with Sienna.