Chapter 72

This was the first time Reece had ever been hit, and by his own sister, no less. At first, he stood there, utterly stunned. Once he finally processed what happened, he grabbed her wrist. “Brenda, have you lost it?”

Since Brenda couldn’t keep hitting him, she smacked her lips in frustration. “Oh. I could have kept going a bit longer.”

Reece froze, momentarily at a loss. Others nearby overheard Brenda’s remark and couldn’t help stifling their laughter. Reece’s face darkened. “Brenda, you’ve gone far enough,” he said, then added, “And don’t forget, she’s your mom too.” With so many people around, if word got out, their parents would definitely have a problem with Brenda.

Brenda rolled her eyes. “She’s Soren’s mom. What does that have to do with me? Only you would be foolish enough to suck up to her.”

The more she spoke, the darker Reece’s face became. “Shut up.” He pulled her closer and murmured in her ear, “Watch what you say in public.”

Brenda gave an unconcerned shrug. “I’m not afraid. Why should I care! If you want to keep groveling for her favor, don’t drag me into it. I’m not.”

Reece sighed, exasperated. “You’re coming home with me.”

Brenda shook her head wildly. “Not going. I’m staying at Phoebe’s place.”

Reece replied firmly, “No way.” He kept hold of Brenda’s wrist, refusing to let go. “You have to come home with me.”

Brenda hadn’t returned home even once since she’d been out, not even for Christmas, which had led the elders to comment on it with hints of disapproval. Reece had covered for her with excuses at the time, but if it got out that Brenda was back but still refusing to go home, people would definitely talk again.

Brenda tried to pull her hand free, saying, “I said I’m not going home.” When she couldn’t break free, she glared at him. “Let go, or I’ll start shouting.”

Reece sneered. “Go ahead.”

A second later, Reece’s face shifted from shock to an even deeper shade of anger. Because Brenda had just started yelling, “Help! The superstar, Reece, is harassing a woman at the airport!”

Right then, Reece wanted nothing more than to sew Brenda’s mouth shut out of sheer embarrassment. But Brenda ignored his dark expression, lifting her chin triumphantly. “If you don’t let go, I’ll keep screaming.”

Recce had no choice but to release her, his words seething. “Fine, you win.”

“As I should. There’s no dealing with scumbags who treat Phoebe like garbage the normal way,” As soon as she finished, Brenda stomped on his foot with her heel before hurrying off toward Phoebe. Reece’s face contorted in pain.

Watching her retreat, Reece felt a mix of anger and resignation. Brenda had been rebellious and wild ever since she was young, impossible for anyone to control. Sometimes, she’d even rope Phoebe into her antics, pulling off stunts that took people by surprise.

Recce called after her through his pain. “Brenda, you might dodge me now, but you’ll have to come home eventually!”

Brenda linked arms with Phoebe, waving a hand behind her without looking back. “Bye-bye, good luck with that.”

Reece’s face grew darker as he watched her go. Phoebe, on the other hand, wasn’t surprised at all by Brenda’s antics. She knew Brenda’s fiery, no-nonsense personality all too well.

“Don’t mind him,” Phoebe said. “Let’s get going.”

Brenda pulled her suitcase along. “Yeah, let’s go.”

The two walked off together, chatting and laughing as they went. Obviously, they were very close.

Recce stayed in place for a moment, then forced himself to walk despite the pain in his foot. But the entire scene hadn’t gone unnoticed. It had not only been recorded by some onlookers but also snapped by a lurking paparazzo.

After leaving the airport, Phoebe and Maddox exchanged quick goodbyes, then joined Brenda in the show crew’s car to head out. The four had already added each other as contacts, so they could stay in touch anytime.

Once back at the apartment, Phoebe scrolled through her phone, where two hashtags had taken the top two spots: [#ReeceCalledaCheaterByHisOwnSisterAndBeatenUp] and [#Reece’sHeartfeltPerformance]. Phoebe clicked on the first one.

A full recording captured the entire scene of Brenda yelling at Reece and hitting him, including the part where she’d spoken openly about Ophelia. The comments were flooded with applause, cheering Brenda on as fierce and iconic.

Right after, a wave of accusations followed, condemning Reece as a confirmed cheater. After all, if his own sister thought so, the rumors must be true.

Phoebe held out her phone to Brenda. “You’re trending now,” she said. “The Hill family might want you back after hearing what you said.”

Because Phoebe had dated Reece and grown so close with Brenda, she was naturally familiar with how things worked in the Hill family. Currently, Reece’s father, Finnian, was the lead of the Hill family. Among his siblings, he ranked third, as the youngest son, having two older brothers behind him.

Years back, Finnian had pulled his two older brothers down to seize control of the Hill Group. Though the family’s different branches kept up a pleasant front, Finnian’s older brothers and their family harbored resentments. Unable to compete with Finnian directly, they often looked for openings through Brenda to make things difficult for him.

Brenda had once made headlines by drag racing with a group of rich kids, and after the Hill family caught wind, they’d made sure Finnian and Ophelia heard all about it with plenty of thinly veiled snipes. In response, Ophelia had ordered Finnian to have Brenda taken home and confined to her room for days to reflect on her behavior. This time, Brenda had criticized Ophelia outright in public, which was sure to cause an uproar.

Brenda took the phone, glanced at it, then sprawled back on the couch. “Let them do what they want,” she shrugged, smirking. “At most, they’ll haul me back to lock me in and starve me for a while.”

“They do it every time. I wonder when they’d come up with something new.”

Phoebe assured her. “Don’t worry. You’re sticking with me from now on. I won’t let them take you back.”

Brenda smiled. “Sounds good. I’ll be glued to you then.”

Then her expression turned serious as she looked over at Phoebe. “The chs, are you really done with Reece! So everything online is true?”

Phoebe nodded. “Yeah, I really broke up with him, for good. And what’s online… most of it is true. Reece said he only looked out for Sienna because the family asked him to.”

“But if that’s the case, then why did he keep it hidden from me and keep meeting with her behind my back? Time after time, he took her side over mine. Since he’s that kind of guy, he’s not worth it. So I’m done.”

Brenda knew that Phoebe had once cared deeply for her brother, so breaking things off like this must have taken a lot. But Recce had brought it on himself with his behavior.

“All right,” Brenda said firmly. “If breaking up is what you want, I’m with you. He showed his true colors when he betrayed you for someone else. He’s no longer worth your time.”

Even though it was her brother they were talking about, Brenda was standing by Phoebe’s side on this. Warmth shone in Phoebe’s eyes. “I knew you’d have my back, no matter what.”

Brenda reached over and gave her face a little pinch. “Of course.”

Then Brenda said honestly, “If Reece hadn’t messed up so badly, I probably would’ve talked to you, maybe tried to help you two work things out. But he crossed so many lines, so all I can say is… you did the right thing?”

Phoebe laughed. “And you were amazing today.”

Brenda beamed with pride. “You know it. Since he betrayed you, he’s asking for it.”

Phoebe asked, “So, how long are you staying this time?”

Brenda replied, “I’m not leaving this time. I’m staying for good.”

Phoebe’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at her. “Is Frank coming back?”

Brenda’s gaze grew distant. “No… he probably won’t be back anytime soon.”