The Brother I Could Never Call Again Chapter 04

The Brother I Could Never Call Again Chapter 04

Several years flew by.

Life at the Whitfield estate settled into a peaceful routine.

Since Nora and I were close in age, and I lived there free of charge, I helped Mrs. Colleen with chores and took care of Nora whenever I could.

By high school, the three of us attended the same school—Grant and Nora in the international division, me in the regular one.

Every morning, I rode my bicycle to school.

Most students knew I was the housekeeper’s daughter.

Some whispered behind my back. Some even warned me not to dream about Grant Whitfield.

I ignored every word.

But Nora couldn’t. She argued with several people because of me.

Eventually, no one bothered me anymore.

I still saw Grant sometimes. Always looked straight ahead.

His polished shoes always passed right by me without slowing for even a second.

Nora grew into a good person. She finally stopped calling me “Sister Ivy.”

As she got older, she finally stopped calling me “Sister Ivy.”

Last Christmas, Grant brought her a present.

It was a princess tiara covered in pearls.

The entire room gasped.

People said he’d personally selected every single pearl himself.

Nora loved it. She screamed with joy and hugged him.

For just a moment, I thought I was looking at my previous life.

I loved pearls too. I loved how they survived so much pain to become something beautiful.

Suddenly, a small box appeared in front of me.

Grant’s calm voice followed.

“You’ve taken good care of Nora these past few years. This is for you.”

Inside was a pearl.

Nothing compared to Nora’s extravagant crown. But it was still incredibly valuable.

I didn’t want to accept it.

An awkward silence settled over the room.

Nora broke it.

“Ivy, don’t be shy! Take it. Grant can definitely afford one pearl!”

Only then did I took it. “Thank you, Young Master.”

Grant nodded.

A few days later, I quietly sold the pearl.

It brought me thirty thousand dollars. I tucked every cent into my savings.

During the summer vacation, I found a part-time job at a convenience store.

During the summer after my freshman year…

I found a part-time job at a convenience store.

“If I were you,” one classmate said, “I’d spend every minute getting closer to the Whitfields.”

“If they help you out, you’ll earn way more than any part-time job ever could.”

“And besides, Grant’s never had a girlfriend. You’re around him every day. Who knows?”

Mrs. Colleen was the only one who supported me.

After I started working at the convenience store, my schedule became the complete opposite of Grant’s.

I barely saw him anymore. And I no longer had to avoid him on purpose.

Normally, by the time I came home, he should’ve been asleep.

But several nights, I noticed the light in his bedroom was still on.

Probably just gaming.

One night, I ran into him in the living room after work.

He hadn’t bothered to turn on the light.

In the darkness, our eyes met—and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

The lights flicked on.

Only then did I realize it was Grant.

I caught the faintest smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He cleared his throat.

“I was just going to the bathroom.”

I nodded and walked past him.

A moment later, I remembered that his bedroom already had its own bathroom.

After that, to avoid running into him again, I stopped using the main entrance altogether.

Mrs. Colleen left the back garden gate unlocked for me every night. I could walk straight to my room without entering the house.

One day, Mrs. Colleen mentioned that Grant had been in a bad mood lately. Short-tempered. Even punched one of his friends.

That surprised me.

Other than anything involving Nora, Grant had always been calm and composed.

I couldn’t help feeling relieved.

Thankfully I was rarely home these days.

Otherwise, I might’ve become collateral damage too.