I had quietly joked to myself that Clara was an NPC, completely devoid of emotion.

After that, I nearly ruined the notes she had spent half a month copying, but she still wore that same expression. I even went online and memorized a bunch of cheesy pickup lines just to flirt with her, yet she still barely reacted.

I truly believed she had transcended all worldly desires. But now, she was actually angry, all because of one remark I made about Caleb.

Dad, incensed by my words, lunged forward and struck me again. "You don't call the shots in this family!"

Then, he ordered the maids to throw out everything that belonged to Mom and me. I tried to stop them, but Dad grabbed my arm and shoved me outside.

"If you can't stand the sight of Caleb and me, then you and your mother can move out!" he yelled.

The door slammed shut, and Mom crouched on the ground, sobbing.

Soon, the door opened again.

Caleb came out with my belongings in his arms, looking smug. "Lucas, why put yourself through all this? Look at you now, kicked out of your own home."

I instantly noticed a ceramic jar in his arms. My eyes narrowed as I demanded, "Give that back!"

When Caleb saw how desperate I was, a smirk played on his lips.

Then, he simply let go. The ceramic jar fell out of the box and shattered on the ground.

My eyes went red with fury. I lunged forward, grabbed Caleb, and punched him in the face. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

He shrieked, instantly switching to a pathetic, apologetic tone. But all I wanted to do was to tear him apart.

That ceramic jar was a school project Grandma Arlene had made with me when I was in elementary school. It was the only thing I had left of her.

The door flew open. When Clara saw Caleb's bruised and swollen face, she stormed forward and yanked me away.

The steps were right behind me. The force sent me tumbling down the steps and onto the ground.

A piercing pain shot through my ankle, but Clara's gaze stayed ice-cold. "Lucas, Caleb is innocent."

When her gaze landed on the shattered pieces on the ground, she didn't even react. "It's just a worthless trinket. Who cares if it's broken? Did you really have to hit Caleb over it?"

The pain had me breaking out in a cold sweat, and I couldn't even get a word out to defend myself.

Clara didn't spare me another glance. Her eyes filled with concern as she helped Caleb back inside.

Mom rushed over, weeping as she held me. I forced a strained smile, pulled out my phone, and called a taxi.

It started raining.

After who knew how long, the front door creaked open once more. Clara stood in the doorway, an umbrella in hand.

"I've already put in a good word for you. As long as you go inside and apologize to Caleb, you can come back in."

I lowered my eyes and stayed still.

After a moment, she walked down the steps and pressed a tube of burn cream into my palm. Then, she handed the umbrella to Mom before turning around and getting into the Winslow family's car.

I looked down at the tube in my hand for a moment, then threw it into the trash without hesitation.

Once we were in the taxi, Mom's sobs finally began to subside. She pulled out her phone, and not long after, she turned to me.

"Luke, the Shaws have agreed to the marriage alliance. They want to set a meeting as soon as possible."

Mom took me back to her parents' house.

After laying out everything that had happened, she looked at me. "Mom, Dad, I've decided to get a divorce. I endured everything for Luke's sake, but now, I don't want to put up with it anymore."

Upon hearing this, we shared another round of tearful embraces.

Uncle Nathan's eyes were bloodshot. "Angela, Luke, don't worry. I'll make sure they pay for this."

He immediately got up to call his lawyers.

My injured foot kept me at home for more than a week before I recovered.

During that time, the Shaws and Mom had already settled the details of the marriage alliance. Once my foot healed, all that was left was to hold the engagement party.

That weekend, I made plans to go suit shopping with my best friend, Dylan Cross.

The moment we met, Dylan took my hand with a pained look. Only after he confirmed that I had really made up my mind to let Clara go did he start ranting angrily.

"You have no idea how insane the rumors have gotten these past few days. Everyone in our circle is saying you were ousted by a bastard and that Caleb is the only son of the Quinn family now.

"And that's not even the worst of it. Clara's spoiling him rotten. She's practically at his beck and call. The people who always hated you are having a field day watching the fallout."

Dylan's eyes had reddened by the time he was done talking, and even his breathing was unsteady. It was obvious he felt bad for me.

Everyone in our circle knew I had spent three years chasing after Clara without getting anything in return. Yet the moment Caleb came back to Corvia, I was kicked out of my own home, and even Clara was snatched away from me.

They were all waiting for me to make a fool of myself.

I gave an indifferent laugh and comforted him instead, "Relax. I'm marrying Selene Shaw. When that happens, they're going to be choking on their own envy."

The Shaw family's empire sat on a foundation far deeper than ours. Rumor had it that they had connections in politics, too, and that made them practically untouchable in Arland.

At that thought, Dylan immediately gave me a look that said I had better not forget him once I made it big. "True. When that happens, you'd better slap the smug looks right off their faces!"

He suddenly brightened, pointing at a white suit displayed behind the glass window. "Try that one on. I bet you'll look like Prince Charming in it."

I looked over, and something stirred in me. But in the next second, a voice I couldn't stand came from behind us, "Clara, that suit looks amazing!"

Dylan and I exchanged a look of pure exhaustion. We turned to find Caleb and Clara standing right there, just as we had expected.

Caleb had the sales associate take the suit down, but Dylan stepped in to stop them. "Hey, we saw it first!"

Caleb immediately put on his puppy eyes, tugging at Clara's arm with an upset face. "Clara, can you convince Lucas to let me have it? I really want that suit for the homecoming party."

So, Dad was actually throwing him a formal party to acknowledge him.

Bringing him into the family so publicly was an insult to both Mom and me, but thankfully, Mom would be divorced soon, so I couldn't be bothered to care anymore.

Just then, Clara spoke, her voice as cold and detached as ever, "Lucas, let him have the suit. Next time you go to the tarot studio to draw a card, I'll let you have an extra turn."

I scoffed at her words. She made it sound like she was doing me a huge favor.

"No, thanks. It's not like anyone actually wants it," I said.

A flicker of shock crossed Clara's icy features, as if she hadn't expected me to refuse.

I then asked the sales associate to bring me another suit with a notched lapel.

Meanwhile, Dylan glanced at Caleb and snickered. "Good call. This suits you better anyway. Cute has nothing on sexy."

Behind us, Caleb's face turned red with anger.

…

Soon, the day of the engagement party arrived.

As I stepped out of the car, I realized there was another event being held on the first floor. It was the homecoming party Dad had organized for Caleb.

Not wanting to be anywhere near their mess, I headed straight for the elevator, but Caleb's smug voice caught me from behind.

"Lucas? What are you doing here? Did you finally come to apologize to Dad and welcome me into the family?"

I turned around and looked at Caleb in disdain. "I told you not to act like we're chummy with one another."

His face flushed as he immediately shifted into his victim act. "Are you here to stop Dad, then? I just want a family. Why can't you just accept me?"

Clara appeared behind him, her expression cold. She held his hand and comforted him for a moment before turning her displeased gaze on me.

I pressed the elevator button and waited. By now, Caleb was holding it in so hard that it seemed he would collapse right then and there.

"Lucas, please. I'm begging you. I just want a little bit of Dad's love. I'm not asking for anything else!"

Sick of listening to him, I gave him a firm shove to get him out of my way. "Move. I don't care if you join the family or not, and I'm not here for your party either."

He collapsed onto the floor as if I'd struck him, playing the victim for the growing crowd of onlookers.

Clara's expression turned thunderous, anger darkening her eyes. "That's enough, Lucas! Apologize to Caleb right now, and accept his place in the Quinn family!"

I stepped into the elevator and looked at her, a smile spreading across my face. "As I said, I'm not here for his homecoming. I'm here for my engagement."