Chapter 14 Not Once
+8 Pearls
Soon enough, Hadden walked over to Winona and draped his arm around her shoulders, leaning in to whisper something softly. After a moment, Winona’s face brightened into a smile.
It was the kind of smile that seemed to convey unspoken meaning.
From where Lilith stood, the angle made it hard to make out Winona’s expression clearly, let alone interpret the emotion behind it.
Lilith pulled the curtains shut and stretched out on the bed. She had already watched the spectacular fireworks, and there was no feeling of missing out.
She picked up a book, reading for a while, but eventually glanced at the clock. Only a few minutes remained until midnight, marking the arrival of the new year. Deciding to pass the time, she picked up her phone and scrolled for a bit. When the time came, she would send her New Year’s greetings to Liana.
Liana had gone back to her hometown a week earlier, spending the holidays with her parents. She sent Lilith daily updates, sharing bits and pieces of her fun with the other kids.
Before long, a knock sounded at the door.
Lilith quickly jumped out of bed and answered, surprised to see Joe standing there with his usual serious expression.
“Joe? What’s going on?” she asked.
“Mr. Jones would like to see you,” Joe replied.
Lilith nodded. “Alright.” Still in her pajamas, she rummaged through her closet, pulled on a thick coat, and opened the door again. She noticed Joe was still standing patiently.
She adjusted her coat. “Let’s go.”
It felt like it had been so long since she last came here–probably not since late August, almost half a year ago.
As she stepped into the familiar space, a sense of disorientation washed over her. It felt almost like being away for a long time, and now she was being summoned back, like a guest called to the throne room for an audience.
Upon entering, Lilith immediately spotted Adrian and Catiana sitting on the sofa, their faces stern and serious. Garrick and Alexis were seated on the opposite side of the room, separated by a partition made of white glass.
Hadden sat on the edge of another sofa, casting an indifferent glance in her direction.
Winona was in a chair nearby, seemingly lost in her own world, focused intently on trimming flower stems. A variety of flowers–tulips, camellias, and roses–were neatly arranged on the table before her.
Each flower was beautiful and delicate, and Lilith found herself momentarily drawn to them, admiring their quiet elegance.
It was New Year’s Eve, and yet the air in the room felt oddly chilly and distant, lacking the warmth and cheer one would expect for such a celebration. No smiles graced anyone’s faces.
Lilith’s thoughts drifted to the video Liana had sent her just a few hours ago–a clip of her large family, all laughing and chatting together, the atmosphere alive with noise and joy. The contrast to this cold, tense gathering was hard to ignore.
Uncertain about why she had been summoned here, Lilith figured she hadn’t done anything recently to cause trouble or embarrassment for the Joneses. So, after a moment of silence, she decided to speak up first.
“Is something wrong?”
No one answered. Everyone was absorbed in their own activities, and the room was filled with an oppressive silence.
Suddenly, Adrian turned his eyes toward her, his gaze sharp, and asked with a slight edge, “What exactly are you expecting?”
The old wall clock, with its luxurious appearance, kept ticking, its sound growing louder with each second.
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Chapter 14 Not Once
+8 Pearls
When the hour hand struck twelve, the sharp “tick–tock” rang through the air. Outside, fireworks erupted in a dazzling array of colors, bursting in the night sky and lighting up the darkness like daylight.
The new year had arrived.
Lilith suddenly felt drained, a wave of exhaustion washing over her. She knew she often struggled to understand people, especially the thoughts and feelings of the family around her.
For years, she had overanalyzed, trying to observe and decipher their every action, hoping that it would earn her just a little affection.
But after everything she’d been through–especially almost losing her life–she was tired of trying to guess what others were thinking.
It was exhausting, both mentally and physically.
Her phone buzzed, pulling her attention away. A new message from Liana appeared, filled with over–the–top New Year’s greetings, complete with quirky emojis that were somehow perfect for the occasion.
More messages followed, dozens of them.
In the heavy silence surrounding her, Liana’s messages were a brief escape, a reminder of something lighter. Lilith lowered her gaze and began replying, one by one.
As she typed, an idea popped into her head. She casually looked up and said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out.”
Before she could take a step, Catiana’s voice stopped her. “Stay right there.”
Lilith instinctively froze, a long–formed habit taking over. She stood still for a few moments before her feet started moving again.
Just a few steps away, she could feel the air around her change, both Catiana and Adrian’s breaths becoming noticeably heavier.
She stopped, met their eyes, and spoke, “There’s probably nothing else for me here. You called me over, and the clock struck midnight–it’s just a New Year’s Eve gathering, right?”
At this point, calling her over was probably just for appearances. If she spent the night elsewhere on New Year’s Eve, it would look bad if anyone found out. But staying any longer might earn her some displeasure, so she lowered her head slightly.
“Happy New Year, Mom and Dad. I’ll head back now. Goodbye.”
A cold scoff came from behind the glass door, followed by the sharp sound of scissors snipping through a flower stem. The flower dropped to the floor.
Lilith ignored it.
As she walked away, an odd thought struck her–both absurd and strangely ironic.
A family like theirs, running a massive corporation, had to maintain a pristine public image. They had to appear philanthropic.
The Joneses spent billions each year on charity, building roads and schools, donating supplies, helping disadvantaged children, sick women, and even funding churches.
Jones International had its own charity foundation, Peaceworth Foundation, which Catiana managed meticulously, handling every detail herself.
Although she wasn’t home much, Catiana’s face appeared constantly in the media–newspapers, TV interviews, and magazines. With each passing year, she only seemed to grow more radiant.
Catiana regularly took part in charity events, handing out clothes and food to children in poor regions, donating books and supplies to underprivileged schools, and visiting cancer–stricken children in hospitals.
Sometimes, she smiled warmly at their strength, and other times, her eyes welled with tears at their hardships.
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Chapter 14 Not Once
+8 Pearls
More often than not, she was surrounded by a group of children, holding them close with a tenderness that seemed to come naturally. Lilith could tell that Catiana’s kindness was genuine.
As Lilith walked, she often found herself staring at pictures of these moments, wondering if she’d ever experienced anything like that in her own life. Had she ever known a moment of warmth, even just for a second, from her childhood onward?
No. Not once.
The kindness she easily showed to others was something Lilith had never known, never felt.
A sharp pain twisted in her chest, and she instinctively reached for the doorframe, coughing into her hand. She hurried away, moving further from the house, trying to shake off the feeling that lingered in her heart.
Send Gifts
