The study room’s door was suddenly opened.

“What’s going on?” Franklin and Quinn stopped talking when they heard the voice coming from the corridor. They went to see what was going on.

The two brothers standing at the door of the study room looked alike, but their expressions were worlds apart.

Franklin looked anxious, while Quinn frowned. His expression was full of impatience and disdain.

“Jinx, can you not make so much noise? This is the Torres family, not a place where you can throw a tantrum! If you want to cry or make a scene, then go out. You can make as much noise as you want outside!”

Quinn’s long and slender eyes were in wavy shapes, with their tails slightly tilted upwards, that resembled peach flower petals. The corners of his eyes were slightly raised, but the frown on his face made him look extremely surly.

.

Lauren was still holding the phone in one hand. The “beep” sound after the call was hung up could still be clearly heard. She raised her other hand to wipe away the tears that were about to fall, and her eyes were red.

For a moment, no one spoke. Only Lauren’s intermittent sobs could be heard.

Franklin tilted his head and glared at Quinn. He squatted down and tried to comfort Lauren. Before he could touch Lauren’s hand, she took half a step back.

Her eyes were filled with fear and grievance.

“Brother, do you also think that I am a jinx? Do you also think that my return will make my mother’s illness even worse?”

Lauren’s large eyes were filled with tears. She kept raising her hand to wipe them away, not allowing any tears to fall. However, her sobbing tone still revealed her emotions.

Franklin was momentarily at a loss for words when Lauren asked such a straightforward question.

Quinn seized this opportunity and continued, “Of course. Do you think that a few days will change anything? We’ve hated you for more than ten years. We wish you hadn’t been born so that our mother can live a healthy and happy life!”

“Haven’t you noticed? Has anyone come to see you since you’ve returned? The Torres family is a huge family with hundreds of people all over the world. Has anyone come to see you? Our father knows that you’re back, but he doesn’t even want to look at you!”

Franklin maintained his squatting posture and didn’t say a word.

His mind was a mess now. The few days he spent alone with Lauren had made him forget many things in an instant, and what Quinn said when he came back made him start to have concerns again.

As Lauren’s older brother, he naturally cared about her. However, as the head of the Torres family, he had to convince the masses.

Just as Quinn had said, the Torres family did not accept Lauren. No matter how selfish he was, there was nothing he could do.

Lauren had already stopped crying while Franklin remained silent.

“Miss Lauren, I asked someone to make your favorite strawberry cake. Can I bring you down to eat the cake?” Mr. Hayes could not bear to see Lauren feeling sad, he bent over and put his arm around Lauren’s shoulder.

Her shoulder was still shaking from time to time.

“I’m not eating anymore, I want to go back to my room.”

As compared to before, Lauren was much calmer. She did not look like a four-and-a-half-year-old girl anymore.

She turned around and her movements were a little rough. The ponytail that Franklin had tied for her was already loose, and as Lauren turned around, it draped down.

The rubber band fell on the carpet without making a sound.

Lauren did not turn around either. She walked into the room and closed the door.

The moment the door closed, Franklin’s heart felt as if it had been hit hard by something.

He picked up the rubber band on the ground and recalled the fight he had with Lauren in the car a few hours ago.

He suddenly felt that Lauren’s door was not the only thing that had just been closed. It was also the door to her heart that she had managed to open a little.

Mr. Hayes painfully looked at Lauren’s door. He did not say anything. He just shook his head and walked downstairs.

Franklin stood up and pushed Quinn out of the study room. He closed the study room’s door. Quinn was the only person left in the empty corridor.

“Hey, are you all leaving me here?” Quinn felt a little embarrassed and angry. No one responded to him, so he could only go to the third floor and return to his room.

In Lauren’s room.

[System Divine Nine: Host, are you okay?]

Lauren was sitting at the edge of the bed with her head lowered. She was still holding the Torres family’s phone in her hand.

Although she looked very calm, her pale fingers that were holding the phone easily revealed her anger.

“I am very good! They are not worthy to be my family. I thought that as long as I treat others sincerely, others will treat me sincerely too. The adults in the church all told me this. They all like me very much, but…”

But why would the Torres family do this?