The Stand-In Girl He Couldn’t Keep Chapter 06
Inside the villa, Sophia reclined comfortably on a lounge chair, pointing lazily toward several baskets of walnuts resting by the sofa.
“Shell all these walnuts by hand, and then I’ll accept your apology.”
With so many walnuts, my fingers would likely be ruined if I really finished them.
But thinking of Mom, I swallowed all my resentment and pulled out a chair.
“Who said you could sit?” Sophia snapped, displeased. “Get down on your knees.”
Her cruelty truly knew no bounds.
I told myself it was only kneeling to shell walnuts, not kneeling to her. There was nothing to feel sad about.
As long as it saved Mom, every bit of it was worth it.
Sinking to my knees, I retrieved a walnut from the basket and pressed down hard with my fingers.
One after another, I kept going until I had peeled a hundred.
Gradually, my fingers grew swollen and raw.
The sharp walnut shells had scraped open many cuts on my hands.
A few of the gashes were so deep that tiny beads of blood began to seep out.
The pain was agonizing; my fingers shook uncontrollably, and cold sweat continuously drenched my forehead.
Yet Sophia remained unsatisfied. “Why are you being so slow? If this is how insincere your apology is, you might as well get the hell out!”
Biting down hard on my jaw to endure the torment, I did everything I could to pick up the pace.
As evening fell, the maid’s voice came from the front door. “Mr. Warren, you’re back.”
“Yes,” Steven replied casually.
Hearing his voice, Sophia leaped up from the sofa in delight and ran over to welcome him.
She affectionately wrapped her arms around his, and Steven smiled, pinching her cheek playfully.
“How are you home so early today? Didn’t you go out shopping with your friends this afternoon?”
She let out a complaining huff. “Because I had to supervise Eleanor while she peeled walnuts for me! She’s so slow; she wasted my entire afternoon. How could I possibly have time to go shopping?”
Steven sounded puzzled. “What walnuts?”
As he spoke, he noticed me kneeling beside the coffee table.
I set down the final walnut kernel and struggled to push myself upright against the edge of the table.
After kneeling for five straight hours, my knees hurt so badly I could barely stand.
My face was deathly pale as I looked at Steven, my voice weak and hollowed out. “Mr. Warren, I’ve done exactly what you and Ms. Hardy asked. I shelled all the walnuts while kneeling.
“Can you give my mom that new medicine now?”
Steven’s eyes moved from my face down to my swollen, bleeding fingers, and he froze.
He strode over in a few steps, grabbed my wrist, and examined it carefully. In fact, it wasn’t just my fingers. Even my palms were covered in cuts.
“Does it hurt?”
Maybe it was my imagination, but his voice almost sounded faintly unsteady.
I didn’t think much of it, nor did I dare complain. I was afraid he’d only use it as another excuse to let Sophia torment me again.
So I forced out a small smile and pretended it was nothing. “I’m fine. As long as you and Ms. Hardy are satisfied.”
His body froze instantly, a flash of pure panic darting through his eyes. He defended himself hoarsely. “It wasn’t me. I only told you to come and say sorry. I never asked you to shell walnuts, and I certainly would never make you kneel.”
Realizing Sophia was doing that behind his back, he frowned and snapped, “Sophie, you’ve completely crossed the line this time. Apologize to Ellie right now.”
Sophia had been spoiled her entire life. Even this level of criticism was too much for her to bear. Tears streamed down her face instantly.
“Steve, you’re yelling at me because of her? I hate you! I hate you so much!”
She stormed up to the second floor, slamming her bedroom door with a resounding crash.
This time, however, Steven didn’t chase after her to offer comfort. Instead, he scooped me up in his arms, carrying me out to the hospital to tend to my wounds.
Before leaving, he turned to the butler with a darkened expression. “Sophie is grounded for the next three days. Make her reflect on her mistake at home.”
Deep down, I had always known that no matter how monstrously Sophia behaved, Steven could never bring himself to truly punish her.
Yet, hearing that her only consequence was a mere three-day grounding, I still found it profoundly ironic.
I looked at my mangled, ruined fingers; a bitter, hollow smile touched my lips.
Of course. How could I ever compare to the woman he truly cherished?