Chapter 712
Upstairs in the Howard family’s mansion, there were two special rooms. One was where Balfour’s biological mother used to live with his father, and the other belonged to his full–blooded sister, Pearl.
Fifteen years had passed, and nothing in these two rooms had changed It had become a no–go zone for the Howard family.
The Howards‘ servants had to get the green light from Balfour before they could go in to do their daily cleaning
Balfour shut the door and plopped down on a chair in front of the dressing table.
The chair was a bit snug for the nearly two–meter–tall guy, but for Balfour, this place was packed full of childhood memories.
There was a ten–year age gap between him and his sister, Pearl. As a kid, he spent more time taking care of Pearl than their parents did
Every night he would sit here, reading fairy tales to Pearl and helping her drift off to sleep.
Back then, their home was still a place of harmony.
But then their father’s affair was exposed, and he had a child from that relationship.
Their mother was so distraught that she couldn’t pull herself together, causing their parents to start arguing and giving each other the silent treatment.
Whenever their parents fought, he would take Pearl back to her room and read her stories, trying to divert her attention away from their parents‘ fights so she wouldn’t be scared
Eventually, there were rumors floating around that Pearl wasn’t a Howard, but a child their mother had with another man.
One day, he wasn’t home because of school.
To quell the rumors, his grandparents asked his father to take Pearl for a paternity test.
His mother saw this as an insult to her dignity and a blow to Pearl’s psyche, so she stood her ground against it.
His parents‘ relationship broke down. The trust was gone, and after a heated argument, his mother took Pearl and left home, never to return.
A year later, his father married a woman with a daughter about the same age as Pearl.
That woman’s daughter, Patricia, was now his most beloved half–sister.
Back then, Balfour was still a minor with no say in many family matters.
But he was adamant about his stepmother not moving into his mother’s room and Patricia not moving into Pearl’s room.
His father respected his wishes and moved to another room with his new wife
At first, he didn’t accept Patricia as his new sister. Even though they lived under the same roof, he didn’t pay any attention to these new arrivals.
Later, he noticed that Patricia was a lot like his sister Pearl; her movements, expressions, the mole between her eyebrows, and her tone when she spoke were all just like Pearl’s
Patricia also liked to follow him around and call him brother. No matter how cold he was, Patricia never backed down.
Gradually, he accepted Patricia. He poured all the longing and love he had for Pearl onto Patricia, making sure she didn’t suffer any wrongs.
It wasn’t until now that he realized his grandfather was right. He was overindulging her.
In her obsession to win over Theo’s heart, Patri had lost her innocence and kindness. Her tactics were getting more ruthless each time.
If today’s incident, where Patri allegedly hurt Baber to frame Ellinor, was true, then her methods were too malicious, and Patricia was now beyond redemption.
