Stella Grant felt her teeth clench in frustration. How could he know who it suited when neither she nor Ella had even tried it on? She had spotted it first! Why was her brother siding with that woman?
"Stop dawdling. If you like something, just take it. Standing around here is a waste of time," Leo Grant said as he approached the group.
Stella quickly turned to him, half-pouting and half-pleading, "Third brother, I really miss you."
She hoped Leo would come to her rescue, at least do something a brother should do. But his next words felt like a plunge into icy water.
"Aren't you supposed to be gone by now?"
Stella's face went pale.
Although Leo had never been particularly close to her, today he was being downright harsh. He was embarrassing her in front of everyone, and she had no idea how to salvage the situation.
Just then, the sound of brakes echoed outside as the Grant family's driver pulled up at the store.
"I'm heading home now, bro!" Stella Grant exclaimed as she and her friends dashed out of the place.
"I'm sorry, miss. I was stuck in traffic after dropping your father off at the company," the driver apologized to Stella.
Stella, unable to express her frustration in front of others, simply glared in silence.
"Stella, was that your sister? The one from the village, Ella Grant?" Emily Carter asked, frowning.
Hearing Ella described that way made Stella feel a bit better, and she weakly replied, "Yeah."
"It's hard to believe she's your sister. She doesn't take care of you at all."
"Seriously! Why do your brothers still support her? They don't even stand up for you. Did she put some kind of spell on them?"
Stella was just as confused about what kind of tricks Ella had used to win over her older brother.
"It might be because of what happened with her. My brother is probably worried she might do something drastic if she feels too down. So, let's not be too harsh on her; she didn't mean it." Emily's frustration boiled over as she heard Stella defend Ella.
"Stella, you're so naive! You've been sold out and you're still counting the money for them. Just look at Ella.Grant; she clearly isn't a good person. She might target you in the future," Emily Carter exclaimed.
Stella Grant replied in disbelief, "No way! You must be overthinking it. We're sisters!"
Emily shook her head in frustration. "Oh my gosh, how can you be so innocent? Just because you're sisters doesn't mean you won't hurt each other."
"Really?" Stella asked, still unsure.
Emily seriously laid it out for her. "Ella has taken away the love your brothers used to give you. Soon, you'll be the neglected child, and by then, it will be too late for you to cry about it."