Nina Donovan stared at the neatly folded five hundred in her hand, lost in thought.
A few memories surfaced.
Mr. Donovan was undoubtedly a good man who loved both his wife and children.
Basically, Mrs. Donovan ran the household, and Mr. Donovan never went against her wishes.
When Nina Donovan was still little, Mrs. Donovan packed her older sister off to their grandmother's home in the countryside. Later, when the eldest daughter vanished without a trace, Mr. Donovan just stayed silent for a long, long time, never bringing it up again.
Even when Ian was treated unfairly, his father only dared to help him in secret.
And the person he most often turned to was her predecessor.
But her predecessor was two-faced. She acted obediently in front of her parents but was detestable in private. All the money Mr. Donovan gave her to pass on to Ian, she spent on herself. She was too selfish to share her parents' affection with anyone, including her own brother.
In the Donovan family, Ian was kept from starving and that was about it; he didn't get any allowance at all. Meanwhile, her predecessor threw money around like it was water, living an incredibly extravagant and decadent life.
Their lives at home were polar opposites.
Her predecessor was simply a bad seed.
'A person like that doesn't deserve to be forgiven, even if they get a redemption arc later on.'
Nina shook her head, pushed open the door, and went to find Ian.
His room was at the far end of the hall on the second floor. Though the furniture was simple, it at least got good sun and air, and it even came with a small balcony.
A warm, dim light was on in his room. His desk sat by the window, which, when open, offered a view of the flowers in the courtyard.
September in Aldoria was the beginning of autumn. The weather was warm, and the evenings were pleasant—not too hot, not too cold.
His door wasn't shut properly, so Nina pushed it open and walked right in.
Ian had the window open, letting in the faint breeze.
She arrived so suddenly that Ian's hand twitched, and a gust of wind blew a photograph to Nina's feet.
Nina stopped, glanced down, and bent to pick it up.
"Give it back!" Ian blurted out, his fists clenched tightly.
Nina glanced up at him. The boy's handsome features were twisted with anger and humiliation.
The person in the photo was Vivian Sterling. She was wearing a school uniform and holding books, a serene smile on her face. It was a slightly blurry side profile, a shot that screamed "secret crush."
'Her predecessor either beat or berated her own brother. Vivian, on the other hand, had constantly encouraged him, urging him to face his struggles and offering him warmth. For a sensitive boy starved of affection, it felt like salvation.'
'Because Vivian passed by the sports field every day, he timed his basketball sessions perfectly, just to get one more look at her.'
'But that kind of innocent love story was reserved for the main characters.'
"Give it back to me," Ian repeated, trying to snatch it from her.
Nina tossed it onto his desk before he could react. "Like I'd want this. You're the only one who treats it like a treasure. She has plenty of admirers, so it's not going to be your turn. You're just one fish in her pond."
Ian's lips pressed into a thin line, and he glared. "Nina, don't assume I don't fight back because I'm scared of you. Stop saying such insulting things about Vivi. Once I come of age, I'm leaving the Donovan family. I won't compete with you for a single thing."
The corner of Nina's mouth twitched. She looked at him with pity. "Then I guess that chance will never come."
Ian froze, then scoffed. "Don't tell me you plan on enslaving me for life?"
'She'd love to, but it was obvious Ian wouldn't live long enough to become an adult.'
'Her and Ian's birthday is Summer of next year. When Ian died, he hadn't even made it through the New Year.'
'So, idiots in love are doomed.'
'Why sacrifice yourself for someone else? Isn't it better to just live your own life?'
Nina kicked off her shoes and sat cross-legged on Ian's bed. With him standing and her sitting, Nina looked up, blinked, and asked, "So tell me, what's so great about Vivian Sterling?"
Ian froze for a second. This version of Nina was inexplicably gentle, and the tension that had been wound tight inside his head began to ease.
Without her usual aggressive, biting tone, the Nina before him now seemed like an older sister wanting to have a real conversation. He knew that afternoon she'd given him the food on purpose. He'd just been too hungry to stop himself from scarfing it all down.
He shook his head, telling himself he couldn't let her fool him.
Without even thinking, Ian blurted out, "She's kind, gentle, hardworking, studious, independent, and strong-willed."
Nina tsked. "I won't deny the hardworking and studious part. Everyone in Class One is hardworking and studious. But that independent and strong-willed thing you mentioned... how is she independent? Doesn't she get her food and housing from the Grant family? She goes on and on about how much she hates Leon Grant, so why won't she just leave the Grants? Why is she still taking their money?"
Ian wanted to retort, but he suddenly realized Nina was right. He knew Vivian hated Leon Grant, and that Leon was frustrated that he couldn't win her over. Since they both lived under the Grant family's roof, they couldn't avoid seeing each other.
"That's just because... she's still a student. Where do you expect her to go if she leaves the Grant family?"
Nina gave him an amused look. "Could you really live with someone you hate for three years, seeing them day in and day out?"
Ian silently glanced at Nina.
Nina: "..."
'Damn it. She actually got his meaning.'
"That's different. We're siblings. No matter how much Mom dislikes you, she wouldn't actually kick you out of the house. Vivian could leave the Grant family. She could stop taking their money and finish high school on scholarships alone. The only reason she hasn't left is that she hasn't found a better family to use as a stepping stone. She's ambitious, Ian. The moment she finds a more powerful backer, she'll ditch Leon Grant without hesitation. That means all of you are just stray cats and dogs she throws scraps to when she's feeling generous." Nina's words cut straight to the bone.
'Not every novel heroine is a paragon of truth, goodness, and beauty.'
'At least in this book, the fact that Vivian could get picked out of a poor, small town by the Grant family proved her ambition was anything but small.'
"Stop making things up. You're just jealous and can't stand seeing her do well. I'm not going to believe a single word you've said. And please, just bury this whole thing about me liking Vivian deep down. I don't want to cause any trouble for her; her life is already hard enough." Ian suddenly turned his back to Nina, his eyes downcast and his voice flat.
Because his back was to her, Nina didn't see the vicious, murderous glint that flashed in Ian's eyes.
Vivian Sterling was the untouchable goddess of his heart, his "white moonlight." He wouldn't let anyone slander her. Not a single soul.
'Nina felt utterly defeated by his love-addled brain.'
'And here she was, thinking there might be hope for Ian after all.'
'He wasn't even eighteen. It would be a real shame for him to die so young.'
'He's a lost cause. She can't save him!'
Nina hastily slipped on her slippers and headed for the door.
"Nothing I give you is for free. If you wind up with diabetes before you die, well, at least you'll have had a taste of something sweet."
With that, she bolted, deciding it was best to just respect his choices and let fate run its course.
'Better not say too much, or Ian might start to resent her and get her 'taken offline' ahead of schedule. Now wouldn't that be a tragic, unjust end?'
It was only when she got back to her room that she realized she still had the money. 'I'll just give it to him tomorrow,' she thought.
So, she opened her chat app, found her "prime high school specimen," and her mood instantly lifted.
Sonnet: [I had so many classes today, I didn't get a chance to check my messages. Are you Milo Morgan? That's a really nice name.]
Seeing no reply, Nina shamelessly sent another message: [My name is Zola Keller. I'm a freshman at Aethelgard University.]
Misty, who had witnessed the entire thing: [...Why are you scamming people with a fake identity?]
Nina replied, full of self-righteousness, "Who made a rule that you have to use your real name to chat online? Besides, this is just step one of my plan to reel him in."