Chapter 19

Stacey had already recognized the familiar growl of Phillip's sports car in the driveway. Silently, she crept to her bedroom door and hovered at the top of the staircase, straining to catch every word as the conversation in the living room grew intense.

Down below, Leland broke the news to Phillip about Stacey's hand in the fake Nexo-7 debacle. Phillip,brushing off the seriousness, simply waved a hand."She only wanted the Kirk name to shine. Maybe she was overzealous, but don't overlook how loyal she's always been. A little scolding is fine, but she's done a lot for us."

Suddenly, Leland shifted the conversation. "Didn't Rylie act for the family's sake too?"①

Phillip's jaw clenched, memories of their last heated encounter flaring up. "Can you not drag her into this again?"

Leland's expression tightened. "The truth is, Nicolas isn't getting any better."

Phillip's defensiveness melted into genuine worry."What's going on? Wasn't the so-called prodigy doctor Stacey brought in supposed to fix everything?Weren't those new meds meant to save him?"

Leland's response was heavy with resignation. "That plan from Marsha failed - worse than failed.According to today's results, Nicolas is deteriorating faster now than when Rylie was looking after him."He swallowed a mouthful of whiskey, trying to steady his nerves.

Phillip stared, uncomprehending. "You're saying the new expert did more harm than good?"

Hearing this, Stacey felt a shiver down her spine, and anger toward Marsha surged within her. Marsha was touted as the youngest and most famous doctor in Crolens. She had gone to great lengths to bring Marsha to treat Nicolas, only to worsen his condition.

Leland's thoughts drifted back to the day's confrontation - Marsha, floundering with the fake Nexo-7, while Rylie saw through the ruse instantly. A seed of doubt sprouted. "Did I wrongly accuse Rylie?"

Phillip still wasn't seeing the full picture. "What do you mean?"

Leland's voice grew soft, his gaze fixed on the floor."Looking back... even though Nicolas coughed up black blood after Rylie's treatment, his health didn't decline. He lived like himself. Ever since we changed his medication, he's gotten so much worse quickly."

The more Leland mulled it over, the more the truth came into focus- Stacey had been the one to point fingers at Rylie for poisoning Nicolas, had insisted on switching his medication, and now Nicolas's health had nosedived.

Phillip hesitated, doubt flickering in his eyes. "You really think that's how it happened?"

All at once, a maid's panicked cry echoed from the upper floor. "Miss Kirk, put that knife down!" The commotion broke the brothers' discussion. Both men raced upstairs to a startling scene: Stacey,distraught and shaking, clutching a kitchen knife against her arm while a maid tried in vain to intervene.

"Don't try to stop me!" Stacey sobbed, her voice ragged. "Everything's gone wrong because of me.I never should've come back to this family. Nicolas got worse, Rylie was pushed out, and... All is because of me. Maybe it's better if I disappear!"

Phillip darted forward and wrestled the knife from her, wrapping her trembling frame in a fierce embrace. "Stop it! No one's blaming ·you. You've always given everything for us. Please don't carry this burden alone."

He turned pleading eyes to Leland, who looked just as shaken. "Leland, mistakes happen. If you're willing to let things go with Rylie, can't you do the same for Stacey? She's blood - she's our sister, for real."

As he thought of the good times, Leland's resolve weakened. He reached for calm and said, "Today's your birthday too. Mom and Dad are almost home-they want to celebrate. Please, Stacey, promise you won't do anything drastic. You matter to us."

Tears running down her cheeks, Stacey gasped out an apology. "I'm sorry, Leland. I'll try to make things right. I want to learn from Rylie-maybe she'll teach me how to make the potions properly. The truth is, I only made those mistakes because she confused me in the lab. I take all the blame."

At this, Phillip's temper exploded. "So it was Rylie's scheme all along! She deliberately led you astray.She's always been out to get you."

Leland, deep down, sensed that there was more to the story, but he couldn't find the words to challenge her just then. Instead, he glanced at Phillip, noticing the vividred imprint on his cheek. "Who hit you,Phillip?"

Phillip's face darkened as he remembered. "I tried to do something nice-invited Rylie to partner with me for the upcoming racing tournament, even planned to give her part of the prize to help her out now that she's back with her poor family. Instead of thanking me,she slapped me!"

Stacey's tears welled anew, and she reached for Phillip's arm, her voice trembling with worry. "Phillip,does it hurt? I'll get some ointment for you."

Phillip's frustration melted away, replaced by tenderness. "You're the only one in this family who truly cares, Stacey. Rylie, on the other hand- she's got nothing but pride, and she deserves her miserable situation."

With watery eyes, Stacey made a solemn vow. "Let me race for you, Phillip. I'll put everything into it, and if I win, every cent of the prize will go to Rylie. And then her life won't be so poor after she goes back to her own family."

Phillip's chest swelled with pride. "Rylie, you are truly too kind."

Beneath the surface, irritation simmered - he refused to accept that Rylie's absence would doom his team. In his mind, blood meant everything. With Stacey on board, he was convinced that they had finally claim the top spot at the global relay.

When Stacey had quieted, Leland remembered something that their parents had relayed over the phone. He then said to Stacey, "Rylie used to be engaged to Fred, remember? Tomorrow, the Dury family is coming to formally end the engagement.Both you and Rylie need to be there."

That news sent a ripple through Stacey's heart,though she masked it with a look of wide-eyed surprise. "Why am I needed at the meeting?"

Leland's gaze grew somber. "Fred isn't just ending things with Rylie - he wants to propose to you instead. Hasn't he mentioned this to you before?"

A shadow crossed Stacey's features, and she let her shoulders droop, her voice trembling. "Leland,marrying Fred was never what I wanted! He only talked to me because he was upset about Rylie, not because I encouraged him. And I just see him as a friend of mine. I swear, I never meant to take Rylie's place."

Trying to appear earnest, Stacey fumbled with her phone. "I'l call Fred right now and tell him not to go through with it. Rylie's the one who truly belongs with him."

Leland held up a hand, shaking his head. "Don't bother, Stacey. You're the Kirk family's real daughter.Mom and Dad think the match is only natural. If you and Fred agree, then everything falls into place."

Stacey lowered her eyes and spoke meekly. "Aright,I'll go along with what you and the family decide,but please - I don't want Rylie to believe I'm trying to steal her fiancé. Let me talk to her myself."

He gave a nod. "That's fair. Go ahead."

With the Kirk family's standing slipping and their relationship with the powerful Morgan family in tatters, their prospects had never looked dimmer.The Dury family's fortunes, meanwhile, were on the rise, especially with rumored business ties to the influential Owen family of Kouhron. An alliance through Stacey was a strategic move, but it was Rylie who'd bear the shame-Crolens would gossip for weeks about her downfall.

On the eve of the Kirk family's banquet, a striking group swept into Rory's office at the military base,turning heads wherever they passed.

Without preamble, the eldest among them-a man whose presence seemed to bend the air-fixed Rory with a piercing gaze. "You're the one in possession of Rylie's blood sample, aren't you?" he asked, every syllable edged with authority and haste.