Chapter 4

Vincent and Jordan hurriedly left the Locke residence. Once they were gone, Rebecca said seriously, "How could you jinx Mrs. Salle like that, Maddie? She and Mr. Salle love each other dearly. You'll only be making him mad by saying something like that." Madison didn't even bother responding. She turned to head upstairs, saying, "I'm going to bed if there's nothing else." Rebecca lowered her head, looking sad. Tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Tanya wiped them away, her heart aching. She complained, "Maddie really needs to do something about that temper of hers. She's lucky the Salles are the ones involved in this matter—they're on good terms with us, after all. Any other family would've been thoroughly offended by her words." William thought the same thing. "We can't let her continue with those livestreams anymore." … The next morning, Madison headed downstairs for breakfast. To her surprise, she found Ethan Locke, her second brother, and Jason Locke, her third brother, present. The two had only spoken to her once on her first day back at the Locke residence. After that, they hadn't shown up. Ethan had said, "You and Becky are both the daughters of the Locke family. Don't bully her." Jason had been much more blunt. "The Locke family will always be Becky's family. No one can drive her away from here." The two brothers had gone to coax Rebecca after warning their actual sister off. They hadn't even returned for Madison's welcome party last night. Rebecca smiled sweetly when she saw Madison. "Hurry up and join us, Maddie. Everyone's waiting for you." Jason leaned back and gave Madison a cold look. "How rude are you to keep us all waiting for you?" Madison acted like she didn't hear him. She sat down leisurely and started digging in. The more indifferent she was, the angrier Jason was. "I heard you snatched Becky's clothes yesterday." "Yeah, I did," Madison said. "And you don't feel ashamed in the slightest, do you? Has the Locke family starved you or mistreated you? Haven't we given you money to buy something for yourself? Why did you have to take Becky's evening gown?" Madison put her cutlery down and looked coldly at the people seated at the table. They either looked icy or were frowning, evidently displeased with what she'd done yesterday. "I didn't have any gowns worth 500 thousand dollars to wear," she said. "Couldn't you have just bought one?" Madison smiled mockingly. "Can you think of any gowns or dresses being sold for 500 thousand dollars?" Rebecca's outfits had all been designed by internationally renowned designers. The gown Madison had taken from her yesterday had cost 500 thousand dollars. It wasn't even the most expensive outfit in Rebecca's wardrobe. It was probably only an average one. Yet Madison, as the Locke family's actual daughter, didn't have any connections. Even if she'd had the money, she couldn't have gotten a renowned designer to design anything for her. The Locke family evidently realized what she meant, and their expressions became awkward. Jason refused to let the matter slide, though. He still felt that Rebecca had gotten the short end of the stick. "That doesn't mean you could snatch Becky's gown! You're wrong for snatching something that's hers." "What right does she have to wear something worth 500 thousand dollars at my welcome party when I can only wear something worth 5,000 dollars?" Madison asked. Things seemed even worse when such a comparison was made. Even Jason couldn't help stiffening. Tanya's expression took on a hint of guilt and heartache. "It's my fault, Maddie. I should've prepared better outfits and accessories for you." She was just used to things being like this. Since Rebecca had grown up and developed her own style, Tanya hadn't interfered in her children's dressing. She would always give them her card and allow them to buy whatever they wanted. They could hire whichever designer they wanted to design their outfits. Rebecca looked around and took in everyone's expressions. Then, she tugged on Jason's sleeve. "Forget it, Jason. Maddie can have everything of mine if she likes them. They shouldn't have been mine in the first place." Jason couldn't stand seeing Rebecca being mistreated. "How can you say that, Becky? You'll always be the Locke family's daughter and our little princess. If anyone dares to bully you, I'll be the first to teach them a lesson!" He paused and glared at Madison. "That includes you!" "Jason!" Harvey snarled. The old Madison would've thrown a hissy fit long ago. But after spending a century in the world of cultivation, her mindset had changed. Kinship was an odd thing—it wasn't something one could force. She asked calmly, "So, are you saying that Rebecca is the Locke family's princess while I'm your maid?" Jason fell silent. Rebecca's eyes reddened as she said, "How could you say that, Maddie? Mom, Dad, and our brothers all love you dearly." Madison ignored her and trained her gaze on Jason. "If that's not the case, shouldn't you be warning Rebecca? Shouldn't you be telling her not to bully me?" "How could Becky possibly bully anyone? I know her like the back of my hand," Jason retorted. "Do you know me, then? What makes you think I'll bully her?" Madison thought about her first day back at the Locke residence. She'd been filled with hope for her family's love, yet all she'd received was cold shoulders from her parents and warnings from her brothers. "I wouldn't dare dream of asking you guys to treat me better than you treat her, but I think you could at least treat us equally." Madison sneered. "If you can't even do that, stop trying to use your identity as my elder brother to lecture me. You're not worthy of that!" Jason's jaw dropped. Madison's words were an insult to him, and they upset the rest of the Locke family. William cleared his throat. "Alright. That's enough. We're all family—we shouldn't say things like that in the future. We know you went through a lot in the past, Maddie, and you're right that we haven't given you the attention you deserve. "Don't worry, though. You'll have everything that Becky gets in the future. Similarly, Becky will have everything that you have. You're both daughters of the Locke family and our princesses." Rebecca's pupils constricted for a split second before she regained her composure. Meanwhile, Tanya's heart ached as she looked at Madison. The latter was her daughter, so how could she not love and care for her? It was just that her personality was much too… She didn't know how to communicate with Madison. "Yesterday, you mentioned not being able to attend university. Your father and I discussed this and think it's still important for you to get a proper education. You might not be able to get into a local university anymore, so we'll arrange for you to study abroad," Tanya said. Before Madison could say anything, William added, "It's fine if you don't want to study, though. You'll always have a home here, and we won't let you go hungry. As for those livestreams you do… Don't do them anymore." Madison looked up. "That's my job." "What sort of job could that be?" Jason snapped. His voice became smaller as Harvey glared at him. "If you want to work, we can make the necessary arrangements. We do have connections and strings we can pull if you want to join the entertainment industry." William tried to stay calm and amicable as he negotiated with Madison. Just then, Ethan, who hadn't spoken much, said indifferently, "It's not impossible for you to join the entertainment industry as Becky has." "So, it's settled. You'll stop doing those livestreams from now on," William said. At that moment, a maid came over to say, "Mr. Vincent and Mr. Jordan are here, sir." William hurriedly stood up. Vincent and Jordan quickly came into the dining room. Vincent asked anxiously, "Where's Maddie, William?" William was confused by this. He didn't think Vincent looked like he was here to settle a score or teach Madison a lesson. Despite his thoughts, he smiled and said, "Don't take a child's immaturity to heart, Vincent. I'm lecturing Maddie now, and I guarantee she won't be doing any more livestreams." "What are you talking about, William?" Vincent's eyes lit up when he saw Madison. "I enjoy Maddie's livestreams—she tells wonderful stories, and I adore them." William was rendered speechless.