"You just keep spoiling her like that. One of these days, you're going to ruin her, you know." Jodie rolled her eyes, unsure how to feel. Seeing her sister so happy should've brought her joy.
But the problem was… when she thought about the way Veil treated her versus how he treated Julia, the contrast was like night and day.
He always pampered Julia—meanwhile, all he ever did was hurt her.
Without a word, she followed him into the kitchen to help with the dishes. As they walked in, he leaned in close to her ear and whispered with a teasing smile, "What? Jealous?"
"What nonsense are you spouting now? Why would I be jealous of you?" Jodie huffed, clearly flustered but unwilling to admit anything.
She glanced toward the doorway to make sure her sister hadn't come in, then lowered her voice and said seriously, "But I'm warning you—don't mess around with Julia. We agreed on that."
Veil nodded, then tilted his head curiously. "What if Julia's the one who makes a move on me?"
"Uh…"
Jodie had been ready to scold him, but then she thought of how her sister had been acting—totally lovestruck whenever Veil was around, like a giddy little puppy with no self-control.
She was thrown off, hesitating. "Even if that's the case… you still have to turn her down. At least for now."
She sighed softly, conflicted.
Julia might be a bit of a romantic fool, but she was also extremely stubborn. Once she made up her mind about something, no one could sway her—not even Jodie.
If she tried to force things, it could drive a wedge between them. The last thing she wanted was for her sister to grow distant because of this.
And somehow, all of that frustration landed squarely on Veil.
She cast a resentful glare his way, unable to help herself.
It's all his fault!
What did she and her sister do in a past life to deserve this kind of karmic punishment—falling into Veil's clutches like this?
"Do you know why I spoil Julia so much?" Veil said, his voice turning oddly serious. "Because the two of you, when it comes to seeing the world… you see things differently. Your perspectives don't match."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jodie blinked, confused.
Veil shrugged and replied bluntly, "I want a daughter."
Swoosh—
Jodie's face turned crimson in an instant.
What the hell!?
Why was he suddenly bringing that up!? Could it be… had he found out she'd been taking pills?
No, that didn't make sense.
Even if he did know, given Veil's personality, he wouldn't bring it up like this. After all, with his family background, if he had a daughter, it'd basically be a public declaration that he was settling down.
Wait… did that mean Veil already saw her as his fiancée?
Jodie's mind spun wildly, thoughts racing like a hurricane. After a long pause, she finally stammered, cheeks still burning, "I-I'm not ready to have a kid yet… b-but if you really want a daughter that much, then… maybe next time, I won't take the pills…"
Veil didn't respond. He just calmly carried the dishes out to the dining room, sat down beside Julia, and posed her the same question, "Julia, I think I want a daughter."
A bright glint lit up in Julia's wide eyes. She immediately dove into Veil's arms and snuggled against him, mumbling softly over and over, "Daddy… daddy…"
Veil gently ruffled her hair and glanced toward Jodie, flashing a smug smile.
As if to say: See? That's the difference between you two.
"You're shameless!" Jodie rolled her eyes again and grumbled in embarrassment.
She had no idea what kind of bizarre thoughts Veil kept locked away in that head of his. He was always coming up with the weirdest ideas.
Seriously? Calling him "Daddy"?
Like hell she'd ever do that.
And as for her sister… she was seriously starting to worry.
Julia's reactions to Veil had no bottom line anymore. Jodie wasn't afraid of Veil doing something outrageous…
She was afraid her sister might eat him alive first.
Oh God…
The more she watched Julia's behavior, the more likely that scenario seemed!
Back when she and Julia were this age, they both used to walk with a bit of a hunch—years of feeling insecure and self-conscious.
Compared to other girls their age, they'd been… well, let's just say the two of them had the figures of full-grown dairy cows.
But Julia didn't seem self-conscious at all. In fact, she was always using her bunny plushie as an excuse to charge at people—bumping into everything and everyone!
If this were a soccer match, she would've been thrown off the field for excessive fouling!
"Alright, alright, time to eat. Julia, quit messing around and go sit in your seat," Jodie called out, trying to regain order.
Julia reluctantly climbed out of Veil's lap, pouting unhappily the whole way.
Just as the dishes were all laid out on the table, the front door opened—and in walked a man and a woman.
The man had a commanding presence, with sharp features that looked like he'd stepped right out of a drama series. Tall and handsome, even his age hadn't diminished his air of authority. In fact, it gave him a deeper, more rugged charm.
Though his complexion was a little pale.
"Uncle Joseph? What are you doing here?" Jodie stood up in surprise.
It was none other than Joseph Davenport—the chairman of the Davenport Group!
And walking beside him was his daughter, Sierra Davenport.
"Sierra, you too? Why didn't you give us a heads-up before coming?" Jodie looked at Sierra with a helpless smile.
The Murphy and Davenport families were both major forces in Veyport City. Their businesses were intertwined, and their ties ran deep—it wasn't unusual for the two families to drop in on each other.
Joseph chuckled. "You don't mind setting out a couple more plates, do you?"
"Of course not! I'll go get them right away." Jodie hurried into the kitchen.
Julia sweetly greeted, "Hi Uncle Joseph!"—but then promptly abandoned him, grabbing Sierra's hand and pulling her over to Veil.
"Sierra, this is Brother Veil! He's amazing! He's the one who saved me from those bad guys last time!"
Sierra looked at Veil for a long moment before smiling. She reached out her hand and said warmly, "Nice to officially meet you, Veil. I'm Sierra Davenport. Though we did see each other earlier this morning, I guess now it's a proper introduction."
Veil politely shook her hand and offered a smooth line, "Sierra—the belle of Veyport University. Who doesn't know you?"
"That's just a title people made up. Nothing worth mentioning," Sierra replied with a chuckle. "And enough with the 'belle' talk—just call me Sierra."
She did recognize Veil. They'd spent the whole morning in the same classroom, after all. They hadn't spoken, but she had looked his way more than once.
It wasn't anything romantic—just a curiosity about the new transfer student.
"I feel like you're not thinking anything decent," Sierra narrowed her alluring peach blossom eyes, fixing them on Veil with a sly smile.
She was sharp—sharp enough to see through most boys at a glance.
And truth be told, the first thought most guys had when they saw her was more or less the same.
"Not at all," Veil replied cheerfully, shaking his head.
What he was thinking couldn't possibly be called "indecent." Come on—he was a scholar. Everything he thought was perfectly reasonable!
"You two know each other?" Julia blinked her bright, curious eyes, a little confused.
Veil had no intention of revealing he was transferring to Veyport University, so he casually shifted the topic by patting the little fangirl on the head. "We didn't know each other before, but thanks to your lovely introduction, how could I not know her now? Anyone related to you is bound to be a great beauty."
Julia lit up at the compliment, her smile blooming like a sunflower, and even her one-eyed bunny seemed to bounce in joy.
Luckily, she was wearing a Lolita dress—loose and forgiving. If she were dressed like Bai Ruyu in those tight office outfits, the buttons would've probably popped off in protest.