What Axel did left the assistant stunned. His aloof and indifferent attitude made her truly believe that he was just an ordinary customering to pick up his clothes.


    "Wendy, what are you staring at? Your eyes are glued to him." Regina forcefully pulled Wendy aside.


    "Mom! Look at that man... He''s so handsome! I''ve never seen anyone with such a magnificent face!" Wendy eximed with innocent excitement.


    "Alright, alright. You''re the daughter of a wealthy family. Don''t act like you''ve never seen men. Even the most handsome man has only two legs," Regina scolded softly, but she couldn''t help ncing at Axel out of the corner of her eye.


    He seemed vaguely familiar to her. Besides, she felt his gaze on them was cold and intense, sending a shiver down her spine.


    Just as the assistant fretted over how to get rid of these two nuisances, a crisp and sharp sound of high heels echoed from the stairs.


    "Are you two done causing trouble?!"


    Axel turned toward the voice and saw Roza standing not far away, herplexion pale.


    "Mom, that wretched girl is here!" Wendy''s eyes brimmed with disgust and hatred upon seeing her stepsister, Roza.


    Originally, Wendy was the only legitimate heiress of the Walker family. However, the presence of this illegitimate daughter had somewhat affected her status in her father''s eyes.


    This so-called sister was far superior to her in many ways. Besides being pretty, Roza was also talented and aplished. From a young age, she excelled in both character and academics. When she grew up, she became one of the top fashion designers in the country.


    If it weren''t for the fact that Roza had a troublesome mother, who was a murderer, perhaps her father would not treat her so indifferently now.


    Perhaps the daughter to be married into the Sully family of North City wouldn''t have been Wendy.


    With every step Roza took toward them, it felt as if her feet wereden with lead. They were incredibly heavy.


    As soon as she came downstairs, she saw Axel sitting there-handsome, tall, and with strikingly attractive features. No matter how many times she saw him, he always made her heart flutter. But that''s all it could ever be-a fluttering heart.


    The appearance of the Walker family was like the clock striking midnight, cruelly reminding her that Cindere''s dream was over.


    It was because Roza genuinely liked Axel that she hoped he could be matched with a better girl-someone whose background, family, and past weren''t as disgraceful and messy as hers. Regina''s gaze turned more bitter and resentful upon seeing this outstanding, illegitimate daughter.


    "Mrs. Walker, I''m currently working. If there''s something, we can talk about it after I finish," Roza said stiffly, her voice low and hoarse.


    With Axel watching nearby, she couldn''t afford to openly quarrel with Regina and Wendy.


    Otherwise, the family''s scandal would be public, and she wouldn''t be able to hold her head up in front of him or her mentor. She had struggled with all her might to rise from the bottom to her current position. She didn''t want to revert to her old self and be looked down upon again.


    Axel noticed Roza''s dim and lifeless eyes but remained expressionless.


    Regina had been holding back her anger, but now that she finally saw the person she had been looking for, she erupted like an unclogged, centuries-old toilet, spewing her foul resentment.


    "Roza, now that you''re a renowned designer, your arrogance has grown along with your temper, hasn''t it? You''re no longer the little girl who used to cling to the Walker family, always trying to please us," Regina said sharply.


    "Mrs. Walker, my assistant may not recognize you and may have been negligent. But here, we treat everyone equally. There''s no intention to make things difficult for you," Roza replied, her body feeling as if it were frozen, a chill spreading through her limbs and bones.


    "If you have anything to say, let''s talk in my office," Roza added.


    Regina crossed her arms and spoke coldly. "I know you''re independent and unwilling to admit that you''re part of the Walker family. But your background is something you can''t erase. No matter how high you fly, always remember that it was the Walker family''s support that enabled you to get to where you are today."


    "Mom, you''re being really subtle. Do you think she can actually understand you? Let me trante for you," Wendy said, her eyes shing with wicked


    illegitimate daughter of the Walker


    family."


    Axel''s hand tightened around the teacup, the veins on the back of his hand faintly trembling, and his heart ached slightly. But considering Roza''s feelings at the moment, he quickly averted his heated gaze from her pale face, fearing his scrutiny would only deepen her sense of inferiority and pain.


    "Go to your office? Why should we


    go to your office to talk? Is it because you feel ashamed of your identity?" Wendy seized the


    opportunity tosh out. "We only et


    moon, and every time we try to meet, youe up with all sorts of excuses to avoid us. Now that we''re quarreling, if we don''t make a scene now, won''t your watchdogs bite us for approaching you?"


    The assistant was furious at what she said but could only swallow her rage due to their rtionship with the boss.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    Each insult felt like a knife stabbing into Roza''s heart. In front of the man she loved the most, they cruelly exposed her deepest pain for all to see.