Hailey was awakened by the noise downstairs. She had always been a light sleeper, easily awakened by the slightest sound.
Opening her eyes, she looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings and realized that she was no longer in the small house she had bought off-campus but in the Johnson family home.
The Johnson family?
Her heart raced for a moment as she thought of these words, and a warm, soft light flashed in her eyes. This was her home; she was no longer an orphan; she now had a father and a mother.
With this in mind, she put on her clothes and went downstairs.
The spiral staircase was covered with soft carpet, and Hailey's footsteps were light, making no sound as she stepped on it.
She slowly descended, getting closer and closer to the ground floor, and the sounds from below became clearer.
Hailey saw a well-maintained middle-aged couple and a tall young man in the spacious living room, gently comforting a crying young girl in the center.
"Emma, don't cry. It's not a big deal. Don't let your eyes get swollen from crying, or they won't look good."
"It's not a big deal; we're all family. She won't do anything to you, and besides, you didn't mean it."
"That's right, big sister, don't cry. Hailey is fine, she didn't die!"
Hearing this, Hailey finally understood what was going on.
The soft, shattered expectations in her eyes gradually disappeared, leaving only coldness behind.
Before returning to the Johnson family, she had experienced an accident.
Due to her busy research work, Hailey often worked overtime and stayed up late. She would return home from the lab in the middle of the night, with no time to cook, so she often ordered takeout.
She was used to eating Pasta from a nearby couple's shop, and on lonely nights, a bowl of steaming hot Pasta was the warmest thing for her. One day, as usual, she ordered a bowl of Pasta and went to open the door like she always did.
However, this time, the person delivering the Pasta was not the familiar couple who owned the shop, but a strange man. Hailey frowned, just about to take the Pasta, only to be pushed into her room by the stranger who followed suit.
The man locked the door, threw the Pasta to the side, took off his clothes, and lunged at her. He was trying to assault her! Fortunately, Hailey had quick reflexes and had practiced martial arts, she dodged and grabbed a baseball bat by the door, hitting the man in the back of his neck.
She knocked the man unconscious, tied him up, and then lit some relaxing incense to interrogate him. The results surprised her – the man had been sent by the supposed "Miss Johnson of the Johnson family," Johnson Selene, who not only had intended to assault her but also to take explicit photos of her.
At that time, Hailey didn't even know who Selene was, let alone how she had offended her. However, shortly after, Grandpa Johnson found her. As it turned out, she was the long-lost daughter of the Johnson family who had been missing for 18 years, and she was the true Miss Johnson. Johnson Selene was merely an adopted daughter.
Upon returning to the Johnson family, Hailey slammed the man's fingerprinted confession onto Selene's face. At that time, Johnson's father and mother were not at home, so Grandpa Johnson said to let the matter rest and wait for their return to resolve it. But now that they had returned, the method of resolution turned out to be like this!
As Hailey got lost in her thoughts, a cup of ice-cold water was suddenly splashed onto her face.
Although she was lost in thought, Hailey's instinctive reaction was still present. She subconsciously dodged to the side without getting water on her face, but her shoulder was dampened instead.
Seeing that he didn't splash her face, Johnson Robert became angry and threw the glass directly at her.
He didn't hold back and aimed straight at her eyes, clearly intending to blind her. With such a short distance and the full force of an adult, if Hailey were to be hit, her eyes would undoubtedly be severely damaged.
Just as it was about to hit her, Hailey quickly backed away, barely avoiding the attack. However, she was right in front of the stairs, and the steps caught on her ankle, causing her pain and making her bend over instinctively.
Seeing this, Johnson Robert finally felt satisfied. Although he didn't hit her, at least he made her trip was good enough. With his arms crossed, he looked down at Hailey, showing no attempt to hide his disdain.
"You are Hailey?"
Hailey looked up at the tall and robust young man in front of her. She recognized him from the photos of her family members; this was the youngest son of the Johnson family, Johnson Robert.
At the same time, he was also her biological brother!
Her eyes teared up, and she quickly blinked to suppress the wetness within them, along with extinguishing any expectation she had towards her relatives or the Johnson family.
"Why aren't you speaking? Are you mute?" Johnson Robert was extremely dissatisfied with Hailey's silence. He stepped forward and went to grab her hair, forcing her to look up.
Just as his hand reached out and before it could touch her, a severe voice from upstairs stopped him: "Stop!"
It was their grandfather!
Johnson Robert's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly stopped his actions, taking a few steps back. He let his hands hang at his sides like an obedient child.
"How dare you lay a hand on your sister!" Grandfather Johnson angrily pointed his walking stick at him.
Seeing the old man angry, Stephen Johnson and Sharon Johnson quickly spoke up on behalf of Robert.
"Dad, Robert is still young; he didn't mean it," said Stephen Johnson.
Then, Sharon Johnson nervously walked over to Robert, trying to explain, "Robert is just worried about Selene. He's a bit short-tempered, but he doesn't have any ill intentions."
Just moments ago, when Robert hit Hailey, Stephen Johnson and Sharon Johnson watched without intervening – their silence implied consent.
Now, all it took was one word from Grandfather Johnson for Stephen Johnson and Sharon Johnson to become defensive.
At this moment, Hailey, who was sitting on the staircase, gazed at the display of motherly love and filial piety before her. She didn't know whether it was her leg that hurt more, or her heart.
Grandfather Johnson deeply glanced at Sharon Johnson and decided not to continue pursuing the matter of Robert hitting someone. Instead he brought up the topic of Selene.
"Did you know that Johnson Selene tried to arrange someone to assault Hailey?" he asked.
"Dad," Stephen Johnson interjected, worried that Grandfather Johnson might frighten Selene, "It didn't happen, and Hailey is fine. Since everyone is okay and we're all family, why don't we let this matter pass?"
"Yes," agreed Sharon Johnson, "Selene was so scared she cried. She actually didn't mean to harm Hailey; she just wanted someone to intimidate her. It was that villain who took it upon himself to go beyond."
"Intimidate!" Grandfather Johnson scoffed coldly, his tone harsh and unforgiving. "Even attempted murder can be punished by the law."
The meaning of his words was clear – Selene must face punishment.
Hearing this, Sharon Johnson's heart ached for her daughter. She didn't dare to argue with Grandfather Johnson, so she could only direct her gaze at Hailey.
This was the first sentence she said to Hailey: "Hailey, since you're not too bothered anyway, why bother holding a grudge and making things difficult for others? Selene is already terrified."
Hailey looked up, gazing at her seriously before lowering his head.
She thought, so this is what it feels like to have a mother.
But why didn't the feeling bring any comfort at all?
Hailey's father chimed in as well: "Hailey, you'll be part of the Johnson family in the future, and I presume you wouldn't want everyone else to be unhappy. If you're sensible, you should forgive Selene."
What did he mean by that? Was he threatening her?
If she didn't forgive Johnson Selene, then she would appear to be someone who couldn't let go of grievances and was unreasonable?
Hailey raised her head, suddenly stood up, and walked over to Johnson Selene's side.
"Sis." Johnson Selene looked at her, blinking her watery, pitiful, and lovely big eyes. "I'm sorry, please forgive me."
Forgive?
Hailey tugged at the corner of her mouth, revealing a faint smile. Then, she suddenly raised her hand, gathered all her strength, and slapped Johnson Selene hard across the face.
"Fine, I forgive you!"
