Chapter 74 Azalea’s First Winter
Chapter 74 Azalea’s First Winter
Azalea watched Bastian with narrowed eyes.
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Hadn’t the Larks made it crystal clear they’d have been happier if she’d vanished into thin air.
So why were they suddenly playing tag, each taking turns to show up like it was a job? Maybe it started with Sydney staying at Jubilee, but they were way past that now. And Bastian, he was still coming around? Were they planning to screw her over again?
“Bastian, wasn’t I clear last time? Your entire family is a joke. One after another, like some twisted parade. What do you all want from me? If you’ve got too much love and nowhere to put it, go flood Sydney with it. Trust me, she’ll lap it up. Me? I don’t collect garbage.”
The look of guarded frustration on Azalea’s face felt like a thousand knives stabbing straight into Bastian’s chest. He couldn’t breathe.
She used to care more than anything about family, about them. Now she was treating the very thing she once cherished like garbage.
He rushed to speak, desperate to lay his heart bare. “No, Azalea, I’m serious. I really want to help you. Did you see the stuff I posted online? You don’t have the experience yet, and you need a support system. My team can get you on the right track faster than anyone. When it comes to esports, I promise, Hubert doesn’t even compare to what I know.”
But the more earnest he sounded, the more her instincts screamed.
“Help me?” Azalea repeated it like it was a foreign phrase. The word “help” had never held any good memories, Last time he’d said he was helping, it had been for Sydney,
Thinking about that moment, her expression twisted with even more sarcasm. “Do you hear yourself? Let’s be real. During the three years I lived at the Larks‘ residence, I barely got a crumb of kindness. What I did get was a buffet of cruelty. So please, leave me alone. Stop barging into my life.”
Bastian hadn’t expected Azalea to react like this at all. “No, Azalea. If you don’t trust
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Chapter 74 Azalea’s First Winter
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me, I’ll assign someone else. We can draft a contract, whatever makes you feel safe, alright?”
Anexis was a powerhouse in the esports world, the kind of top–tier club everyone dreamed of joining. Unless someone got kicked out for breaking their contract, most of the players and staff were constantly being scouted by other teams.
Azalea cut him off cold. “Don’t bother. I wouldn’t touch a favor from your family with gloves on. God knows what I’d have to trade in return. First comes the kindness, then the fine print. What’s next? Back to being Sydney’s maid?” She’d had enough of this family. Three years had taught her better. Every ‘gift‘ from the Larks comes with a bill she can’t afford.”
“Azalea, no. This isn’t about Sydney, I—”
She was done listening to all this. Did he really need her to rip the last shred of civility to make him give up?
“You what? Want to say you weren’t the one who came to me during my first New Year at the Larks‘ residence, handed me some freebie that came with Sydney’s gift, and asked me to take the fall for her screw–up?”
Bastian froze. His face drained of color. He did remember.
Azalea saw his expression and knew he hadn’t forgotten a thing. Her tone sharpened, each word slicing. “I almost thought you forgot. Sydney was your jewel. And me? What was I? Less than nothing. Do you even remember how many lashes I took that night? While your whole family was inside, celebrating New Year’s like it was the best day of the year, I was locked in a basement. No food. No water.”
If Harper hadn’t remembered her after preparing dinner for the Larks, hadn’t come down to bring her something to eat and drink, she might’ve frozen to death.
“Bastian, do you know how cold Draywick winters get? That kind of cold, I’ll never forget it. It felt like it was in my blood, flowing through every inch of my body. I was so cold. So, so cold…
Bastian’s lips had lost all color, and they trembled slightly. He didn’t dare meet her
eyes.
It had been Azalea’s first New Year after moving in, and it was like everyone in the family had completely forgotten there was a new member in the house. Every
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Chapter 74 Azalea’s First Winter
single person had carefully picked out a gift for Sydney, even Bastian…
Fu 63%2
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The original plan that day had been for the Larks to have a big family dinner, then take the younger ones and Azalea around to visit some close friends and relatives. It was meant to make up for not throwing her a proper welcome party, a way to help her meet everyone and feel included.
But just as the family was busy getting everything ready for New Year’s, Sydney accidentally deleted the new product designs Ivy had stored on her computer. That year had been Ivy’s company’s worst in terms of performance, so she’d taken charge herself and created a special New Year collection. Those design files had no backup. Panicked and terrified of getting in trouble, Sydney had turned to Bastian for help.
And Bastian’s solution? He made Azalea take the fall. He gave her a bottle of perfume, a freebie that had come with Sydney’s gift, and passed it off as a New Year present.
He could still remember Azalea’s surprised face when she received it. “Bastian, this is for me?”
Her bright, joyful expression still haunted him with guilt even now.
Now, all he could feel was cold. The kind that seeped in deep and never left.
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