Upstairs in the Howard family's mansion, there were two special rooms. One was where Balfour's biological mother used to live with his father, and the other belonged to his full-blooded sister, Pearl.
Fifteen years had passed, and nothing in these two rooms had changed. It had become a no-go zone for the Howard family.
The Howards’ servants had to get the green light from Balfour before they could go in to do their daily cleaning.
Balfour shut the door and plopped down on a chair in front of the dressing table.
The chair was a bit snug for the nearly two-meter-tall guy, but for Balfour, this place was packed full of childhood memories.
There was a ten-year age gap between him and his sister, Pearl. As a kid, he spent more time taking care of Pearl than their parents did.
Every night, he would sit here, reading fairy tales to Pearl and helping her drift off to sleep.
Back then, their home was still a place of harmony.
But then their father’s affair was exposed, and he had a child from that relationship.
Their mother was so distraught that she couldn't pull herself together, causing their parents to start arguing and giving each other the silent treatment.
Whenever their parents fought, he would take Pearl back to her room and read her stories, trying to divert her attention away from their parents' fights so she wouldn't be scared.
Eventually, there were rumors floating around that Pearl wasn't a Howard, but a child their mother had with another man.
One day, he wasn't home because of school.
To quell the rumors, his grandparents asked his father to take Pearl for a paternity test.
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