Chapter 2

I gazed at Leandro in bewilderment, and he gently patted my head. I obediently rubbed my head against his palm. He seemed momentarily surprised but didn't withdraw his hand. Mrs. Sawyer noticed something amiss and gave Cynthia a compassionate look. "Naturally, Leandro, as your brother, will take care of you, but Leandro, like my daughter will also do it." I smirked inwardly. All the Sawyer family's servants knew that Cynthia, the housemaid's daughter, bore a closer resemblance to the Sawyer family's young miss than I did. I looked at Cynthia, who maintained her smile while Mrs. Sawyer's support made her carry herself more like a young mistress. "In the future, I'll call you Mary. Come with me; I'll show you your room," she said. "Okay," I replied dejectedly, but I didn't let go of Leandro's hand. I had expected Leandro to push me away, but for some reason, he didn't. Cynthia obviously noticed the situation, and her smile wavered. Leandro led me upstairs, and my room was next to his. "This is your room, and you'll come with me to school tomorrow," he said, his voice dispassionate, almost cold. I knew that Leandro's personality was like this. I held Leandro's hand, and he hesitated briefly, as if contemplating pulling away but decided against it. Instead, he lowered his head and stared at me with his cerulean eyes. I pretended to be naive and looked at him. "Brother, I'm a bit scared since I just arrived here. Will you call for me and accompany me to school tomorrow, please?" Leandro nodded without much thought. "Sure, I'll call for you." He paused for a moment and added, "Sister." I smiled, revealing a sweet dimple. "Goodnight, brother." Thanks to my connection with the Sawyer family, I skipped a grade and ended up in the same class as Leandro and Cynthia. Leandro held my hand as we entered the classroom, or perhaps I should say I held his hand, and he didn't try to pull it away. All eyes fell on us, and whispers of astonishment circulated. "Who's this? Leandro's girlfriend?" "That's impossible. With Leandro's personality, who can handle him?" "She got out of the Sawyer family's car. That must be the Sawyer family's lady." "But isn't Cynthia also riding in the Sawyer family car every day? I thought she was the Sawyer family's young lady." Cynthia was sitting in the same car as us and overheard the conversation. She casually adjusted her hair and smiled. "Mary, it's your first time in Veridge, right? Veridge's school is quite different from Blonio Town. I'll take you around later." The others suddenly realized the truth, and the discussions grew louder. "It turns out she's a country bumpkin. She probably has some distant relatives who tried to cozy up to her." "I hate people like this the most. We also have these distant relatives who try to climb the social ladder. So calculating." I pretended not to hear them and ignored Cynthia as well. Then I shyly hid behind Leandro, continuing to hold his hand and shaking it gently. "Brother..." I said. Leandro opened his mouth, his voice casual and somewhat distant. "My sister, Miss Marissa Sawyer, was in bad health and had to be treated in the country for some years." After hearing Leandro's explanation, the onlookers fell silent, observing me and our intertwined hands. Only a few people continued to mutter. "Wow, so she's really the lady from the Sawyer family." "I thought Cynthia was the Sawyer family's young lady. She's always mentioning the Sawyer family, and I thought she took her mother's surname." Cynthia's expression darkened a bit, and she looked at me before silently returning to her seat. Leandro led me back to our seats, and I sat next to him. I fell asleep during the first class, resting my head on my desk. Due to my health issues, the Sawyer family was concerned about my heart condition and had no intention of grooming me into an elite. So, they allowed me to study painting, which I had expressed an interest in. With Leandro set to inherit the family business, he would be there to look after me. As a result, my grades were average. When the bell for the end of the class woke me up, I realized I had been sleeping with my head on Leandro's shoulder. I looked up at him. He was still writing, leaving only his prominent jawline and exquisitely handsome profile in my view. "It's uncomfortable to sleep on the desk," he said without looking away from his work. He probably noticed my gaze. "Oh," I said, not thinking much about it. I grabbed his free left arm and leaned against his shoulder, continuing my nap. I could smell the scent of pine from Leandro as I drifted back to sleep. So, I didn't notice the curious gazes of those around us. As the heir of the Sawyer family, Leandro was an outstanding figure in every respect, academically and in appearance. He was famous among his peers in the upper echelons of society. However, he was also known for being distant and reserved, with few close friends and, famously, no girlfriends. He was not known to be comfortable with physical contact with people. But it seemed I was the exception. I didn't only sleep through classes while leaning on him. I held his hand as we walked, never letting go. I would also cling to him at the slightest pretext, burrowing into his embrace.