So she silently stood up, then turned around and brought her proud knees down before me.
"Sebastian, you're the person I've wronged most in this life," Grace Chen said with reddened eyes. "I should have truly loved you, but I was bewitched by Dylan Monroe. Not only did I withhold my true feelings from you, I also broke your heart. Sebastian, I know you won't easily forgive me, but I still have to tell you I'm sorry."
After speaking, Grace Chen knelt down and kowtowed to me hard.
"Sebastian, the days ahead are long. I'll spend my entire life atoning. If you ever want to see me in the future, then call me. My phone number will never change. I'll spend my whole life waiting for that call from you. No matter what difficulties you face in the future, as long as you reach out to me, I'll go through fire and water for you without hesitation."
After saying this, Grace Chen kowtowed to me hard again, then stood up and walked away alone.
Watching Grace Chen's departing figure, everyone sighed. Actually, Grace Chen is a good kid. She was just deceived by Dylan Monroe. Admitting mistakes and correcting them, nothing is more precious.
Amid everyone's sighs, the remaining foster brides looked at each other, then followed Grace Chen's example one by one. Each one knelt before old man Sinclair and kowtowed three times to him. The foster brides then stood up and solemnly knelt before me.
"Sebastian, actually, I've never hated you. You're wonderful. You're truly the best person I've ever met. We mocked you behind your back, not because we hated you, but because of Dylan Monroe. He was always secretly comparing you to himself. After comparing, he'd start feeling anxious and insecure, acting so vulnerable. We tried to make him feel secure. So we deliberately said we hated you. We're sorry, Sebastian. We only cared about satisfying Dylan Monroe's vanity, but didn't think about your feelings. I know it's too late to say anything now. The damage has been done. I no longer deserve to ask for your forgiveness."
The foster brides bid farewell to me one by one, then turned and walked away alone. Finally, among the seven foster brides, only Tessa Lane and Elena Monroe remained.
Tears silently welled up in Tessa Lane's eyes. She didn't directly apologize to old man Sinclair. Instead, she looked at me sadly.
"Sebastian, I wasn't in the video." Tessa Lane choked up. "I've always liked you. That's never changed."
Hearing this, I couldn't help but freeze. I carefully recalled the videos of the relations with Dylan Monroe and realized there truly was no Tessa Lane. Tessa Lane was the only one not seduced by Dylan Monroe.
After a brief silence, I frowned and asked, "If you truly liked me, why did you mock me along with the others?"
Bitterness filled Tessa Lane's heart. She laughed bitterly, then said, "I originally wanted to pretend to hate you, then incite the other foster brides to stay away from you. That way, you'd be mine alone. But I was too clever for my own good, and you overheard those words."
Tessa Lane had the nickname Smiling Tiger. Her face always wore a charming smile, but she had a Buddha's face with a demon's heart. She could kill with laughter in casual conversation and could smile while pushing people into hell. Her words were always half truth, half lie. Even Elena Monroe couldn't tell when she was lying and when she was telling the truth.
Perhaps because she was so good at lying, when Dylan Monroe took Tessa Lane's hand and tried to deceive her with the same words, Tessa Lane immediately saw through his lies. He didn't love her. He just wanted to use her. All of Dylan Monroe's lies were transparent to Tessa Lane. So she was disgusted by Dylan Monroe deep down. But a Smiling Tiger is called a Smiling Tiger because no matter how disgusted she felt inside, she kept smiling on the surface. She didn't reveal this disgust. Instead, she used Dylan Monroe to bind Elena Monroe tighter.
"Sibling love. Dylan, don't be naive. You and Elena Monroe have no blood relation at all. Sibling love without blood ties is too fragile. Sooner or later, Elena Monroe will abandon you. Sebastian Sinclair is so handsome and exceptional. Sooner or later, Sebastian Sinclair will win Elena Monroe over. Then you'll be all alone. If I were you, I'd definitely strike first. Elena Monroe is conservative. Once you're intimate with her, she definitely won't leave you. Oh, I'm just talking nonsense. Dylan, don't take it seriously. These are all dirty schemes. Don't learn bad habits."
Tessa Lane, in the name of being a caring sister, secretly encouraged Dylan Monroe to drug Elena Monroe, and then everything went smoothly. Dylan Monroe became Elena Monroe's man.
Elena Monroe's mindset was truly conservative in her understanding. Since they'd been intimate, she naturally had to take responsibility to the end. Moreover, the person intimate with her was the brother she'd lived and died with since childhood.
Actually, at first, Elena Monroe truly only saw Dylan Monroe as a brother. But from that accidental crossing of boundaries, their relationship had changed. Elena Monroe was always conflicted and suffering. On one hand, she truly saw Dylan Monroe as her brother. Whether emotionally or rationally, she couldn't accept being with Dylan Monroe. But on the other hand, she truly had a physical relationship with Dylan Monroe. Dylan Monroe was the most important person in her life. She couldn't abandon him, so she remained conflicted and suffering. Her feelings for Dylan Monroe were twisted and tangled, unclear and confused.
But I was different. My feelings for her were always passionate, bright like the summer sun, able to melt any ice the moment I appeared. She truly wanted to love me. Such passionate, bright love. Who wouldn't long for it? But how could she love me? She already had Dylan Monroe.