As for Justin, he was the adopted son Grace brought home out of pity. Now that she was gone, Arthur naturally had no reason to care for someone who wasn't even his blood.

Life at the Montgomerys was rough for both Denise and Justin. In fact, hardly anyone in Seaville even knew these two existed in the family.

That last time Denise barged into his room? That was actually Arthur trying to curry favor with Mr. Donovan by offering up his own daughter.

If not for the documents laid out in front of him, Jason would've thought Denise was just playing some manipulative little trick to get close to him. Turns out last night? Pure accident.

Now, Jason looked at Arthur in a whole new light. This guy was actually willing to hand over his own daughter just to get ahead? That's cold. People say even the fiercest beasts don't harm their young-guess that doesn't apply to him.

...

When Denise and Justin got back to the Montgomery house, they were caught off guard by Arthur's sudden shift in attitude. Not only did he not scold Denise for letting Jason take her away, he even spoke to them calmly.

"Denise, don't act out anymore. And stay away from Jason. He's going to be your future brother-in-law-it's just not proper. If you two behave from now on, I will treat you better," he said.

Denise and Justin traded glances-this total 180 from Arthur? Definitely suspicious.

White-faced and silent, Vivian and Samantha sat stiffly nearby. But the daggers in Samantha's eyes made Denise uneasy. That hatred was real.

"I got it, Dad," Denise replied, knowing now wasn't the time to go against him.

She went back to her room soon after, but could still pick up bits of the conversation happening downstairs.

"Dad, why didn't you let me teach that girl a lesson? She actually dared to seduce my Jason!" Samantha fumed. She'd been waiting eagerly to put Denise in her place, only for Arthur to hold her back.

"You don't get it," Arthur replied. "Jason just called me. He didn't come right out and say anything, but clearly, we can't piss Denise off right now. You're about to marry into the Harrington family, and they care a lot about manners and appearances. So you need to act like the perfect sister. Only then will Jason see you as the ideal wife."

Samantha was still about to argue when Vivian stepped in and tugged her sleeve. "Listen to your father-he's right."

Upstairs, Denise smirked. So Jason had already given Arthur a heads-up. No wonder the old man suddenly did a full turnaround. Seemed like her future brother-in-law wasn't all that bad after all.

Next morning, Laura Smith had breakfast ready and was waiting for Denise and Justin to come down. Since they weren't really considered part of the family, they usually ate separately from Arthur and the others.

"Denise, come on down. I made pancakes and scrambled eggs for you. And Justin, your favorite orange juice is ready too," Laura beamed kindly.

"Thanks, Ms. Smith."

In this whole house, only Ms. Smith treated them kindly. She had been working in the household ever since Grace married into the Montgomery family. Grace had treated her well, and after her death, Laura made it her duty to care for the two siblings.

"Oh right, Mr. Montgomery said after breakfast you should go pack up a little. You've got lunch with the Harringtons today," Laura said to Denise.

Denise raised an eyebrow in confusion. What new game was Arthur playing now?

She quickly finished her breakfast and spotted Samantha and Vivian busy dolling themselves up. The two of them kept fussing with each other's outfits, clearly thinking something still didn't quite work.

"Well, aren't we getting all dressed up today," Denise said sarcastically, watching them strut around like they were peacocks on display.

Especially Vivian - back when she was stuck in Blue Ridge Town, Arthur wasn't exactly rolling in money. Now that he had some cash, she acted like she had to wear every bit of jewelry she owned just to show off. Samantha wasn't any better.

"Duh. You think we're dressing up just for fun?" Samantha huffed, looking smug as ever.

"Denise, better get yourself ready too," Arthur's voice came from the stairs. "We're having dinner with the Harringtons today, first time meeting them. Don't embarrass me, or you'll regret it when we get back."

"Dad, why is that trash coming with us?" Samantha snapped, her grudge from yesterday clearly still eating her up.

"Who are you calling trash? Did you eat crap for breakfast or what?" Denise shot back without missing a beat.

She swore she'd never let them bully her again. Time to stand up for herself.

"You ate crap! Watch your mouth, you b*tch! I swear I'll rip that filthy tongue out!" Samantha lost it and stepped forward, itching for a fight.

"Oh, bring it on then!" Denise stood her ground, not flinching one bit.

Samantha lunged at her, hand raised to slap, but Denise was faster - she grabbed Samantha's wrist and pushed her away hard. Samantha, tottering in high heels, lost her balance and hit the floor hard.

"How dare you! You hit Samantha? Are you out of your mind?" Vivian screeched, jumping to her feet and going straight at Denise.

Vivian, toughened up from her days in the countryside, was surprisingly strong. Unlike Samantha, she wasn't the type to get knocked over easily.

"Go to hell!" Denise spat, trying to shove her away, but Vivian barely staggered and charged at her again.

That's when Justin suddenly appeared out of nowhere and jumped in between them. Vivian might be tough, but facing Justin, she couldn't even move when he grabbed her wrists.

Denise finally breathed in relief.

But before she could relax, Arthur stormed over and just smacked her across the face, then turned and kicked Justin away.

"You ungrateful brats!" Arthur roared.

A full-blown fight first thing in the morning - he was fuming. For someone as superstitious as him, this definitely counted as bad luck.

"Look at what your precious kids are doing to us!" Vivian wailed dramatically, throwing herself at Arthur. "They're bullying me and Samantha like we're nothing! Back when I lived in the countryside, I served your family like a damn maid and took care of your parents! Then some homewrecker came in and I just had to swallow it all. Now that woman's gone, but her kids? Still tearing us apart. God, how did I end up with such a miserable life!"

She burst into tears right on cue, milking Arthur's guilt for all it was worth.

Back in those years when Arthur was hustling to build his business in Seaville, it was Vivian who managed everything back home in the small Blue Ridge Town. Deep down, Arthur always carried some guilt toward her.

Justin, on the other hand, just couldn't accept it-why did Arthur treat them siblings like that? Denise tugged at Justin's arm, trying to calm him down. "Don't lose it now. You're not ready to go head-to-head with him," she said softly.

"You ungrateful brat! I was gonna take you to the banquet tonight, but look at you-so disrespectful!" Arthur snapped at Denise, face dark with anger. "You can just stay home and think about what you've done. I'll deal with you properly when I get back."

Denise felt her heart sink. That was her dad. Ever since her mom Grace died, it was like he became a totally different person. "Ungrateful brat," "spawn of that woman"... he used to never talk to her like that.

After letting out his anger, Arthur turned to Vivian and Samantha. "You two need to freshen up now. This is our first dinner with the Harringtons. We can't look sloppy or show up late."

They had just come through a fight-clothes crumpled, hair messy, makeup smudged-yeah, they seriously needed a makeover.

"Come on, Denise, let's go." Laura rushed over, grabbing Denise like she was afraid Arthur might come back for round two.

"Wow, sis! You were amazing back there!" Justin's eyes lit up with admiration. "I was seriously in awe. That's not how you used to be at all."

Denise smirked. "So you're into watching your big sister throw hands now?"

Honestly, she never planned on fighting. But if Vivian and Samantha kept pushing her like that, backing down was no longer an option. Since she'd made up her mind to take them on, she couldn't go soft-not anymore.

"You've really changed," Justin said again, more serious this time.

Denise ruffled his hair gently. "Don't worry, Justin. From now on, I've got your back. I won't let anyone mess with you again."

Justin nodded hard. His heart brimmed with emotion, and silently, he made a promise to himself-one day, he'd be the one protecting Denise. He was the man of the house, after all.

Laura took a long breath watching the two siblings. "Denise... I was so nervous for you just now. I didn't expect you to actually get physical with them. You've changed, really. It's just... your dad wanted to take you to the banquet tonight, and now that's out the window."

"Don't worry, Laura. I've got a plan," Denise replied calmly.

Okay, she admitted it-she lost her cool earlier. But this dinner with the Harringtons wasn't something she could just sit out. Vivian and Samantha clearly wanted her out of the picture. That fight? Totally on purpose-just to keep her from going.

But the more they didn't want her there, the more she was determined to show up.

Back in her room, Denise got herself ready again. She didn't go all out like Vivian and Samantha. No flashy jewelry, no over-the-top dress. Just a simple blue dress. Casual, but classy.

She looked in the mirror, her confidence shining through. Even dressed this simple, she could totally catch Jason's eye.

Vivian and Samantha also changed into new outfits and redid their makeup.

"Mom, that little witch crossed the line," Samantha grumbled. "She's getting way too bold-she even dared to fight us! She was never like that before."

Vivian tossed her a look. "Who knows? Maybe what we did last time triggered something in her-too much stress, made her go a little nuts. But I pushed her to hit us deliberately. Now that she acted out, there's no way your dad will let her show up at the dinner. No drama, just you and Jason having a smooth little date."