"This... I've never hired a guy before, so I seriously have no clue what the going rate is. How much do you want?" Denise pouted. She was being honest!

Jason practically flared his nostrils in anger-talking about market prices? Did she think he was for sale?

"Denise!" he growled through clenched teeth.

Seeing he was mad, Denise quickly tiptoed and kissed him on the lips, then gave a cheeky grin. "Come on, Jason, don't be mad. I'm just a broke student here. Two hundred's all I've got left after budgeting my living expenses."

Jason's temples started throbbing. Was this girl for real? But after that one little kiss, all his anger somehow vanished.

"Denise, do you even realize what you're starting? You know what happens if you mess with me, right?" he said seriously, his voice low.

Of course he saw through her little act.

"But Jason, didn't you kind of enjoy it too? You didn't exactly push me away when I kissed you." Denise leaned in closer, her fingers suddenly slipping under his shirt.

"Denise!" Jason warned again, voice tight.

"Oh please, stop pretending. After all that went down yesterday-everything that was seen and touched... and now you're putting on this noble act?" Denise threw his own words from earlier right back at him, with a smirk.

Jason was completely at a loss with this cunning little fox.

After they left the hospital, Jason told Denise to make her own way home. He had work at the office. Besides, if he dropped her off personally, who knows what the Montgomery family would think.

Once Jason left, Denise dropped the playful front. Her smile vanished, and her eyes were filled with cold hatred.

She was getting close to Jason on purpose. Her goal? Steal Samantha's fiancé and hit them where it hurt most.

Just as Denise was about to head off, someone called out behind her-Justin Montgomery.

"Hey sis, I heard you got hit again. Are you okay?" Justin asked anxiously. He had just heard what happened.

"I'm fine. It's not a big deal anymore."

But when Justin saw how pale and worn-out she looked, he exploded. "I'm going to make them pay for this!"

"Justin, no! Don't go. I'll deal with them when the time is right," Denise quickly blocked his path, terrified he'd do something reckless.

He wasn't strong enough yet to take them on.

Since they were kids, she and Justin had only had each other. He was her only family now.

"Don't worry, sis. I'm already sixteen now. I'll protect you." There was determination in Justin's eyes.

Denise looked at her little brother-over 1.7 meters tall already. He was turning into a real man. Yeah, he was growing up fast.

Back at the Harrington Corporation, Jason sat down in his chair as Ben handed him a folder.

"Sir, these are all the details we could find on Denise."

Jason took the file and flipped through it. Ben's efficiency never disappointed. It hadn't taken long at all to gather this info.

The report said Denise's mother, Grace Wilson, was Arthur's mistress back in Seaville-not his legal wife. Later, the legal wife, Vivian, showed up with two kids-Samantha and Alexander Montgomery-and had been suppressing Grace ever since. Eventually, Grace fell ill and died, leaving behind Denise and an adopted son, Justin.

Samantha's biological brother, Alexander, was currently studying abroad. Arthur doted on him and was clearly grooming him to take over the family business someday.

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.