Just as she was about to turn and leave, Henry grabbed her wrist, his face clouded over. "Who said you could walk out that door? You found me here-are you stalking me now?"

His sharp tone drained the color from Lydia's face. She scrambled to explain before he took things the wrong way again.

"I'm not stalking you," she gestured anxiously. "I came here for the science competition."

She held up the small robot in her hands. "See? This is my entry."

Henry shot a dismissive glance at it and sneered, "This old junk pile?"

Without warning, he swatted it to the ground.

The robot slammed to the floor, shattering into pieces.

"No!"

Lydia dropped to her knees, frantically gathering the broken parts.

But Henry yanked her back up, his expression growing darker, irritated. "You really think I'm that gullible? You better start talking-what are you pulling here?"

The sting of his words hit hard.

He doesn't believe her... at all.

Tears welled in her eyes. She bit her lip, glanced at him through the blur, then wrenched herself free.

"Henry, I hate you!"

With her busted robot in her arms, she turned and ran.

Henry's face darkened.

She's really getting bolder by the day.

...

Lydia ran and ran, only stopping when her legs gave out. She collapsed by the roadside, clutching the broken robot, tears streaming down.

This competition... she'd waited years for this. Three whole years.

Now it was gone. All of it-gone.

The harder she tried not to cry, the more her tears fell. She thought Henry would at least... understand her, even if he didn't support her.

But his reaction just now felt like he crushed her trust along with the robot.

"Miss Abbott?"

A gentle voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

Lydia looked up through blurry eyes and saw Michael standing right in front of her.

"So it really is you," he smiled.

For a second, he thought he'd gotten it wrong. But the way she looked eating candy that last time-it stuck with him. So he took the chance to ask. And yeah, it was her.

Seeing her like this, so upset, tugged at something in him. He walked closer.

"You okay?" he asked. "Need help with anything?"

The doctor...

Lydia felt a little let down. For a moment there, she thought maybe Henry had followed her.

What a joke.

Especially since she thought she'd just seen Clara nearby.

If Clara's around, there's no way Henry would spare a second thought for someone like her.

Michael's voice at least warmed her heart a little. She lifted her hands and gestured.

"My robot broke," she signed. "I can't compete anymore."She hadn't expected him to understand her at all. But to her surprise, after watching her hand signs, Michael paused briefly, then pointed at the broken robot in his arms and asked, "You mean this one?"

Lydia was stunned for a second. He could read sign language?

She nodded instinctively and replied,

-Yes, that's the one.

Michael gave a small smile. "Mind if I take a look?"

-Sure.

Sniffling, Lydia passed him the damaged robot, her eyes still red.

He turned it over in his hands, examining it for a moment before suddenly grinning. "Hang on a second."

Before she could respond, he walked off into a nearby mall with the robot.

By the time Lydia realized and chased after him, he had already disappeared inside.

She froze, feeling a wave of disappointment crash over her.

Seriously?

Not only was her carefully-built robot trashed, making it impossible to compete-now someone had straight-up taken off with it?

The more she thought, the worse she felt. Tears streamed down uncontrollably.

Just then, Michael reappeared.

Lydia stared at him, wide-eyed.

Seeing her still crying, Michael chuckled softly. "Okay, okay, no more tears. Your robot's fine-look, I fixed it."

-Huh?

Lydia took the robot from him, still in disbelief. It was actually repaired.

-How did you do that?!

The joy in her eyes was obvious, followed quickly by guilt.

So... he had just gone to fix it for her. And she'd thought the worst of him.

Michael said, "It wasn't really broken, just missing a part. I found someone inside who had the piece and helped put it in place. That's all."

Looking over it carefully, Lydia saw he was right, and quickly thanked him with a bright smile.

-Dr. Shaw, thank you so, so much!

He waved it off with a grin. "No need to thank me. Honestly, you could've figured it out yourself. You were just too stressed to notice."

-Still, I really appreciate it.

Michael just shook his head, amused. "Well, now that it's fixed, you can make it to the competition. Go on, don't be late."

Startled, Lydia checked the time.

-Alright. Dr. Shaw, I'm heading out. I owe you a meal for this!

She was about to leave when Michael gently caught her wrist.

Confused, Lydia turned back. He smiled and said, "If you just run over now, the competition's probably over. Come on, I'll give you a ride."

Lydia hesitated, bit her lip, then gave a small nod.

...

At the competition venue, things were already wrapping up.

The judges had made their final decisions, and someone came over to report to Charles and Henry.

Charles let out a quiet sigh, "I really thought we'd find some promising talent this time... but no. There's still a long way to go."

Henry didn't react much-his tone was calm. "Well, if that's the case, go ahead and make the announcement."

The person nodded and walked off.

On stage, the host got the cue, looked down at the audience and said, "And now, the winner of this year's competition is-"

Before he could finish, a sudden commotion came from the entrance.

Henry frowned and glanced over, instantly spotting Lydia.

He shot up from his seat right away.

"Henry?" Clara looked over at him in surprise, then followed his gaze-and her expression instantly darkened. "Why is she here again?!"

What the hell were those security guys doing? They couldn't even keep a girl like Lydia out!?

Fuming, her chest lightly heaving, she was just about to call someone over to drag Lydia out when Lydia had already stepped onto the stage.

The host froze for a second, not stopping her at all, just standing there as Lydia calmly placed her robot down.

Lydia quickly scanned the audience, then lightly tapped a command. The robot's voice rang out, saying exactly what she wanted to say.

"Wait a sec! The contest isn't over yet-I haven't had my turn!"

Her eyes were filled with determination. Some staff started hurrying over, but Lydia didn't flinch. She kept her focus and continued manipulating the robot.

"My robot can analyze substances in the human body. For example..."

The robot turned to face Charles, following her prompt.

"I can tell exactly what you ate yesterday, and list out every ingredient, down to the meds you took."

Then, right on cue, the robot began listing everything Charles had eaten the day before, including the medications and their chemical components-down to the last detail.

For a moment, everyone turned to look at Charles.

And then-total silence.

A beat later, a crisp round of applause broke out.

Charles stood up, clapping as he looked at Lydia. "Brilliant! Your analysis is spot on, and the idea is fascinating! I'll admit, I thought this year's contest was gonna be another disappointment. But Miss Abbott, you proved me wrong. I officially declare Lydia the winner of this year's science competition!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Henry, who was about to walk up and pull Lydia off the stage earlier, paused, stunned.

So she actually managed to create something this impressive?

Thinking back to how he just tossed that thing aside not long ago, he felt a twinge of regret.

Lydia stood there, dazed by the thunderous applause.

It took her a moment to process everything. Her mouth opened just a bit, and then-tears started falling without her even realizing.

"Did I... actually do it? I really did it! Ten whole years of hard work, all finally paying off. So this is what recognition feels like-it's amazing." She thought to herself.

Lydia was so happy she almost jumped up in excitement.

This was her moment. Just hers.

Charles walked up to the stage and personally handed her the award.At that moment, Charles finally realized that Lydia was the same girl he'd seen at the hospital the day before.

Looking at this kind-hearted and talented young woman, he couldn't help but grow more fond of her with every passing second.

He sighed sincerely, "Kid, you're amazing. Your parents must've been so proud of you."

Lydia's eyes welled up at the mention of her late parents.

-Thank you.

Even though he probably didn't get what she was truly feeling, Lydia still wanted to express her gratitude.

As Charles kept singing Lydia's praises, Clara's face darkened with jealousy and panic started creeping up on her.

What was going on with her dad? He literally just met this girl!

Could he be... recognizing her?!

No way. She had to put a stop to this before things spiraled.

If he somehow found out that Lydia was actually his biological daughter...

Then what happened all those years ago at the orphanage would come out. No more secrets.

Feeling the urgency rise, Clara rushed onto the stage and clung to Charles's arm, whining, "Daddy, okay, the competition's over and it's super crowded here. You're not feeling well, remember? Let's go home."

Charles gave Lydia a few more encouraging words and followed Clara offstage.

As they walked away, Clara shot Lydia a glare sharper than a knife.

That wretched girl. She just wouldn't stay gone.

Clara had actually thought Lydia died in that accident years back.

But no-Lydia had not only survived, she even ended up becoming part of Henry's family.

Clara had already felt uneasy when she ran into Lydia at the Lawsons'.

Who would've thought someone who had vanished for over a decade would suddenly pop up there?

Back then, she didn't dare believe her eyes.

But after seeing Lydia's reaction to that necklace at the hospital yesterday, Clara was sure of it. Lydia was that "Seven" from the orphanage. She hadn't been mistaken.

Good thing Henry clearly wasn't fond of Lydia ever since that car accident.

So Clara figured she still had the upper hand, enough to act all high and mighty in front of her.

But now her dad had only met Lydia once and already thought so highly of her...

No way. She couldn't let this girl stay.

That thought alone made Clara's eyes grow darker, her heart full of brewing malice.

Lydia, meanwhile, found Clara's hostility puzzling, though she didn't dwell on it.

What really caught her off guard was Charles, someone who felt so warm and sincere, was actually Clara's dad?

Somehow, watching the two of them leave, Lydia felt a weird emptiness settle in her chest.

She couldn't explain it, but when she looked at Charles, there was this strange sense of familiarity... almost like home.

And she had no idea why.

After the crowd finally cleared out, Henry looked back toward the stage-and immediately, his face darkened.

Lydia was gone again. Just like that.

...

Holding her robot and trophy, Lydia followed the crowd out of the venue. People kept stopping her to offer congratulations and chat.

It was the first time she'd ever been in the spotlight like this. She looked overwhelmed, nervously nodding and murmuring thanks while hurrying her way through.

Then, as she looked up-there he was.

-Dr. Shaw!

She lit up and practically bounced toward Michael, showing off her trophy with contagious excitement.

-"Look, Dr. Shaw, I did it! I actually won! If it weren't for you, I might not have pulled it off. This trophy... it's kind of ours, right?"

Her face was glowing, cheeks flushed with happiness, like all the joy in the world had landed on her in that moment.

That bright, cheerful energy reminded Michael of someone-someone from long ago who used to beam just like this.

He couldn't help mumbling, "Seven... is that really you?"

Seven?

Lydia blinked, confused.

-"Dr. Shaw, what are you talking about?"

He hesitated for a moment, a little dazed. "Seven, we used to-"

Before he could finish the sentence, a tall, looming figure stepped in behind her.

It was Henry.

His gaze sharp as knives, his presence cold and intense.

He walked up, no questions asked, and yanked Lydia by the wrist, pulling her behind him protectively, almost possessively.

One chilling glance toward Michael, then he dragged her away.

His face was stormy, dangerously calm in that terrifying kind of way.

Lydia knew what that meant. He was absolutely livid.

But his grip? Way too tight. His big hand wrapped firmly around her delicate wrist like a shackle, and she couldn't break free.

She winced but stayed quiet, teeth clenched.

When he finally stopped, she yanked her arm back with all her might.

-"That hurt."

Her eyes were red-rimmed as she signed the words.

"You deserved it," he shot back.

Henry glanced at the angry red mark on her pale wrist, and though his glare loosened a little, it didn't go away.

Thinking about how close she'd just been with that other man made his gut twist with fury.

He grabbed her chin, forcing her head up.

His eyes blazed as he asked through clenched teeth, "Who the hell was that guy?!"

-"Henry, you're getting it all wrong. He's my-"

"Shut up!" he snapped, fury flashing in his eyes. "I'm sick of your pathetic lies!"

He let go of her chin, eyes full of cold disgust. "Lydia, can't wait even a second, huh? The moment I'm out of sight, you're off chasing men?"

Lydia stared up at him, eyes red, shocked beyond words.

-Is that really how you see me?

"A murderer's daughter. What good can come out of that?" Henry laughed mockingly, a hint of red at the corner of his eye.

That sentence hit her like a slap. It felt like something deep inside cracked open with a shattering noise.

Her body stiffened, color draining from her face. Her heart clenched with pain like it was caught in a vice.

Just one sentence from him was enough to crush everything she had tried to hold on to-her dignity, her pride.

Yeah... what was she even indignant about?

At the end of the day, she'd never shake off the label of being "the killer's daughter."

She couldn't stop herself from letting out a dry laugh, lips curling into a bitter smile as silent tears slid down her cheeks.

Before she could think anymore, Henry yanked her by the arm and shoved her into the car.

Lydia knew all too well-there was no way she could go against Henry.

Now that he had dragged her into the car by force, there was only one outcome: being taken away by him without a choice.

Still, she was furious.

Angry that he'd blamed her without even checking facts. Angry that he'd smashed her robot.

But what could she even do to fight back?

She stayed silent, hoping her silence would say what she couldn't.

Quietly, she followed Henry back to the villa without saying a word.

As soon as they got home, Henry shot her a cold glare and ordered, "Come to my room tonight."

And with that, he turned and headed upstairs, leaning on his crutch.

Lydia just stood there, mind blank.

Once it hit her what he said, she turned pale in an instant.

Her first instinct was to say no.

But she couldn't. She didn't dare.

She walked back to her little room alone.

Calling it a servant's room was a stretch-it was way worse than any other servant's quarters in the Lawson house.

Henry had purposely stuck her in the attic's dark storage room, the closest room to his, just to mess with her.

It was always gloomy in there-no sunlight at all. He didn't even let her have a lamp installed.

So every night, all she had was a single candle to light the space.

But strangely, this dingy little nook was the only place in the whole mansion where she felt something close to safe.

Already worn out, Lydia curled up on the bed and quickly drifted off.

She didn't wake again until a loud banging on the door jolted her up. Her mouth was dry and her head heavy as she got up to answer it.

A maid stood outside, looking her up and down with disdain. "You're seriously still sleeping? You could out-sleep a pig."

Lydia was long used to their sneers. She raised her hands and signed a short sentence.

-What is it?

"Mr. Lawson's waiting for you. In his room."