Susie’s eyes lit up as if she had just uncovered some grand conspiracy. "I knew it! How else could he have improved so suddenly? He must’ve cheated!" she spat through gritted teeth. Julie’s expression changed. "Susie! You can’t just say things like that!" Cheating was disgraceful. If that kind of rumor spread, where would that leave the Gray family's reputation? "Hmph!" John sneered, finally finding some twisted sense of balance in his heart. "If he didn’t cheat, how could he have improved so much in such a short time? What a disgrace. Good thing he’s not part of the Gray family anymore!" His meaning was clear—whatever humiliation Arthur brought upon himself, it had nothing to do with them. Julie and Rosie frowned. Neither of them had been home when Arthur was removed from the Gray family. They had only learned about it later—through the news, of all things. Julie had been utterly shocked at the time. She had rushed home, but by then, Arthur was already gone. John had even forbidden her from looking for him. Arthur’s removal from the family was something she had opposed from the start. He was their parents' biological son, their blood-related little brother—how could they just cut ties with him? But in this household, John’s word was law. Seeing that the conversation had shifted exactly where he wanted it, Zac’s lips curled into a subtle smile. Idiots. They believe whatever I say. Julie, however, wasn’t so easily swayed. "We don’t have any proof—how can we just accuse him of cheating? Maybe Arthur really worked hard for it. Every time I went to see him, he was studying non-stop." Zac’s entire body tensed. She went to see him? That one time, after his birthday banquet, all of them had gone to school together to look for Arthur—but had Julie visited him at other times too? He hadn’t known. A sudden sense of crisis flared in Zac’s chest. His voice tightened as he asked, "Julie, why were you looking for Arthur?"Julie realized she had misspoken. Her gaze flickered slightly, but she still answered truthfully, "Nothing much. I just had a few things to ask him." Arthur was her brother. As his sister, why shouldn’t she check in on him? The other family members, however, stiffened slightly. Every time Julie visited Arthur, it somehow ended up being bad for Zac. They had been keeping this from him, not wanting to burden him with unnecessary stress. John frowned. His tone was sharp and final. "From now on, none of you are allowed to see Arthur again. As far as I’m concerned, I never had a son like him." The room fell into an uneasy silence. Raelynn parted her lips as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she stayed quiet. Zac, satisfied with the outcome, felt a surge of smugness. The brief moment of insecurity he had felt earlier vanished entirely. Honestly, ever since Arthur was legally removed from the family registry, John had regretted it. But he was too prideful, too accustomed to having the final say. There was no way he would admit his mistake—no way he’d acknowledge his guilt. Instead, he could only continue doubling down, burying his own conscience. Julie’s brows furrowed. Suddenly, she had no desire to stay at the table any longer. She set down her fork and said flatly, "I’m finished. I’ll be in my room." Without sparing anyone a glance, she got up and left. Zac watched her retreating figure, his fists slowly clenching under the table. Julie. It seemed he had a new target to keep an eye on. Final exams came to an end, and soon after, summer break began. Normally, Ashley would go home for the summer. But this year, she had specifically requested to stay. She told her family she wanted to focus on studying. Her grades were already excellent—she had always ranked in the top five. But compared to Arthur, who had suddenly skyrocketed to the top of the grade, she was still slightly behind.So, naturally, she agreed to Arthur tutoring her. Ashley’s parents were pleased. Their daughter striving to improve herself? That was nothing but good news. Summer was blazing hot, and Ashley’s outfits became lighter and breezier. Arthur had mentioned that his air conditioning was amazing and invited Ashley to his place for tutoring. Ashley didn’t need a place to stay—her aunt Natalie owned a grand estate nearby, complete with top-tier facilities and central air conditioning far superior to Arthur’s. But still, she agreed. When she first stepped into Arthur’s home, the cool blast of the AC was refreshing. She actually had to drape a thin cardigan over herself to stay warm. The soft, lightweight fabric draped over Ashley’s perfect figure, concealing her curves. Arthur glanced at her covered-up form, cleared his throat, and placed a book in front of her. "Uh… you go ahead and start reading. I need to use the restroom real quick." Ashley nodded. "Okay." Arthur was gone for quite a while. When he finally returned, they both slipped into study mode. But for some reason, the temperature in the room seemed to keep rising.