Susie's cheerful agreement struck her sisters like a physical blow. Did Susie really not understand the gravity of what she had just promised? Zac, the adopted brother who'd caused our father's death! Though John had ultimately betrayed us, he'd been manipulated. For over two decades, he'd been the loving father who'd tucked us in at night, attended every school play, and beamed with pride at their graduations. His freshly buried body hadn't even begun to decompose in the cold earth. How could we dishonor his memory by cozying up to his accidental killer? How could we debase ourselves by begging favors from the very person whose actions led to our father's demise? But Susie merely blinked at her sisters' horrified expressions before turning back to the Yarbroughs with renewed enthusiasm, her smile never faltering. Xylia's wrinkled face changed with satisfaction, her thin lips curling upward. "Well! Who would have thought the youngest girl would bloom with such sense!" Though the old matriarch's nostrils flared slightly at Susie's presumptuous use of "Granny"—a" familiarity never granted - her pleasure at getting her way overrode any irritation. Susie's smile widened into something almost predatory at the rare praise. In all my months on the Yarbrough estate, it was the first compliment Madam Xylia had ever paid me. In the household's intricate hierarchy, the matriarch's favor was worth more than gold. Seizing the opportunity, Susie rose with the grace of a dancer and moved to the antique tea service. Her fingers - manicured only yesterday in preparation for this dinner - poured the steaming oolong with ceremonial precision. "Your kind words make my heart flutter like a spring sparrow, Madam Xylia," she cooed, presenting the porcelain cup with both hands in the traditional gesture of respect. "Your boundless generosity gave us shelter when we had nowhere else to turn." Susie's voice dropped to a honeyed whisper. "If you will allow this unworthy girl, I would be honored to visit you personally each morning. A small token of gratitude for your... unparalleled kindness." The shameless flattery worked like magic. Elderly socialites like Xylia-especially those who'd endured decades of whispered criticism about their petty natures-craved such obsequious praise like opium. A dry chuckle escaped Xylia as she accepted the offering. "Why, you clever little minx! Hiding such a sweet tongue behind those innocent eyes all this time!" Susie exhaled through her nose, the tension in her shoulders easing. Bullseye. She moved behind Xylia's carved chair and began to work the old woman's bony shoulders with practiced movements. "Truth told isn't flattery, Madam Xylia," she murmured. "The Yarbroughs' prosperity reflects the virtue accumulated over generations. Like lotus flowers rising from the mud, your family's goodness transforms all it touches." Her carefully chosen words-particularly "accumulated virtue," a phrase rich in cultural meaning-provoked visible joy in Zane. For a politician plagued by rumors of corruption, such implications of inherent nobility were balm to his ego. Even Zoey's perpetually frosty expression showed the slightest crack, her lips twitching in something almost resembling approval. Julie, Rosie, and Raelynn sat frozen, with their foxs in the air, staring at Susie as if she'd grown a second head. When had our fiercely proud little sister - the one who'd once slapped a classmate for suggesting her family was charitable - become such a shameless sycophant? Generous? Kind? Did we dine with the same Yarbroughs who'd relegated us to servant's quarters? They had taken us in, and we were indeed grateful, but we had experienced the blank stares during this period of time! These words, ‘generous and kind,’ simply did not go well with them! How could Susie lie so heartlessly! Moreover, Susie had suffered so many grievances in the Yarbroughs family before; had Sushi completely forgotten about them? How did she manage to say those words and even go up to give Madam Xylia? You have a massage! That mouthful of madam, when had she been so affectionate? It was when they used to be in the Gray family; we hadn't been so exaggerated in our socializing to say such words against their will. Maris looked at the attentive Susie; disdain flashed in his eyes. But she was so sensible; she was an uptight one. I liked obedient people. The simple banquet dispersed, and Raelynn and her three daughters returned to their own small courtyard. Just after returning to the courtyard, Susie couldn't wait to start packing up her things, preparing to move to the large courtyard.Moving to the large courtyard meant that I was one step closer to success! Rosie frowned and asked angrily, ''Susie! How could you agree to them contacting Zac! Have you forgotten that Father was precisely killed by Zac!"