A Second Life, A New Power novel Chapter 45

"Harold, shut up," Stephen scolded in a low, firm voice.

Harold clenched his teeth and turned his head to the side.

"Alright. All of you can leave now. Whether you owe me, or I owe you, let's consider it all cleared from this moment on. My grandma and brother are about to wake up, and I don't want them to see you," Demi said coldly.

"Demi, I know you're angry and feel wrong right now. But I've already promised you, I'll talk to Annie when we go back. It won't be long before I officially recognize you as part of the Pitt family," Stephen said, his tone serious.

"Please leave," Demi said curtly, flipping her hand toward the door in an unmistakable gesture of dismissal.

If this had been the Demi of her past life, the Demi who had never ventured into the world of cultivation, she might have been ecstatic at hearing those words.

But the Demi standing before them now was no longer that same girl.

She was a proud cultivator, someone who had been cherished for 300 years by her mentor and ten doting brothers.

How could she possibly care for this hesitant, half-hearted, charity-like version of family affection?

As Stephen led his family away, a sense of confidence filled him.

He believed that Demi was acting this way—like a defensive hedgehog—because she wanted attention, because deep down she longed to be acknowledged by the Pitt family.

Stephen was certain that with time after her anger had cooled, they could speak to her again. He figured they could bring her back into the family, at least as an adopted daughter for the time being.

After all, Ana was emotionally fragile and couldn't bear the idea of anyone finding out she wasn't the Pitt family's biological daughter.

This thought made Stephen frown as he walked. He was already beginning to worry about how to convince Demi to accept the position of adopted daughter.

…

At a secluded mountain villa, Felix sat in a quiet pavilion. Beneath him was a wheelchair.

His head was slightly bowed as he focused on the piece of emerald in his hand. His movements were steady and precise, the carving knife dancing deftly between his fingers.

Small fragments of emerald scattered into the air, and the delicate shape of a rabbit began to take form.

Sean walked up briskly. He glanced at the rabbit in Felix's hands, already used to this sight.

Felix had a hobby—carving fine emeralds.

"Mr. West Senior asked you to pay more attention to that young girl from yesterday," Sean said casually.

Felix looked up briefly. "How is Mr. West Senior?"

"He's doing well. Do you think it has something to do with that girl's needling therapy? He used to look so frail, but after her treatment yesterday, he seems much more energetic," Sean said, his tone tinged with curiosity.

Felix remained composed. "I've already sent someone to investigate the girl. I want to find out where she learned her medical skills. If her background checks out, we might be able to invite her mentor, or her mentor's mentor, to treat Mr. West Senior."

"Why not just ask the girl directly?" Sean asked, the question slipping out without much thought.

"Anyone treating Mr. West Senior needs to be thoroughly vetted. It's better to start the background check early," Felix raised an eyebrow, giving Sean a pointed look.

After days of effort, Demi had finally found a promising private high school willing to consider them.

However, there was a catch—they would first need to pass an entrance exam and achieve a certain score to secure admission.

She had spent days running around, but she hadn't locked down on anything yet.

The main issue was her standards. She didn't want to settle for a subpar school, not for herself and certainly not for Timothy.

For now, the only thing she could do was focus on improving their grades as quickly as possible.

"Why is the vicious gal studying middle school math? Judging by her age, shouldn't she be in high school?"

"Maybe she just looks older because she's tall."

"So all this time, when we were cursing at her, we might've been cursing at a minor?"

"I heard she's 16. Sure, she's a minor, but that doesn't make her a child!"

Just then, two system messages popped up in the chat.

"Please be civil in the comments. Do not insult others."

"The internet is not a lawless space. Maintaining order online is everyone's responsibility."

For a brief moment, the livestream chat fell silent. Then, as though someone had lit a fuse, the comment section exploded with activity.