Chapter 2

Beverllie's city center was bustling. Beyond it, the southern suburbs featured a sprawling golf course, the west was dotted with villa communities between mountains and rivers, and the east offered a wide array of developed tourist attractions.

But the northern suburbs were desolate—the government hadn't developed any commercial zones here, and developers couldn't be bothered to invest in this area.

Leaning my chin on my hand, I watched the road grow increasingly bumpy, with more and more trees lining both sides. Who would've thought such an untouched spot still existed in Beverllie?

I wondered if this meant I could finally live that dream retirement life—just gardening and weeding in my own backyard.

Slacking off was my ultimate dream.

"This is the terminal station. You're not getting off?" came a voice from behind—it was that cocky guy from earlier.

I froze for a second, then grabbed my suitcase and followed after him.

With his arms crossed, the handsome guy shot me an impatient look and asked, "Are you following me or what?"

I replied, "I'm not following you. I'm just heading home."

"Going home?" he scoffed. "This place is in the middle of nowhere. What's a designer-clad princess like you doing here—slumming it for fun?"

"I'm not slumming it," I defended. "This is going to be my home."

"Are you Ashley?" a pleasant voice called from nearby. I turned to look in the direction of the voice, curious to see who it was.

Two figures came into view—one in a full business suit, the other in a dress shirt and slacks.

If I was not mistaken, the guy in the black suit, gold-rimmed glasses, and that easy smile must be my big brother—the lawyer, Kane Hunter.

The one in the white shirt, cuffs meticulously buttoned, exuding an aloof vibe, must be my second brother—the doctor, Zane Hunter.

They were all ridiculously handsome. The Hunter family genes were seriously next-level.

I immediately flashed them a smile. This was the first time I'd seen them, and I'd better leave them a good impression.

In my sweetest voice, I called out, "Hi, Kane, Zane."

"Hi, Kane, Zane."

I froze, surprised to hear an echo here.

I turned and met the eyes of the person beside me.

I couldn't help but wonder if he was my twin brother, also my third brother, Shane Hunter.

Shane frowned, giving me another once-over before letting out a cold laugh. "Oh, it's you? Just my luck."

As Shane finished speaking, he turned to walk toward Kane.

I knew it—getting accepted by a new family was never going to be that easy.

Silently trailing behind them with my suitcase and keeping just the right distance, I thought I'd have to get on their good side first. Only then could I really slack off without worries.

Kane wore a faint smile, his gaze cool as he looked at Shane. "Do you really think it's proper to let our little sister handle her suitcase all by herself?"

Zane shot Shane a cool glance and remained silent.

The air froze for a beat. Shane hesitated, then stomped over to me, muttering curses. He glared as he snapped, "Gimme that."

His expression was like he was about to rob me.

Flattered, I looked at Kane. With a faint smile, he nodded at me and said, "Welcome home, Ash."

Beside me, Zane also gave a slight nod, his gaze softening a touch.

I smiled along sweetly and said, "Thank you, guys."

Shane hissed through gritted teeth beside me, "See? I help you carry your damn suitcase."

I nodded, maintaining my sweetest smile. "Thank you, Shane."

Shane snorted, ignoring me completely as he grabbed the handle of my suitcase and tried to swing it up onto his shoulder.

I froze for a moment and reminded him. "Um, Shane, that's actually really heavy."

He replied, "How heavy could it possibly—"

The next instant, my suitcase flipped Shane clean over and landed on the ground.

Pursing my lips lightly at his pained grimace, I said, "I told you it was heavy..."

Even after eating dirt, Shane scrambled up with stubborn speed, shooting me a glare. "Are you crazy? What the hell's in there? Steel?"

"Just... something girls usually have," I replied.

Shane didn't seem to believe my words.

"Actually, if you can't carry it, you can just roll away." I paused, watching his face twist in frustration, and added with a grin, "I meant roll the wheels."

A soft chuckle came from behind. Kane patted my shoulder and said gently, "Ignore him. Mom and Dad are waiting at home."

With a docile nod, I trotted along behind them.

Whoever said older brothers from poor families were disasters?

My brothers were the sweetest guys ever. I adored them to bits.

The Hunters's house was really remote. It was a self-built place that was actually pretty big, but those gaudy patterned tiles made it look hopelessly tacky.

Strangely enough, Bryan had rushed to bring Camila back only after a fire broke out at the Hunters's house. But now, the house seemed to have been newly renovated.

Not far behind the house stood a sheep pen. Apparently, the Hunters put their three sons through college by raising sheep.

I looked at my stunning mom, my refined and handsome big brother, my aloof yet delicate-featured second brother, and my effortlessly cool third brother, and lost in thought.

With such good genes in the family, could it be that I was switched at birth? Because my round, chubby face didn't make me look like a Hunter.

"Oh, my dear daughter..." A large shadow suddenly darted in front of me and began wailing uncontrollably.

Staring at the big, round face in front of me—a carbon copy of my own—I fell silent again.

Well, case closed—I was definitely a Hunter.

My father wiped his tears and looked me up and down to make sure I was okay. Still sobbing, he choked out, "My dead daughter, you've suffered so much all these years. It's all my fault. I took the wrong baby home back then."

I cleared my throat and reassured him. "It wasn't exactly tough."

Shane suddenly let out a cold scoff. "Hardly suffering, Dad. The Dyson family spoiled her rotten. I bet she only came back here as a last resort."

My dad froze and then looked at me, his voice trembling slightly. "Honey, do you really not want to come back home?"

Meanwhile, my mom's concerned gaze rested on me.

I shot Shane a glare. This jerk—my twin brother—was basically the biggest roadblock for me to reunite with my family.

"No," I shook my head and replied. "No matter how nice other places are, my own home is the best."

My dad kept sobbing uncontrollably until my mom dragged him away to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

I stood with my three brothers and exchanged awkward glances with them.

Shane finally spoke up, lazily leaning back in his chair as he eyed me. "Enough with the act in front of us. Mila said you refused to come back and even kicked her out. So what, the Dyson family dumped you, and only then did you finally deign to come back?"

"Shane." Zane frowned slightly, his calm voice tinged with a hint of displeasure.

Still looking annoyed, Shane frowned at me with undisguised disgust in his eyes. "That's the truth. Ashley Dyson is just putting on a good-girl show. Can't you two see through her?"

I corrected him, "Shane, my name is Ashley Hunter."

He retorted, "Hah, don't think for a second you—"

"Shane." Kane's gaze landed on Shame, and his smile vanished. "Got a problem? You can get lost."

The room went dead silent, and Shane instantly shut his mouth.

I blinked at Kane and realized that he was the real deal among my three brothers.

"Thanks, Kane," I said with a sweet smile.

"Don't mention it. We're family." Kane's broad hand settled on my head, giving it just the right amount of affectionate tousle. Behind his glasses, his eyes held unmistakable warmth.

"Ash, school's about to start, isn't it?" Zane asked.

I froze for a second. This was really a tough problem.

Technically, I should be starting my freshman year soon, but back when I was with the Dyson family, they'd already enrolled me in a prestigious private university.

Only the elite got into Welles University, and it was basically a training ground for future heirs to family empires.

Now that I was not a Dyson anymore, I probably couldn't even afford the tuition. Worse still, the university wouldn't even allow me in.

"What's wrong?" Zane asked, handing me a glass of water. His nails were neatly manicured.

Taking a sip, I hesitated before speaking up, "Kane, Zane, would you please come with me to help sort out my school transfer stuff?"

"Why transfer schools?" Kane adjusted his glasses and added, "Welles University is decent."

Both Kane and Zane turned to me with identical looks of bewilderment in their eyes.

"I know it's decent, but..." I stumbled over my words, searching for a tactful way to explain that our family just couldn't afford to send me to school.

"If you're not interested in business, Welles University offers other majors. You could transfer to another department," Zane chimed in.

After some hesitation, I finally said, "Honestly, I'm just an overachiever who got here by grinding through exams like you..."

Kane and Zane both fell silent.

"And... tuition at Welles is crazy expensive," I added.

Kane seemed to catch on to my hint and flashed his trademark smile. "Shane is at Welles too."

I couldn't help turning to Shane, only to meet with his usual dismissive side-eye.

I sighed and buried my face in my hands, overwhelmed by my parents's financial stress.

I knew I couldn't just slack off anymore. I gotta start making money.

Zane patted my shoulder and reassured me. "Don't worry, selling a dozen sheep will cover the tuition."

My eyebrows twisted into knots. "But... there are only about a dozen sheep in the pen."

Surely we didn't have to sell everything we owned just to pay for my college.

Kane chuckled, his smile widening even more. "Those are not for sale."

I blinked, completely clueless about what they were even talking about.

Kane sighed in resignation, gently pulled me over to the window, and pointed across the way. "See those hills over there?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

He said, "They all belong to us."

I was too shocked to say a word.

"See those white specks halfway up the hills?"

"Yeah."

"Those are all sheep, and also ours."

I was completely dumbfounded upon hearing that.