Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana) novel Chapter 539

539 /671

Children are the most perceptive beings.

Alvin could sense how others treated him. He wasn't valued by the family patriarch, and even his own father barely spared him a glance. As for everyone else? Forget about it.

Even the servants showed little respect to him.

So, ever since he could remember, Alvin had learned to tread carefully in the Stone Family household, despite being only three years old.

Now that he had finally found a friend who genuinely accepted him, he didn’t want to waste a single moment of happiness. And when something went wrong, his first instinct was to assume it was his fault. So he instinctively hid his pain, insisting it was nothing—just a tiny bump, barely worth mentioning.

Lucian, clever as he was, was still just a child. Relieved by Alvin’s reassurance, he happily resumed playing without another thought.

As for the servants?

Since Alvin had already said he was fine, they couldn’t be bothered to call a doctor.

So no one intervened.

The games continued, and though the throbbing at the back of Alvin’s skull grew worse, he was too happy to care. Lucian had a warm, patient nature, gently teaching him games he didn’t know. This feeling of being cared for was something Alvin had never experienced before, and it only deepened his affection for his newfound brother.

It’s hard to imagine, but Alvin endured the pain the entire afternoon.

Even an adult would struggle to ignore a swollen lump on the back of their head, let alone a child.

Yet Alvin gritted his teeth and bore it in silence.

By the time they finished playing, Alvin trudged back home in a daze.

He shuffled inside, his vision blurring slightly. Shaking his head, he ignored it and kept walking, only to run into Khloe descending the stairs. The moment she spotted her grandson, she immediately demanded, "Did the old man quiz you on your studies? Did you remember everything I taught you?"

Alvin was terrified.

But the pain had dulled his senses, leaving him in a daze. He simply nodded blankly.

The sight of him made Khloe’s brows instantly furrow in displeasure. She had little patience for her grandson’s dull-witted demeanor. Still, he was her only grandson for now, so she bit back her irritation and pressed on, "Did you at least make a good impression on your great-grandfather?" The thought of Lucian from the third branch being so adored by Old Mr. Stone and Old Mrs. Stone gnawed at her, fueling her frustration.

And that only deepened her dislike for this grandson of hers.

Lucian, despite his young age, was cunning enough to charm the elders, while her own grandson? Weak, timid, and perpetually sickly—utterly useless.

Right now, Khloe could only hope that Alvin would at least make himself more visible in front of Old Mr. Stone and Old Mrs. Stone. Maybe then they’d finally take notice of him.

Being seen was still better than being forgotten.

Alvin shrank back under his grandmother’s intense gaze, his fear growing. He hesitated before answering truthfully, "Great-grandfather... went upstairs. I played with... big brother..."

The moment the words left his mouth, Khloe’s temper flared.

Her eyes widened in outrage. "You played with Lucian?"

Alvin froze, his small hands clenching nervously as he stared at her, bewildered.

Khloe was livid. Weak and cowardly was bad enough, but now he was groveling to be Lucian’s plaything? They were both grandsons of the Stone family—equals in status! Yet he was just like his useless mother, spineless and hopeless. Disgust and disappointment burned in her eyes.

She looked at him now with nothing but contempt.

Alvin had been surrounded by such gazes since childhood—he knew that look all too well.

In an instant, panic seized him.