Back then, a twelve-year-old Angelica Lee had already been formally groomed and recognised as the family’s sole successor. Despite her young age, she had displayed extraordinary, genius-level talent in business management. Her intelligence, decisiveness, and commanding leadership far surpassed many experienced adults in the corporate world. Even the most senior, stubborn members of the Lee Family openly praised her remarkable abilities.

When Angelica Lee first learned that she was going to have a younger sibling, she appeared genuinely happy about the news. She even began asking curious questions about newborns and excitedly talked about the responsibilities of becoming an older sister.

The entire pregnancy proceeded smoothly without a single hitch. Several months later, Catherine safely gave birth to a healthy, beautiful baby boy. They named him Derek Lee.

Not long after the delivery, Angelica Lee eagerly came to the hospital to meet her little brother for the very first time. Standing directly beside the sterile hospital bed, she carefully looked down at the tiny infant sleeping peacefully inside the plastic crib. A faint, genuine smile naturally appeared on her young face.

She slowly extended one finger into the crib. The newborn instinctively wrapped his tiny, fragile hand around her finger. The innocent, pure gesture made Angelica Lee smile even more brightly.

Seeing the heartwarming family scene playing out before her, Catherine Lee casually laughed, feeling complete.

"Ange... from now on, you will have to protect your little brother." Catherine Lee said with a warm smile.

Angelica Lee immediately and proudly nodded. "Of course I will."

Catherine Lee continued speaking, never imagining for a single second that her very next sentence would forever shatter the relationship between them.

"When your little brother grows up, we will let him inherit the Lee Family empire. Then, you can use your talents to help him manage the company." Catherine Lee still smiled while speaking.

The bright smile on Angelica Lee’s face slowly, completely vanished. She looked up at her mother in sheer confusion.

"...Why?" Angelica Lee asked.

"What do you mean by why?" Catherine blinked, caught off guard.

"Why should I simply give him my position? I have worked incredibly hard for years to earn my place as the heir of the Lee Family." Angelica Lee asked calmly, though there was obvious, sharp confusion swirling in her young eyes. She looked back down at the sleeping infant before continuing. "If Derek wants the position in the future, then he should have to compete for it fairly."

Her voice remained eerily calm.

"If he grows up and proves that he is more capable than I am, then I will willingly step aside and hand it over. But if he is not ..." Angelica Lee lifted her head, her piercing gaze meeting her mother’s stunned eyes. "...then why should I simply hand over everything I have worked so hard to earn to a baby?"

Catherine Lee stood there by the hospital bed, completely and utterly stunned. She had never expected such cutthroat, logical words to come from the mouth of her twelve-year-old daughter.

In Catherine Lee’s mind, the answer had always been completely obvious. Son should naturally inherit the family business. Angelica Lee had only been trained as the successor because, at that time, there had been no male heir available. Once Derek was born, Catherine Lee had unconsciously assumed that Angelica Lee would naturally and happily step aside for her younger brother. She had never once considered how profoundly unfair and crushing that expectation truly was.

Meanwhile, Angelica Lee’s simple yet devastatingly logical words completely shattered the traditional, patriarchal perspective that Catherine Lee had blindly held onto for so many years.

However, instead of reflecting on her own deeply ingrained assumptions, Catherine Lee gradually became warily paranoid of her eldest daughter. Deep inside the recesses of her heart, a dark, irrational fear began to take root. She started genuinely believing that Angelica Lee might eventually go as far as to physically harm baby Derek Lee in order to ruthlessly protect her prized position as the future heir of the Lee Family empire.

At first, a teenage Angelica Lee did not seem to notice her mother’s increasingly strange, defensive behaviour. However, as the weeks blurred into months, Catherine Lee made her suspicions glaringly obvious. Whenever Angelica Lee stepped into the nursery or tried to get closer to her infant brother, Catherine Lee would immediately swoop in, scoop Derek Lee up into her arms, and abruptly step away. On many occasions, she would physically position her own body between the two siblings like a human wall, as though she were frantically shielding her precious son from a dangerous, predatory monster.

Angelica Lee noticed every single detail. She noticed the guarded, untrusting glances shot in her direction. The cautious, tense expressions whenever she entered a room. The subtle, hurtful acts of deliberate avoidance. Being highly intelligent, she understood exactly what toxic thoughts were swirling inside her mother’s fractured mind.

At first, the young girl felt utterly confused. Then, a profound, biting heartbreak took over. Eventually, the pain hardened into indifference, and she simply stopped trying altogether. Whenever Derek Lee reached his tiny hands out toward her or toddled excitedly in her direction, Angelica Lee would merely offer a faint, distant smile and remain exactly where she stood. She no longer attempted to approach the boy. She no longer tried to play with him or hold his hand. Little by little, she systematically distanced herself from her younger brother to appease her mother’s paranoia.

This cold status quo continued until Derek Lee turned two years old. At that age, he had blossomed into an incredibly energetic, bubbly, and fiercely curious toddler. He absolutely loved following everyone around the massive estate, giggling as he toddled after the busy servants, clinging tightly to his grandfather’s legs, and laughing hysterically whenever his father swung him into the air.

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