That one look made Arabe''s heart sink like a stone.


    Why was this happening? Did Dorian not care for her anymore?


    In the past, whenever something like this happened, her brothers would always stand by her unconditionally. It was Theo who wronged her, so why were they treating her this way? This wasn''t her fault!


    They had changed. Arabe noticed that the whole family was looking in Miranda''s direction, and tears of anger welled up in her eyes.


    It was because of her, she was certain. It was all because of Miranda that they were different now!


    She wanted to stay close to Alistair, Orion, and Lysander, but like Dorian, they had distanced themselves from her. Especially when Miranda nced their way, they seemed almost afraid of being seen too close to Arabe, keeping a careful distance.


    Alistair spoke with a calm detachment, "Let''s not forget, we''re not blood rtives. Being too close might raise some eyebrows. We should keep some boundaries."


    Lysander chimed in, "Alistair''s right. You should be more careful."


    Dorian silently agreed.


    Mrs. Hawke, overhearing the exchange, added quietly, "Your brothers have a point. You''re not rted by blood, so why stick so close? If people start talking, it could get ugly, saying you''re trying to seduce your brothers."


    And now, with the whole mess involving Theo, things were even moreplicated. Arabe kept insisting that Theo was lying about them sleeping together, but this scandal was shattering the sweet image she had always portrayed to the Hawke family.


    Mrs. Hawke didn''t want any rumors of her sons being involved with Arabe, which would only bring more shame and embarrassment to the family.


    Originally, neither Mr. nor Mrs. Hawke wanted to bring Arabe to the banquet tonight.


    But Arabe pleaded, saying she wanted the chance to clear her name. She feared that if she didn''t show up people would gossip even more about their family. With a mix of emotional appeals and ying the victim, they eventually relented and brought her along.


    Hearing Mrs. Hawke''s words, Arabe clutched the fabric of her dress tightly, swallowing her resentment and anger.


    She whispered, a picture of grievance, "I understand, Mom. I''ll be careful."


    Her voice seemed as if she was about to break down.


    "Ugh, she''s at it again. Such a drama queen," Hannah pouted her lips, her face practically a meme of disdain.


    "What kind of spell has she cast on the Hawke family. I just don''t get it."


    Ever since finding out that Miranda was the real daughter of the Hawke family, Hannah had taken a special dislike to Arabe.


    Her tongue was as sharp as ever. Whenever she met up with her gal pals, trash-talking Arabe was a given.


    It got to the point where her friends would reflexively think "drama queen" the moment they saw Arabe.


    "Hey, sis, since Arabe isn''t blood rted with those four brothers, do you think they might, you know, hook up or something?"


    Miranda was left speechless. She couldn''t help but nce at Hannah, who looked as innocent and adorable as ever.


    Caius thought Hannah''sment


    was a bit too obscenely crude and might have upset Miranda. After all, those Hawke boys were technically Miranda''s real brothers.  He was about to scold Hannah when Miranda, with surprising seriousness, said, "That''s an interesting angle. She might actually be nning to switch tactics and hookup with all four Hawke boys."