Part 1Four Daughters, One Outsider

The year my son Adrian Fuller was born, I started learning how to raise him properly.

Knowing his reserved nature, I handpicked four adopted daughters to watch over and protect him.

I poured a decade of heart, soul, and resources into their upbringing; each grew up to be ruthless and fully capable of handling anything on their own.

Over the years, Adrian's life was indeed smooth-sailing under the tight protection of his four older sisters.

That was until I got a desperate call for help from Adrian one day. "Dad, help me... Someone cornered me in the restroom to beat me up..."

When I rushed to the school, I found Adrian huddled in the corner of the restroom, half his school uniform torn to shreds.

Meanwhile, the four adopted daughters I had personally raised were standing just outside the door, surrounding a boy and watching the scene unfold with amusement.

Only then did I realize that this boy, Elliot Hart, was the guy they were all hopelessly in love with.

It all started with nothing more than a brief argument between him and Adrian.

When they saw me arrive, they showed not a shred of remorse; instead, they looked impatient.

Shania Whitmore, the eldest, stepped in front of Elliot. "Dad, he was the one who ran his mouth and pissed off Elliot. Since he doesn't know how to show respect, I just taught him some manners on your behalf."

Vivian Whitmore, the third sister, spoke indifferently. "What are you doing here, Dad? We were just trying to give Adrian a little scare. Was it really necessary for him to go tattling to you?"

Seeing the self-righteous look on their faces made my blood boil.

They were all grown up, forgetting who raised them.

Starting today, I was done with all of them.

* * *

"You said you were just giving him a little scare?" I stared into my third adopted daughter, Vivian Whitmore's eyes, my voice unvarying.

Vivian frowned. She stepped forward and spoke as though she had every right to. "Dad, you've spoiled Adrian Fuller since he was little. Facing some setbacks will be good for him. We're watching from the sidelines, so nothing bad will really happen."

I looked at Adrian, who was huddled in the corner.

Adrian was shaking all over, his nails digging into the cracks of the floor tiles. The collar of his school uniform was torn, and his strong shoulders were covered in glaring bruises.

Even during the years when I was fighting tooth and nail just to survive, I never let Adrian suffer like this.

"Will nothing bad really happen?" I chuckled softly and walked toward Vivian. "When he really gets beaten to death, would that be considered an accident?"

The eldest, Shania Whitmore, reached out to shield Vivian. She adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, her voice as calm and gentle as ever. "Dad, don't get so angry so quickly. Elliot Hart just accidentally spilled coffee on Adrian's limited edition sneakers and Adrian screamed, which was really uncivilized. As his older sisters, we have the responsibility to teach him what tolerance is. We just had a few classmates ‘prank' him, just to make him learn his lesson."

Elliot stood behind Shania, clutching the hem of her clothes.

His eyes were slightly red as he peeked out looking like he was holding back his aggrievance. "Sir, please don't blame the girls; it's all my fault. I couldn't afford to replace Adrian's custom-made shoes, so he has every right to be angry. If it would appease him, I'd even be willing to kneel and apologize."

Juliette Whitmore, the second eldest, immediately took off her haute couture trench coat. She carefully draped it over Elliot's shoulders, instinctively wrapping her arm around his shoulders, where his slightly defined muscles were visible. "Elliot, you mustn't demean yourself like that."

Juliette turned to look at me, a hint of reproach in her eyes. "Dad, did you hear that? Elliot is far more sensible than Adrian. It's just a pair of shoes, yet Adrian insisted on backing Elliot into a corner. Is this how you raised Adrian?"

Nicole Whitmore,the fourth sibling, who had been leaning against the sink playing with a lighter, stopped what she was doing as well.