Aria Rhodes saw it and asked, "Mom, what’s wrong?" She put down her bowl and chopsticks, looked at Ronia Ackerly, and worry surfaced in her eyes too. Ronia Ackerly seldom showed such an expression, clearly something was up. Upon hearing her question, Ronia sighed, "It’s your troublesome brother again." Aria immediately frowned. Julian Rhodes was indeed troublesome, from childhood to adulthood. Especially as Julian grew up, his troublesome nature grew with him, always causing trouble and annoying Ronia and Hayden Rhodes to no end. Every time she called or video chatted with Julian, she would tell him to listen to their parents. But Julian simply ignored his sister, and you could say, Julian never listened to anyone at home, except for one person. Julian had known since childhood that he had an older brother, a half-brother from the same father. As a kid, he was very resistant and disdainful of this brother, even provoking Poe Vaughn on purpose. Julian was always spoiled by the family, accustomed to acting recklessly, but after that time he provoked Poe Vaughn, he suffered a great blow, seeming like a defeated general, questioning life itself. Because of that incident, he even locked himself in a room for a long time, refusing food and drink, driving Ronia and Hayden into a panic. To be precise, it drove Ronia into a panic. Ronia thought Poe Vaughn must have done something to hurt Julian, so she specifically went to the Vaughn Family to find Poe, wanting to ask what Poe had done to Julian that made him seem like a different person. Since she was young, Ronia liked Poe Vaughn. At first, her affection was just a little sister’s admiration for her brother, but as she gradually grew up, she realized her feelings were not simple admiration but a girl’s affection for a boy. Julian was thirteen when he provoked Poe Vaughn, a young teenager acting impulsively, and that year she was fifteen. She knew clearly that she liked Poe Vaughn and no one could replace him. So, after hearing Ronia went to the Vaughn Family to find Poe, she immediately wanted to stop it, but it was already too late. She then hurried upstairs to find Julian, asking him to call Ronia and stop her. At such a time, only Julian could stop Ronia. By then, she was already acutely aware of the old grudges between the Vaughn Family and the Rhodes Family. She knew Poe Vaughn hated the Rhodes Family, the entire Vaughn Family loathed them. If Ronia went to find Poe Vaughn, things would get extremely serious. Check latest chapters at novᴇlfire.net When Julian learned Ronia had gone to find Poe, he finally came out after being shut in for days and asked her what was going on, which she explained. So Julian immediately called Ronia to persuade her to come back. But it was too late as Ronia had already arrived at the Vaughn Family, and on that day, there was a family banquet with many people, including Poe Vaughn. Ronia knelt in front of Poe Vaughn in front of everyone, saying it was her fault; she was responsible for the divorce between Hayden Rhodes and Poe’s mother back then, acknowledging the Vaughn Family’s and Poe Vaughn’s grievances against her. She suggested that all grievances should not be borne by a thirteen-year-old child, that it was her responsibility. The implication was that the change in Julian after returning was caused by Poe’s grievances, and Poe shouldn’t vent his anger on a thirteen-year-old child, especially when he is his brother. These words infuriated the Vaughn family’s matriarch on the spot, immediately ordering people to take Ronia out. When she refused to leave, they called the police to remove her for disturbing the residents. Ronia did not get the answers she wanted and wouldn’t give up easily, making a scene outside, talking about past events, causing further disdain among listeners. But in such moments, Poe Vaughn came out and coldly said two sentences to Ronia, leaving her speechless. His first sentence was: "Seek medical help if you’re ill." The second was: "Mental hospitals shouldn’t lack stubborn people, and he can help contact doctors now, or Hayden Rhodes, or the Rhodes patriarch." Faced with Ronia’s seemingly vulnerable yet provocative behavior, Poe Vaughn remained indifferent, without a trace of emotion, as if her words had nothing to do with him, like he was an outsider, ready to handle the situation according to procedure without any feelings. It was Ronia’s first time facing Poe Vaughn directly, confronting his cold and oppressive presence. A twenty-six-year-old stood before her, and she felt crushed like an insignificant ant before him. At that moment, Ronia was speechless. And Poe Vaughn was really about to make a call, though it was unclear to whom. Seeing this, Ronia panicked; she was never acknowledged in the Rhodes Family, and if things escalated, it would only harm her. She wanted to say something, but at that moment, her phone rang. She quickly took out her phone and, seeing Julian’s call, she answered immediately. Julian heard her voice and instantly shouted at her in anger to come back. Julian’s call came just in time; she dared not say a word, turned around, and left. Upon returning, Julian was furious, saying Poe Vaughn hadn’t done anything to him, he simply felt inferior to Poe Vaughn, feeling crushed by his excellence. It was just that simple. Ronia never imagined that her son shut himself in a room for days, refusing food and drink, merely because of Poe Vaughn’s excellence, someone who turned out to be her rival’s son. This was hard for her to accept, but it was indeed the truth. Julian did not lie; he truly felt overshadowed by Poe Vaughn’s excellence, as if he thought he was the best, that no one was better, especially not the half-brother he looked down on. But after going to confront Poe Vaughn and truly seeing him, he realized what true excellence was and that there were always greater heights beyond one’s own knowledge. His world collapsed, Ronia’s implanted belief in him that he was the best without competition making it hard for him to face reality. This led to his significant change. Julian stormed out of the house because of this incident, which also made Hayden Rhodes furious, especially the Rhodes patriarch, who said he would never let Ronia enter the family again, neither would he allow her entry in their family lineage posthumously. Never even think about it! That time, the Rhodes patriarch was enraged, held deep-seated disgust towards Ronia, and projected it onto Hayden as well, including Aria. It seemed no one in the Rhodes Family had any respect for Ronia, they all looked down on her, including her own children. That time, Hayden and Ronia quarreled, severely. Aria was also upset, because already distant relations became more estranged due to that incident. However, Julian started to change because of that affair. He began to focus on his studies, getting into high school and then college. Of course, he still indulged in fun when appropriate, and Aria intentionally tested Julian’s feelings towards Poe Vaughn, his half-brother. She noticed Julian gradually accepted Poe’s influence, eventually even regarding him as a true brother. He said he had a great brother, Poe Vaughn, a genius in every regard, unmatched by anyone, including Celestial Group’s bigwig, his brother Julian Rhodes. No one should mess with the bigwig’s brother. As Julian grew, his feelings towards Poe Vaughn evolved to admiration, immense admiration. Thus, the only person who could control Julian was Poe Vaughn, no one else. Thinking about these, Aria’s heart stirred, leading her to an idea. She looked at Ronia and said, "Mom, where is Julian? I’d like to talk to him sometime."