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Winona Wynn was exhausted by the time she returned to her room, wanting nothing more than to collapse into bed and sleep.

But perhaps because she had run into so many figures from her past recently, she actually began to dream.

She dreamed of the time she scored a perfect hundred on a test as a child. She had been so eager to share the news with Quincy Wynn, but when she pushed open the study door, she was met with his cold glare. "Didn't I tell you not to disturb me?"

She hid the perfect test paper behind her back like a sweet piece of candy, her voice soft and hopeful. "Dad, I have a surprise for you."

She never understood why Quincy disliked her. As a child, the only thing she could think to do when faced with a parent's rejection was to be obedient and try harder to earn his love.

So, when she got that perfect score, he was the first person she wanted to share it with.

But for the first time, she saw a profound, cutting suspicion in his eyes. It felt like a knife plunging straight into her chest.

The test paper hidden behind her suddenly felt like a burning coal, and she lost the courage to pull it out.

Quincy's expression remained dark, and he didn't even spare her another glance. "Get out and shut the door."

Nine-year-old Winona choked back her suffocating wave of despair, her eyes red as she turned and walked out of the study.

Growing up, Julian Wynn could recklessly ask Quincy for money to buy endless toys and travel abroad. Around him, Quincy acted like a normal, loving father.

Winona could only watch from a distance, filled with envy. Time and time again, she would tearfully ask Claire Wynn, "Mom, am I not Dad's real child?"

Why else would he single her out for such disdain?

Claire would always brush it off, claiming Winona was overthinking things. After all, whenever Claire was around, Quincy acted perfectly normal, if a bit strict.

The more Claire offered these empty comforts, the more she began to feel Winona was just making a fuss out of nothing. She knew what kind of man her husband was, and Winona was her own flesh and blood—how could he possibly dislike her? She assumed the girl just watched too much TV and was scaring herself.

This dynamic naturally led everyone in the household to assume Winona was always lying.

In those years, earning her father's approval became Winona's life mission. Even though it was her own home, she had to be ten thousand times more careful than Julian. So, when Quincy finally called her into his office to entrust her with a crucial task—watching over Julian and keeping him out of trouble—Winona felt like her father was finally looking at her. Thrilled and heartbroken all at once, she wanted to carve the assignment into her very bones.

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