Mr. Kane Got Blacklisted

Mr. Keller heard the commotion and asked, “What’s going on?”

Vermont calmly handed a tissue to Felicity and casually said, “Oh, nothing. The cat at home caught a cold and is in a bad mood.”

Felicity took the tissue with a guilty expression, helped wipe the water from Vermont’s face, and listened carefully to his explanation.

“You know, I have a lot of siblings. When my parents were younger, they were busy making money, so they left me in the countryside with my grandfather. He was just an ordinary farmer who couldn’t read or write. As long as I stayed healthy, he thought I was doing fine. There were no extracurricular activities or tutoring—just playtime after school until I was about eleven or twelve. Then my grandfather’s health declined, and my parents brought me back to Rivera.

When I got to the city, I didn’t fit in. At a school event, the teacher asked everyone to showcase a talent, but I had none. I couldn’t follow the English lessons, couldn’t tell the difference between real and fake designer clothes, and even struggled with using a knife and fork at banquets. People saw me as a country bumpkin. I felt inferior back then. During New Year’s, when my siblings received gifts, my parents told me to pick first, but I didn’t dare choose what I really wanted. I always felt unworthy. Don’t be fooled by my current status; I was just pretending because I’d been through a lot. What really changed me was my fiancée.”

Felicity paused and looked up at him. She thought he was making things up, but his words made her uncomfortable.

When she visited the Snyder family for dinner, she talked to Vermont’s older brother and sister-in-law. The relationships among the Snyder siblings were distant, likely due to their blended family. Vermont was closest to his eldest brother, Corbin.

Corbin and his wife shared stories about Vermont’s tough childhood in Rivera. His time there was much harder than he let on.

parents sent him to an elite school in Rivera. The kids there came from wealthy families

parents would have blamed him, thinking any problems were his fault. His siblings

in college in another province and wasn’t

the son of a powerful man threw his watch into it, demanding Vermont retrieve it or he’d

didn’t wear underwear, so he didn’t think his grandson needed to either.

obey whenever they used this against

Vermont was repeatedly humiliated

again. But this time, Vermont snapped. He rushed at the boy, pinning him down and repeatedly punching him. Even as the boy’s friends kicked and hit Vermont, he wouldn’t let go, like a wolf sinking its teeth into

anger, fear gripped Vermont. The boy went from cursing to crying and begging for mercy. When

were afraid of offending them. They forced Vermont to apologize, putting all the

compromise and be diplomatic. To

mostly because the Kane family was powerful in Rivera, and Keegan was their eldest grandson. Whether for protection or connections, Keegan was a

he didn’t like it. Nonsense, that thing was spotless—he obviously treasured it. He’s stubborn and easy to fool. If I told him I wasn’t sincere about our

dating history. She feared some old flame might reappear. But after