NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10: Chapter 10
Unlike Sherry Willows, who grew up surrounded by the love of the nuns she helped and the admiration of children who enjoyed her cooking, Rye Mavis was raised under the weight of expectations coupled with relentless criticism. A single mistake could earn him two sharp slaps on the hand.
Though intelligent from a young age, Rye was still just a child. There was a time when he was struck 18 times on his hands, leaving him in such pain that even holding a knife and fork made him wince. Despite this, he was forced to act like a perfectly obedient and exemplary child, finishing every morsel of his meal without leaving anything behind—even if it meant swallowing a bitter, unpleasant leaf.
"Do you know how much effort your father and I put into earning the meat on this table?" Layla scolded a five-year-old Rye when he refused to eat a bell pepper.
"If you can't even solve a problem like this, how can you carry the weight of the noble Mavis family?" Albert bellowed, striking eight-year-old Rye's hand with a cane after he mistakenly wrote a minus sign instead of a plus.
Rye had an older sister named Caroline, three years his senior. Unlike him, she only needed to achieve decent results to avoid bringing shame to the family. She learned the refined skills expected of young ladies, and even when she made mistakes, their mother never punished her. On holidays and birthdays, Caroline received thoughtful gifts, while Rye was given the same dull books year after year.
Once, overcome with envy, Rye took Caroline's cherished white teddy bear. When their mother discovered this, she scolded him for neglecting his studies to argue over a toy. As was her habit, Layla tore the bear apart. Rye, having grown accustomed to such treatment, showed no reaction. Caroline, however, cried inconsolably for the entire evening.
Later that night, Rye quietly snuck into his sister's room. To his surprise, Caroline wasn't angry. Instead, she wrapped him in a gentle hug. Though clearly upset, she comforted him, knowing how difficult his life was. It was a rare moment when the siblings embraced and cried together—and it was the last time Rye ever allowed himself to cry in front of someone.
Every New Year, the Mavis family gathered in their ancestral palace, a grand relic passed down through generations. Despite a period when the family business declined, they never considered auctioning the palace. To them, it symbolized pride and the noble blood flowing through their veins.
The Mavis family adhered to a strict tradition: the eldest son inherited 80% of the family estate. Rye's family, as the main branch, bore the responsibility of leading the family forward. The heir was subjected to rigorous training from a young age. Rye's grandfather had endured it, his father had endured it, and Rye was no exception.
For Rye, the New Year's banquet was stifling. All eyes were on him, scrutinizing his every move from childhood to adulthood. The relentless questions from relatives were never well-intentioned. A wrong answer would earn him scolding from his parents upon returning home, while a correct answer brought no praise—it was simply expected.
In the past, Rye and Caroline faced these pressures together. However, Caroline had married a few years prior. Her husband's family, once a prestigious noble house, had fallen into decline and now depended heavily on the Mavis family for business support. Initially, the Mavis family opposed the marriage. Unlike Rye's future wife, who could come from a modest family as long as she posed no threat to the Mavis legacy, Caroline's marriage was expected to strengthen the family's standing.
For the first time, Caroline stood up for herself. She defied her family's wishes and married the man she loved. By then, under Rye's leadership, the Mavis Corporation had become a powerhouse. Using his position, Rye protected his sister, marking his first act of rebellion against the family's oppressive traditions.
Recognizing that the once-submissive heir was now too powerful to control, the extended Mavis family wisely withdrew their influence. With their annual dividends from the corporation ensuring their comfort, they saw no reason to risk losing everything by opposing Rye. Layla and Albert also stepped back, retiring from the public eye and leaving the corporation entirely in their son's hands. Rye was now the sole bearer of the family's legacy.