Rebecca froze at the door. Even her smile looked forced. All of a sudden, she felt lost when Caleb refused to see her. She paced in front of the door but was undecided between coaxing Caleb or coming back later when he was less mad at her. After a pause, she stared at the door and changed her approach, sounding earnest and genuine. "Caleb, I'm sorry. I know you're mad at me. It was my fault for making you worry last night. I didn't know I was such a lightweight. It wasn't my intention to keep everyone out of the loop. I immediately texted everyone with an explanation right after I woke up this morning. Can you please stop being mad at me?" Caleb still gave her the cold shoulder. She pursed her lips and stood there for a little longer before turning around to leave. Unlike Caleb, she didn't lock herself up in her room. She went downstairs and sat on the living room couch, where she engaged in self-reflection with a pillow in her arms.It had been a while since she tasted defeat. Ever
At a loss for words, Rebecca stood there with flour-covered hands. A long pause later, she stammered, "H-How can I get you to forgive me?"She appeared open and guileless in the face of Caleb's prolonged silence. Moments later, he suddenly broke into a smile with the mug in his hand. "I've forgiven you now."It came as a shock to her. Stunned, it took her a few seconds to collect herself. She was overjoyed but cautious at the same time. "Is that true? Caleb, are you not mad at me anymore?" Then, she prepared to throw herself at him. He didn't see the ambush coming, and his shoulders now had flour stains on them. Helpless in the face of his cheeky sister, he sat still as she wiped her fingers across his face.When she was done with her shenanigans, he said, "That's enough. Let this be a lesson for you. You'd better not worry us the next time." He punctuated his words like an old-fashioned teacher. He had flour all over him, including in his hair, but he remained dignified as usual. H
As Rebecca finished speaking, a hush fell over the entire place. Some among the crowd seemed to relish the spectacle, while others directed concerned glances in her direction. Meanwhile, a few onlookers were left bewildered, quietly whispering to those in front of them, trying to grasp what was happening. Nobody expected Rebecca to respond in such a manner. Even the smile on Karen's face faltered, but it did not take long before she recomposed herself and put down her outstretched hands as if nothing awkward like that had ever happened. "Becca, what do you mean?" Smiling, Karen asked as she approached Rebecca with an arm hooked in Benjamin's. "We're holding this banquet tonight to celebrate your reunion with your biological family. That's why we invited guests from all over Riverwood. Think carefully about what you're trying to tell us by bringing your brother here." The threatening tone in Karen's words was unmistakable, causing Rebecca to sneer in response. Karen had acted a
Karen's and Benjamin's faces darkened at her words. They had no intention of begging Rebecca, but her directness in her speech caught them off guard. The couple stood, frozen, unsure of how to respond. Unfortunately for them, not a single person in the crowd was willing to ease the situation. On the contrary, the spectators seemed content with being passive observers, relishing the drama and adding fuel to the fire."I remember on Ms. Jessica's birthday, Ms. Rebecca was very sincere in expressing her gratitude toward Mr. and Mrs. Brown for raising her even after they gave her the severance papers," someone said, "Besides, Ms. Jessica herself admitted to purposely bribing someone to humiliate Ms. Rebecca. If I were her, I'd take those papers and leave. Why should I even tolerate the Browns anymore?" "That's right! She could've been hurt! They treated her like trash, so what else are they expecting from her? Ms. Rebecca was kind enough to show them gratitude that day!" "Indeed. M
Rebecca knew well why Karen handed her the severance papers during their confrontation. Karen feared their relationship might persist, and she sought a clean break. She also feared Rebecca might exploit her status as their adopted child to claim the remaining inheritance. It was evident that their own avarice clouded their judgment, leading them to believe that everyone else harbored the same sinister motives. The adoption was never driven by genuine affection; instead, it served as a means to bolster their standing in the Brown family. One would think that being such pretentious villains would eventually become tiresome and dull for them.Looking at her adoptive parents, she struggled to recall how they had treated her prior to Jessica's return. It was ambiguous whether their affection was genuine or a mere façade to ensure a marriage alliance with the Winstons. Consequently, they dispatched her to George, expecting her to dutifully play the part of a devoted granddaughter.Refusi
Reacting quickly to Daniel's words, Jessica took the chance to lean into his embrace, pretending to have tripped over. Seeing that, Rebecca raised her brow while the crowd's attention shifted toward them. The recent scandal involving Rebecca's alleged affair was still fresh in people's minds. Consequently, many were aware that Daniel had not divorced the woman his grandfather had arranged to marry. Although the marriage seemed to have ended, and everyone was aware of Daniel's intention to marry Jessica, there was still an undeniable shift in perception before the divorce was finally legalized. The crowd wasn't entirely accepting of Daniel's behavior in front of his wife, so it was natural that some would deem Jessica a mistress. Moreover, it was no secret that Jessica was the one who exposed Rebecca's scandal to the media. Wasn't she acting like a mistress by pursuing Daniel before the divorce was official?"Jessi, get up." Daniel's expression remained unchanged under everyone's ga
An uneasy expression appeared on Karen's face, but it was fleeting. "What did we do? Other than giving up your room to Jessi when you were fourteen, did we mistreat you? We raised you into an adult, and now look at how ungrateful you've become!" Karen exclaimed in dissent, finally revealing her true self. Jessica chimed in, "That's right. When I returned home at fourteen, you agreed to give me the room after my parents said I was their biological daughter. Besides moving into a smaller room, your life was still the same, right? We ate the same food, lived in the same house, and we gave you everything you needed. We even studied together. What have we done to mistreat you?" Both of them had staunchly maintained their position on this point. After so many years, Rebecca had no evidence to support her claims. Who could testify about any mistreatment she might have experienced in the past? The maids who worked for them had long returned to the countryside to care for their grandchild
Daniel stepped back to put some distance between himself and Jessica. He looked down at her with an unfathomable gaze and said, "You always blame it on your illness. When Becca and I got married, you tried to commit suicide and blamed your illness for making you lose control; that's why I sent her abroad. When she returned to the country, you hired people to sully her, then blamed it on your illness again. You washed, rinsed, and repeated this with the surveillance footage, using your illness as an excuse while begging for forgiveness. Now, you're doing it again! Do you think your illness is a golden ticket to make everyone accommodate you and suffer silently when they shouldn't have been subject to such treatment?"Jessica was ashen when Daniel finished his sentence. She could let this go if anyone other than him were saying these things; why did it have to be Daniel? He had to be incredibly disappointed in her! Could she still marry him? Jessica's worry deepened, as did her hatred f