Chapter 24
After speaking, I started walking again. However, Jack's furious voice soon rang out, "Stop right there!
"Look at yourself! You left without a word and didn't even greet anyone when you came home. Do you still consider me your father? What about Ivy?"
I calmly looked at Jack's stern face with a faint smile, "Whether I see you as my father depends on whether you see me as your daughter." "Father," I murmured the word, feeling that Jack didn't deserve the title at all.
"I've just spent five hours on a plane and am a bit tired. Father." I deliberately emphasized the word. "May I go upstairs to rest now?"
My mocking tone only made Jack angrier. He stormed over to me in a few steps and raised his hand to hit me, but Ivy quickly grabbed his hand to stop him. "Jack, what are you doing? She's tired. Just let her rest. What's the point of this?"
She then turned to me and said softly and kindly. "Eve, don't hold it against your dad. You haven't called us in the past few days, so he's been worried.
"It's okay now. Go upstairs and rest. I'll call you when dinner's ready."
Ivy's words were well-crafted, but I didn't argue with them. It wasn't the time to tear off their masks yet.
Inodded. "Alright." Then, theaded upstairs and paused at the landing.
Soon, I heard ivy's voice. "What are you doing? Don't you know she's precious now? With her high exam scores, many people already have her on their list of potential daughters-in-law!"
I wasn't surprised at all Otherwise, I wouldn't have waited here to record everything they said on my phone.
Back in my room, I took a shower and lay down to rest. That dream had left me feeling down.
I turned to look out the window, wondering. In this second life, I'd seen through many people, but walking on eggshells made me cautious. I didn't know if that was good or bad. I also wondered how long it would take to finally achieve the freedom and happiness 1 longed for
As I was lost in thought, my phone chimed with a WhatsApp notification I opened the app to see a message from Liam
His note read, "Reply to me, or I'll blow up your phone with cats.
1 hesitated for a few seconds, and another message came through. "Don't even think about blocking me. 1have more than enough money to get a hundred numbers to bombard you"
With that, I finally replied to him.
Liam's reply was almost instantaneous. "That's more like it. Smart people know when to adapt."
Then, he sent a flurryed messages, but I couldn't be bothered to respond. The noise from my phone wasghing me a headache, so I muted his messages.
Finally, I had some peace. Then, Ivy knocked and came in. She put on a gentle, wise, elder's demeanor and sat beside me.
"Eve, are you still mad at your dad?"
1 looked at her and wondered how that been fooled by this act of hers in my previous life.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
Back then, 1 had gotten drunk and ended up sleeping with Ethan. The next morning, when Ethan woke up and saw me beside him, he thought I had drugged him and used a vi trick to make him take responsibility for me.
No matter how much I explained it, than didn't believe me Everyone thought I was shameless and had impure intentions
Only they held me and said, "It's okay, Eve. You did nothing wrong. I know you're not that kind of girl."
She then took me for a check up and bought me emergency contraception
I thought she genominely cared about me But Later, I found out that the "drunkenness Lexperienced wasn't drunkenness at all that been alingped. Chapter 2559
The masterminds behind it all were Ivy and Jack. It was only then that I realized beneath Ivy's gentle and intellectual facade lay a heart full of malice.
I shook my head and waited for her to continue.
"That's good," by said as she took my hand. "There shouldn't be a grudge that lasts overnight between a father and a daughter, right?"
I pulled my hand out of hers. "Just say what you need to say. There's no need to beat around the bush."
Ivy looked slightly embarrassed and awkwardly clenched her fists before finally speaking. "You scored second in Yardville on the college entrance exam, Jack thinks you've brought him a lot of pride, so he wants to throw you a graduation banquet" I let out a cold laugh Abanquet? Or was it just an excuse to parade me around to see how much I was worth?
"Fine." I agreed and nodded. "But I want 50 thousand dollars. I'll need to buy clothes and school supplies for the new semester. Is that okay?"
If they wanted something from me, then I'd demand something else in return.
by frowned briefly at the mention of so thousand dollars but quickly recovered. "Of course. Leven suggested to your father that we should buy you an apartment in Napel
"We're not comfortable with you living alone. At least someone would be there to take care of you if we get you a place and hire a housekeeper."
Taking care of me was just an excuse. They just wanted to keep an eye on me.
"No need. 1 want to live on campus." I stood up, unable to stand Ivy's performance any longer. "When will you transfer the money?"
Ivy stood up as well. "I'll talk to Jack, and we'll transfer it soon. Dinner's almost ready. Come down and eat."
"Okay" I nodded while watching her, but she didn't seem in a hurry to leave. I raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you leaving? This is my room." Ivynadded. "I'm leaving now." With that, she turned and left.
I locked the bedroom door and then walked to the dressing room. I took the property deed out of my suitcase and found a place to hide it.
It was clear that Ivy was looking for something earlier, but there was nothing in my room. Did they already know about the apartment I bought in Napel? But who told them? Was it Liam? z out his
llocked the drawer and went to grab my phone. My WhatsApp notifications had already piled up to 99. I opened them, only to find a bunch of messages from Liam, acting drama
I asked him, "Did you tell Jack and the others about my apartment purchase?"
My question interrupted his chatter, and it took him about half a minute to reply. "Do you think I'm that kind of person? I told you I wouldn't tell anyone, and I meant it. Besides, you bought the apartment under your friend's name-so what if your dad and stepmom find out?" Inodded and thought he made a good point, I closed the chat window, and just as I was about to exit WhatsApp, I noticed a new message from Kayla I paused for a moment and opened it.
attending your graduation banquet
Kayla had sent me a money transfer and a message. "Theard from Jack that you did very well on your college entrance exams, but I won't be attendi Your younger siblings are still small, and I can't leave them alone."
After reading that message, I couldn't stop the tears from welling up in my eyes. I longed for love from my parents, but that hope always turned into disappointment in the end. If, in my past life, someone had loved me just a little more, cared for me just a little more, I wouldn't have thrown myself into Ethan's arms like a moth to a flame Why did ever love Ellun?