The Kiss that Sparked it All

Chapter 2694

“Ugh, look who decided to grace us with her presence. Weren’t you too good for these kinds of gatherings, strutting around like you’re above it all? What’s got you crawling back. tonight, huh?” asked Madeline.

Regina’s voice dripped with disdain as she gave her stepsister a once-over. Towering slightly above Madeline, she could not help but feel a certain sense of superiority.

“This is my house too, you know. I come and go as I please. Certainly none of your business to comment on my comings and goings.”

Madeline tossed her hair with a scoff, “You can only put on airs around me. Let me tell you, you’re the least welcome person around here. If I were you, I’d have the decency not to embarrass myself at social events. Do you have any idea how much you’ve let Dad down, running around town, chasing stories like some paparazzi? Dad’s stressed out to the max, always venting to Mom about it. But then again, what would you know about timing and propriety, having never been taught, huh?”

Regína had heard enough of these snide remarks to last a lifetime, but as she grew older, she had also developed a knack for hitting back.

journalist is such an embarrassment to your-Dad,” she emphasized the word

of shameless people in the world, right? People who’d forget their own father

face turned

Who wouldn’t seize the opportunity to escape a life of poverty and latch onto a path leading to wealth and comfort, ditching

over again. She did not want to go back to living in those squalid, flooded alleys ever again. The mere mention of that surname brought back memories of dark days, of her mother getting beaten, and her father, perpetually

done hiding

that as ammunition against her? How could she let

year of lugging around equipment and scaling

not tough enough, sweetheart.”

witnessed their altercation. Seeing her daughter at a disadvantage, she lifted her skirt like a flustered duck and hurried over. Just then, the study door swung open, and Francis, naturally, caught sight of the