Oh, good, so Rina hasn’t actually been found yet. But it seems as if Mom can’t wait to see her because why else would she bother decorating Rina’s bedroom before the girl is even located? At this rate, Mom’s attention will be stolen by her the moment she returns.

Tina’s hands curled into fists on top of her knees as she dwelled upon these thoughts. She lowered her head by a fraction and hid the dark look on her face.

After a pause, she looked up once more and feigned concern as she asked Julia, “Mom, what if—and this is a big what-if—Rina has a weak and cowardly character because she’d grown up in a poor family? Assuming that is the case, she would only embarrass you in public because she’s too afraid and too incapable of doing anything right. Would you still like her and look forward to meeting her?”

Julia shot her daughter an affronted look, her face no longer a picture of gentle compassion as she demanded, “Tina, why would you ask such a thing?”

 

Tina held her by the arm coquettishly and explained, “I was only curious because that’s how most soap operas go—you know, how the long-lost child from some affluent family is finally reunited with their parents. But they end up getting shunned by them because their incapability is humiliating. I’m just worried that you and Dad might treat Rina the same way.”

“Oh, is that it?” Julia batted away her doubts and smoothed Tina’s hair affectionately. “Pay no mind to things like that, seeing as they only ever happen in soap operas.”

“So you won’t end up treating Rina like an outcast even if something like that happens?” Tina narrowed her eyes slightly as an icy gleam lit up her depthless orbs.

Julia nodded firmly. “Of course not. I carried her and gave birth to her, not to mention she was the child your father looked most forward to. You have no idea how your father—” She broke off with a quick sigh, then added, “It doesn’t matter. The bottom line is that you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Your father and I won’t mistreat or sideline your sister that way, and even if she were to be in such unfortunate circumstances, it would only make us love her harder. We wouldn’t shun her or dislike her at all. In fact, we’d try to make it up to her even more!”

“I’m so happy to hear that!” Tina broke into a smile, looking as if she truly was relieved on Rina’s part.

was amplified, and she was the only one who was acutely aware of the crisis

 

a rather tragic backstory for Rina in hopes of luring her mother into revealing her true feelings about her lost daughter. That had backfired, though, seeing as it did not curb

Rina is turning out to be my biggest hurdle next to Sonia. Tina grew mutinous, and a

out of

of the house to greet Toby as soon as she heard the sound of the car pulling up. She had been so worried about her

home late, Toby,” she remarked disapprovingly as she made her way to the

the cane the driver had handed him, then said, “I was stuck in traffic,

happened at

of course we shall,” Rose agreed with a

of them proceeded toward the house with their individual canes, which proved an entertaining sight, given the decades

out a platter of fruits from the kitchen when she saw Rose and Toby. “Oh, you’re home, Toby!” she exclaimed

briskly in

put the platter down and made

said, “I’ve got it.” There might not be any strength in his legs, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t

and held onto the armrest of the couch as he slowly eased into his seat. Jean, on

but made no reply. He wondered why his mother would even

swayed and manipulated because of her, he wanted nothing more than to

he had done for her before the accident—regardless of whether he was being manipulated at the time—given that he really was

along, then there was no way he would let her get away

this, Toby grabbed his cane and rose from his seat. “Grandma, Mom, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be

for sure if Tina was Maple, though he already knew the answer to that. Having said what he did,

of fruits, then at Toby’s back.

word. She found it pointless and grating on the nerves to continue sharing the same space with this daughter-in-law of hers, seeing as Toby had already left. If it weren’t for the fact that this woman has been good to Toby and Tyler, I would have kicked her out of the Fuller

the bedroom, Toby pulled open his drawer, intending to take out Maple’s past letters to him and read through them once more. However, he froze in shock when he saw that his drawer had been emptied out, and

that moment, he felt as if his own heart had been emptied out, but he

household servants. With a voice like thunder, he

their heads

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