A middle–aged woman ran out of the kitchen right away. The floor was shaking slightly when she was running out. Her voice was rough and with a strong local accent, she said, “Lila? Is that my Lila?”
At the sight of Lila, the middle–aged woman embraced her daughter excitedly, “It‘s so good to have you back.”
Glenn and Eva had both learned from Beal that Lila was going to come back They had originally planned to let their daughter enjoy a lifetime of glory and wealth in the White family. Now that Lila had been kicked out of the Whites‘ house, they were both disappointed but at the same time happy that she was now coming home to them. Lila looked at them disgustedly. When she smelled the pungent and strange smell on Eva, she wrinkled her nose and pushed the woman who was her mother away.
“What‘s that smell?” She wasn‘t happy at all since she walked into the room. This house was both dirty and shabby. Also, the whole apartment wasn‘t even as big as her bedroom in the White family residence.
Obviously, they were very poor folks. She had heard from Beal that her biological father, Glenn, was an owner of a small business. At first, Lila thought that he would at least have some money. However, it turned out he was only an alcoholic and untidy man.
As for her biological mother, Eva, she was totally a country bumpkin. They were no match to the likes of her adoptive parents Beal and Johanna. Lila was growing desperate. She could hardly believe that she had been born from such a woman. Eva wiped the sweat off her forehead and neck awkwardly and bowed her head down in shame.
“I just came out of the kitchen and haven‘t had the chance to take a shower yet. I shouldn‘t have grabbed you like that. I was too excited just now.”
She looked at Lila carefully, with moist eyes. “You look exactly the same as me when I was younger.”
After hearing this, Lila became angrier and cursed in her heart. Was this fat bitch trying to humiliate her?
Tears of joy began to well up in Eva‘s eyes. She nervously wiped her sweating palms on the apron and said, “Since Lila is home now, let‘s go ahead and have dinner now.” Glenn scolded her, “Our son has yet to return.”
As soon as he finished saying that, the door was opened from the outside with a key. A young man, who had his hair dyed red, walked inside from the door. He glanced over at Lila, shrugged his shoulders, and said in a rather frivolous manner with chewing gum still in his mouth, “Are you my sister?” He turned to look at Lila‘s Hermes bag and asked her, “Is that bag real? It‘s not a fake, is it?”
Lila really wanted to roll her eyes. The young man before her was just some punk. The Gillian family was so poor, but he was wearing all brand–name items. He must be very spoiled. And what was with that arrogant attitude of his?
Lila was about to go crazy. Everything in this house was an eyesore.
“Your sister used to live with the White family. How could she own a fake bag? Anyway, you came home just in time for dinner.
Come and sit down.” Eva waved gestured her children to come in with a smile.
Irritation flashed in Lila‘s eyes and she walked to the dining table reluctantly. The house was so small that the living area and kitchen were pretty much one room and there was barely enough space for the four of them.
As if the cramped feeling wasn‘t enough, the place was filthy, too. A few flies hovered over the food. Eva scooped some gunk into a bowl and put it in front of Lila.
“Eat it while it‘s hot. I didn‘t know you‘d be here for dinner, so I didn‘t buy any other ingredients beforehand.” Lila was used to a life of luxury. She only ever had food made with imported fresh ingredients. Her taste buds were accustomed to food from high–
end restaurants and their home chefs. She had never seen “peasant” food such as the bowl of gunk in front of her. But since she was already here, she had no choice but to eat it.
However, the second she put the spoon in her mouth, she felt like vomiting. The disgusting–looking dishes coupled with the overall stench of the home made her lose her appetite. She sulkily pushed the bowl away and pouted.
*******
That evening, after tidying up the house, Eva approached Lila with an embarrassed smile.
“We only have two bedrooms; one for me and your dad and the other is for your brother Jeff. You‘ll have to make do in the living room, is that okay?” Lila looked at her in a daze, not knowing what to say. Well, there was nothing she could say. She couldn‘t stay in Glenn and Eva‘s room because they smelled terrible.
On the other hand, Jeff‘s room was just filthy. As for the living room… Lila glanced at the piles of garbage. This whole place was like a trash bin. Eva wanted her to sleep in here? What was the difference between sleeping here and on the street?
The more Lila looked around, the more disgusted she felt with this family. She didn‘t want to live here at all. When she left the White family, Johanna had given her a generous amount of money. As long as she didn‘t squander it, it would be enough for her to live a carefree life for a couple of years. Thinking of this, Lila put on a fake smile.
“Don‘t worry. I‘ll stay in a hotel.” As she spoke, she quickly grabbed her luggage and headed for the door.
“That‘s really not necessary!” Eva hurriedly stopped her.
“Our house might not be as nice as the Whites‘, but we can make do…” Lila couldn‘t stand being inside this house a second longer, so without replying, she turned around and left with a sneer.
*******
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A few days later, Lila was lying peacefully in a luxurious bathtub in her hotel room with rose petals floating around her. She stretched her arms and yawned, picked up a glass of red wine on the side, and sipped it carefully.
These days, she had been staying in the hotel. She hadn‘t felt so relaxed in so long. This was the kind of life for her.
However, her moment of peace was interrupted by the shrill ringtone of the mobile phone.
“Hello?” she asked irritably.
“Who‘s this?”
“When‘re you coming back, Lila?” Eva asked in an anxious voice. She had called Lila many times in the past few days.
“Your brother told me that the hotel you‘re staying in is very expensive. Why don‘t you just come back and stay at home with your family?” Eva seemed to have been born with a loud voice, so as she spoke into the receiver, Lila felt as though she was about to go deaf. Before Lila could say anything, she heard Jeff shouting in the background, “She could‘ve spent that money buying me new clothes! How could she just burn the money and stay in a five –star hotel alone for so long?” Lila rolled her eyes impatiently.
The more she learned about the Gillian family, the more disgusted she was with them. Glenn was an alcoholic who always skipped work while Eva was a dirty–mouthed shrew. Jeff was the worst of them. Her younger brother was a jobless punk who still lived with his parents even though he was in his 20s. Worse yet, he always demanded money from his parents and would make a scene if he couldn‘t get any.
“I don‘t want to go back. The money is mine. I can do whatever I want with it. It‘s none of your business,” Lila hissed into the receiver.
Judging from the many phone calls from Eva, she could tell that her parents didn‘t love her. They had always wanted a son, not a daughter. So obviously they only loved Jeff.
“Why are you angry? Lila, I’m aware that our family isn’t rich nor powerful. Is that why you look down upon us?” Eva asked loudly over the phone. She spoke in a blunt and impolite manner.
“I just want you to leave me alone,” Lila replied, holding back her anger. In all honesty, she’d rather not admit that these people were her family, but they were all she had. She had lived under the White family’s protection for over two decades, so she didn’t have much social experience.
Sadly, her ties to the White family as their daughter were now gone. Though it pained her to admit this, she didn’t have the courage to live all alone. At the very least, she hated the very idea of feeling alone. That was why she didn’t cut ties with the Gillians even though she really hated them.
“Don’t you know who gave you all these? If I hadn’t replaced the White family’s daughter with you back in the hospital, you wouldn’t have lived such a wealthy life for decades!” Eva cursed.
“If it weren’t for me, none of that would’ve happened!” Her words served to infuriate Lila. She immediately ended the phone call and exclaimed, “What a crazy bitch!”