Chapter 2 Awkward Reunion

It was a sunny morning in Bluabert.

In the living room of the Hammond family's villa, the whole family was discussing Emberly's return. Felicia lowered her head and looked dejected. She had been silent all along. When her mother—Sylvia Hammond, noticed this, her heart ached. She didn't like seeing Felicia sad even though it turned out they weren't related.

"Licia, don't be so sad. Emberly will be your sister, and our love for you will never change. You are still our daughter." Sylvia held her hand.

"I know, Mom. I'm not unhappy about the development. Since Emberly is your biological daughter, I won't try to compete with her. I'm already lucky to have been raised under your loving care for the past sixteen years. Don't worry about me." Tears welled up in her eyes, making her look even more pitiful.

Her considerate words made her parents feel warm.

"Honey, you should go to work now. Licia and Travis, it's already time for school. I'll go to pick Emmie up. Although that man said that he doesn't want any money from us, I can't help but feel that he would change his mind and blackmail us someday. I'll take money along just in case the pauper goes back on his words," Sylvia said the last sentence with disgust.

Her husband—Darian Hammond, nodded and mumbled a few words before putting on his coat and setting off.

Felicia's misty eyes gleamed with disgust after her real father was mentioned. She hated the idea of being the daughter of such a poverty-stricken farmer, and she wasn't going to allow anyone to spoil the abundant life she had been living for years. As far as she was concerned, Emberly was just a nobody who didn't even know how the world worked. She was ready to fight tooth and nail with this new girl as soon as possible. Thinking of this, Felicia clenched her fists.

"Mom, can I go with you? Since you guys don't have a relationship yet, the meeting might be a little awkward. I'm the same age as her, so we can hit it off pretty quickly. What do you think?"

Sylvia felt that it was a good idea, so she agreed. She called Felicia's teacher and applied for a day's leave. Afterward, they set off with the butler.

Travis Hammond—the Hammond couple's other child—didn't join in the conversation. He was always calmer and smarter than his peers. He felt sorry for his supposed younger sister Emberly, but he was much closer to Felicia because she was the only sister he had actually known since birth. He decided to go to school as usual instead offering to go with his mother and sister.

Later on, whenever he recalled the decision he made today, he would feel extremely regretful.

In Warlington Village, the news that Xavier's daughter, Emberly wasn't his biological child spread like wildfire. The villagers soon all learned that her biological parents were on their way to pick her up. Not only that, they heard that the Hammonds from Bluabert were filthy rich. They talked about how lucky Emberly was as well as how despicable Xavier's real daughter was since she refused to give way to the real princess.

Several women gathered under a big tree at the center of the village to gossip. They were deep in their gossip when a shiny luxury car began to come towards them.

Sylvia was currently in a bad mood. She had heard that it was a village, but she was shocked that it was so remote. The car was entering into many potholes, causing its occupants to swing from side to side. Sylvia was cursing non-stop.

The bad road ended at a short distance from Xavier's house. Sylvia, Felicia, and the butler had to get out of the car and walk the rest of the way. It was a muddy path, so their shoes soon got soiled. Sylvia cursed under her breath, "Gosh! That Xavier guy didn't even bother coming to pick us up. To think my poor daughter has been raised up by such an uneducated lowlife!"

Although she was annoyed, she felt a little better when Felicia held her hand. She was pleased that she raised such an excellent daughter.

Xavier had been standing at the front door of his house for a long time. He was supposed to pick Sylvia up, but he couldn't leave the house since Peter had gone to school and there was no one to care for the sick Emberly. As he looked down the muddy path, he saw three expensively dressed people. He hurried towards them.

Sylvia was all grumpy. As soon as she was ushered into the house, she felt sick. This place was worse than she imagined. She didn't know much about how her daughter had lived in the past sixteen years. But after seeing the deplorable state of this house, she was happy that her precious Licia hadn't grown up here. Perhaps it was fate that caused the whole baby switcheroo. It wasn't a fair thing to think, but she couldn't help it.

"Please have a seat. I'll get you some water." Xavier felt a little uneasy as Sylvia looked around with her lips upturned with disgust.

"No, you don't have to. We'll be leaving soon." Sylvia stopped him immediately.

Xavier was stunned.

"Why so soon? I hate to break it to you, but Emmie is sick. Why don't you rest here first?"

"What? She's sick? Why did you let that happen? It seems you haven't been taking good care of my daughter while we raised yours well. You can see that for yourself!" Sylvia flipped out as soon as she heard his statement.

Xavier hurriedly waved his hand and explained, "Ma'am, it's not what you think. Emmie ran back home after hearing the news, and it was raining heavily... Anyway, she caught a cold because of it. I have—"

"Spare me your excuses, mister. We won't wait here. Just release her to us. She will receive the best treatment once we go back home!" Sylvia cut him off rudely.

Xavier's eyes darkened and he nodded.

"Dad, who are they? What are you discussing?" During the argument, Emberly had gotten out of bed and made it to her bedroom door. Her face was pale due to the illness, but she still looked beautiful.

Felicia turned to look at her. A spark of jealousy and resentment leaped into her eyes. She had expected to see a haggard young girl. It was an unpleasant surprise that Emberly was very pretty. She clearly took after her biological mother, Sylvia.

"Emmie, you are here! I'm your mother! You are a spitting image of me. You can see that, right?" Before Xavier could introduce them, Sylvia had stepped forward and held Emberly's hand.

Emberly flashed her a polite but distant smile and withdrew her hand. She then looked at Xavier.

"Yes, this is your... Mother. And that is your sister, Felicia. They are your family from now on. They came to take you home," Xavier said hurriedly.

The fact that Emberly turned to Xavier for confirmation made Sylvia a little dissatisfied. However, she didn't show it since this was their first meeting.

"In that case, I'll go and pack my things. Please wait for a moment." Emberly turned around and went back into her bedroom.

Her swift acceptance took everyone by surprise. They had expected her to throw a tantrum since she was practically being uprooted from here.

Felicia's annoyance increased by the second. What was there to pack? She probably had tattered and old belongings. There was no need to pack such things. After all, her wardrobe would be changed once they got back home.

A few minutes later, Emberly came out with a small suitcase. She had only a few belongings since the family she grew up in was poor. There were only two sets of clothes and a lot of textbooks in her suitcase.

"Dad, remember the promise you made me. Take care of yourself and Peter. I'll visit often. I love you!"

"I'll keep that in mind. When you get home, you should get along well with your new family. Study hard in your new school. One of these days, Peter and I will visit you. Take care, Emmie. Love you... And you too, Licia..." Xavier's voice was shaky. Both of his daughters were leaving. He turned around with tears in his eyes.

Sylvia suddenly winked at the butler. Taking the hint, the butler moved to Xavier and held out a credit card. "Here you go, mister. This is a little gift from Mr. and Mrs. Hammond to show appreciation to you for raising Miss Emberly."

Xavier shook his head hard and said, "Emmie is my daughter. It's my duty to raise her. I already said before that I don't want a penny from you. I only want you to treat Emmie and... Licia well."

"Not to worry; they are both my daughters now. They won't lack anything. My husband and I will give them the best education and any other thing they would ever need. Since you don't want the money, we'd appreciate it if you don't disturb the girls' lives. We are Emberly's real parents after all. As for Felicia, she can come to see you if she wants, and we won't stop her," Sylvia uttered firmly.

She had gotten what she came here for, so she didn't want to talk to Xavier or stay here for another second. She knew Felicia like the back of her hand. As a result, she was certain that Felicia wouldn't turn her back on them who had raised her for years.

"Well, that's good." Xavier forced a smile.

Emberly acted as if she hadn't heard a word of Sylvia's. She stepped forward and hugged Xavier before saying, "Dad, take care of yourself and Peter. I will be back."

Again, Sylvia was displeased with Emberly's behavior. It was like a slap in her face that her biological daughter was showing affection to someone else when she barely acknowledged her presence. She reasoned that Emberly badly behaved because she was raised in such an underdeveloped village. She decided to discipline her more when they returned to the city.

Before getting into the car, Emberly waved at Xavier, who stood still and stared at the car until it disappeared.

Emberly didn't look back. She knew it was just a temporary separation. Once she took revenge on the Hammonds for what they did to her in her past life, she would return to her family—the real ones in her books.

On the way, for several times, Felicia wanted to talk to Emberly, but she swallowed her words when she saw her resting with her eyes closed. She could only stare at Emberly's beautiful pale face and keep silent.

It was almost dusk when they finally arrived home. It was a villa located in the wealthiest area in Bluabert. All the neighbors were either rich, powerful, or both. Felicia glanced at Emberly. This should be the first time that this bumpkin was seeing such villas. She must be shocked.

After coming out of the car, Emberly stared up at the magnificent building in front of her. There was no look of surprise, awe, or timidity on her face. She simply smiled and muttered to herself, "I'm back again."