Upon hearing Sophiaâs mocking tone, Lea shot her a frustrated glare. âYouâre the one who could be tricked by a few pieces of candy. Iâm not a toddler, and I donât even like sweets!â
Sophia retorted with a sugary smile. âOh? Is that so? Then why donât you tell us what kind of person can win your approval as a ânice personâ in just a few minutes?â Lea huffed. âIt didnât take me a few minutes to recognize her as a good person. Iâve known her for a while now, and Iâm absolutely certain that she is a wonderful individual.â
Bertha, seeing her daughterâs odd behavior, pulled Lea aside anxiously. âTell me, who is this person who has earned such high praise from you?â
Lea shifted her annoyed gaze from Sophia to her mother and explained earnestly. âMom, remember when you and dad had that big fight years ago and we left home? The person who donated her blood to you after your car accident? I just saw her upstairs! Doesnât that make her a nice person?â
Bertha gasped in surprise. âWhat? You actually saw that kind-hearted lady? Itâs been several years; are you sure itâs her?â
Lea nodded confidently. âIâm positive! Plus, I talked to her, and she remembered the incident too.â
Bertha was overjoyed and turned to her husband excitedly. âThaddeus, itâs the life-saving angel weâve been searching for all these years. Weâve encountered her here today. It must be fate, donât you think?â
Thaddeus nodded in agreement. âOf course, itâs fate. I must express my gratitude to that lady today.â
Sophia seemed displeased and sneered internally, pretending to be concerned as she poured cold water on the situation. âDad, Bertha, doesnât this seem a little too convenient? The person weâve been searching for for years suddenly just shows up? Lea was just a kid back then. After all these years, how could she recognize the life-saving angel instantly? I guess she might have mistaken someone else for her.â
Lea shot back at Sophia. âAre you questioning my memory? Even if you doubt my memory, didnât you hear what I just said? That kind-hearted lady also remembered the incident. Thereâs no way weâre mistaken.â
Sophia shook her head, completely disagreeing with her. âAnyone would be willing to accept the title of a life-saving angel. I bet you immediately recognized her as the one who saved your mom and described the incident, so she just went along with it to receive the praise. Whether sheâs the real savior needs further verification.â
Lea glared at Sophia. âStop being so cynical! Just because youâre that kind of person doesnât mean everyone else is! Sheâs genuinely innocent. When I told her that my parents wanted to personally thank her, she didnât even want to meet them because she was worried that they might give her a gift.â
Sophia remained skeptical. âLea, Iâm just looking out for you and our parents. If she doesnât want to meet mom and dad, it might be a deliberate ploy. She must know that youâd tell us and that weâd eventually go looking for her.â
1 Lea was fed up with Sophiaâs scheming. âNo, itâs not like that! Stop talking. It was my mom who got rescued, not you!â
Sophia lowered her head with a hurt expression on her face. âAlright, I guess I was being nosy. I thought you and Bertha considered me part of the family, but it looks like I was mistaken.â
Bertha looked uncomfortable. âSophia, donât misunderstand her. Youâve always been a part of our family. Lea has a stubborn temperament; she didnât mean what she said. Iâll have a talk with her later.â
Sophia took a deep breath, pretending to wipe away her tears. âItâs okay, Bertha. I understand Leaâs feelings. She doesnât have to consider me her sister. My mother passed away when I was young, and Iâve always been alone.â
Thaddeus felt nothing but sympathy for Sophia when he saw her upset expression as she talked about her deceased mother. âLea, how could you speak to your sister like that? Apologize to her now!â