Chapter 5

Chapter 5 69%

Natalie rolled her eyes. “Who cares if she’s pretty if she’s a total witch inside? If it weren’t for her, Emma wouldn’t have been ignored by her parents. Can’t she just stay in her own lane? But now that she’s back, whatever. How could she bully Ernma?”

“Natalie, you don’t have to defend me, Emma said. “She is the Resewood family’s real daughter, so it makes sense she gets some attention.

“What do you mean that? Now that the Rosewood family has adopted you, they can’t ignore you.”

“Thanks, Natalie. Honestly, I don’t know how to get her to like me. I thought bringing her to meet you guys today would help.

“After all, she grew up in ta poor village and hasn’t seen much of the world. But she wouldn’t even come. She said Emma’s voice faded away.

you all...

Natalie frowned, “What did she say about us?”

“She you guys aren’t worthy of being her friends,” Emma whispered.

“What?” Natalie exclaimed, her anger flaring. “A country bumpkin thinks she can look down on us? No way! I’m going to teach her a lesson.”

Just as Natalie was about to storm off, Emma grabbed her arm, saying with a pitiful voice, “Hold on, Natalie. If we upset her, Dad’s going to punish me again.”

Mia gave her a gentle pat on the back. “You’re just too nice, girl. That’s why Elysia’s always stepping on you.”

Natalie nodded. “Exactly. You can’t be too nice, or people will take advantage of you. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure she gets what’s coming to her.”

Mia echoed, “Just watch how Natalie and I serve her up a slice of her own pie.”

With that, the two headed inside together. Emma watched them leave, a small smile creeping onto her lips.

As Elysia was about to swipe her card, Natalie suddenly stepped in her way and asked in an unfriendly voice, “Are you Elysia “Yeah, what’s up?” Elysia replied flatly.

Natalie sized her up and sneered, “Do you think a country bumpin like you can afford to shop here?”

Is this girl out of mind? Elysia felt speechless, wondering what she’d done to deserve this. After quickly taking in the scene, she glanced at the doorway and spotted Emma–everything clicked into place.

“Birds of a feather flock together. Well, since they seem to be bored and looking for trouble, I might as well play along, she thought to herself.

“What? You think I can’t pay, and now you feel like covering for me? Elysia said, Elysia said, placing her handbag on a nearby display table and angling it toward Natalie and Mia.

Just as I thought, you’ve got zero manners: Natalie snapped.

871 14:02 Tue, Jan 28 • U Chapter 5 | @69%

Elysia smiled, “Oh, and this classy lady talks so crudely and acts all rude. If that’s what you call minners, then I guess I really don’t have any ”

“You” Natalie exclaimed, raising her hand to slap Elysia.

But just before she could make contact, Elysia caught her wrist playfully. “If it weren’t for your fancy clothes, Td think you just escaped from a mental hospital”

Elysia then turned to the shocked shop assistant. “Is your store that cheap, letting anyone wander in? It’s best to keep the barking dogs outside.”

The shop assistant quickly said, “I’m sorry. I’ll ask her to leave right away.”

Natalie was fuming. “Who are you calling a barking dog?”

“Whoever responds,” Elysia shot back.

Mia’s face was bright red with anger. Seeing the shop assistant about to kick them out, she spoke up. “How dare you! I’m the heiress of Smith Real Estate, and this is the heiress of Moore Group. If you lay a finger on us, you’ll be in deep trouble.”

Elysia chuckled softly. “Oh, so you both have impressive backgrounds. No wonder you’re looking down on us country folks.”

Mia and Natalie preened a bit at the flattery. “Well, we city kids are just different from you country types.”

“What’s the difference?” Elysia asked.

“Can’t you see for yourself?” Mia shot back.

Elysia smirked. “Oh, I get it now. Your family’s got some unique teaching methods. While most families raise their daughters to be classy ladies, yours must be teaching you to be bold and full of yourselves. That’s quite the special touch.

“But I’m a little worried about your family businesses. You know small habits reflect big outcomes. I’m honestly curious how long your companies will last with such an interesting upbringing.”

Natalie’s face turned red with anger, and she lunged to hit Elysia but a nearby sales associate stepped in to stop her. Elysia looked at them with amusement and pretended to sigh. “How pathetic. You’re out here defending her while she’s watching you embarrass yourselves. If I had a friend like that, I would’ve kicked her to the curb a long time ago.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Emma’s super sweet. She just didn’t want to show up because she’s worried Scott will punish her,” Mia hurriedly explained.

Elysia rolled her eyes at Mia. ‘You’re more of a hindrance than a help, she thought.

Mia quickly realized her mistake and clamped her hand over her mouth.

Elysia nodded, a light bulb going off in her head. “So that’s the case. But who told you Dad would punish her? He loves her too much to do that.”

Mia retorted, “Why wouldn’t he? Elysia, if it weren’t for you, Mr and Mrs. Rosewood wouldn’t be ignoring her. Why did you come back, anyway?”

Elysia laughed in anger. “How ridiculous! I’m the biological daughter of the Rosewood family. Why wouldn’t I come back? Emma lived a life of luxury for eighteen years and now she want to take my place? Does she deserve that?

14:02 Tue, Jan 28 Chapter 5 Emma stood outside the door, listening to the argument, her body shaking. Tm undeserving? Eve lived in the Rosewood mansion for eighteen years, getting all the love from Dad and Mom. I’m already a real Rosewood. So what if Elysia comes back?

She’d still just be the second daughter.

“Plus, my parents treated her really well. They didn’t ignore her for me–especially my mom. She almost cut ties with me over this adopted daughter.” Elysia added and then headed to the front desk to pay the bill, ignoring Natalie and Mia..

After paying. Elysia glanced at the two, who were glaring back in anger. She waved her card, smirking. “Relax. I’ve got money.

You don’t need to worry about paying.”

With that, she walked out–her clothes would be sent to her home later. At the door, she paused and glanced over at Emma, who was hiding behind a flower stand.

A cold sneer appeared on Elysia’s lips as she thought, “Trying to play games with me? You’re still a little too young for that.” After leaving the mall, Elysia didn’t head home right away. She found a nearby payphone and pulled her cell out of her bag. She checked the video from the tiny camera she’d set up and thought, ‘Glad I brought this bag along!

This bag had been modified by Elysia to include a hidden camera. When Natalie and Mia showed up, she adjusted the bag’s position just right to capture the entire scene.

‘Now it’s time for the video to serve its purpose, Elysia thought and called the entertainment journalist’s number she had from Nicole. I’m sending the video to your phone. Name your price, and I want this video trending on all the hot topic lists.”

“Leave it to me, the journalist replied After hanging up, Elysia sent the video and then cleared her chat history.

When Elysia finally got home, she found Emma curled up in Bella’s arms, sobbing pitifully.

Bella was soothing Emma, her eyes all worried–like. But as soon as she spotted Elysia, that worry just disappeared, and she got all furious.

Elysia felt a real sting. Have you ever thought I’m your kid too, Mom?‘

“You actually decided to come home? Do you realize what you’ve done today?” Bella demanded.

“I went shopping like Dad instructed. What’s the issue?” Elysia replied, her voice flat.

“Why did you bully Natalie and Mia at the mall? They’re Emma‘ friends. You’ve embarrassed the Rosewood family,” Bella snapped.

“I bullied them?” Elysia couldn’t believe her ears.

Comment Send gill No Ads 14:02 Tue, Jan 28 Chapter 6