t of the Gulliver family hid their laughter, mocking silently from the sidelines.
Penny lowered her head, at a loss for words, looking utterly self–conscious.
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“Enough. Butler, take those things away before they dirty the carpet,” Barbara said, her words uncomfortably condescending.
Birds of a feather indeed.
Evelyn glanced at her so–called relatives, each draped in gold and silver, holding themselves as if they were above everyone else.
They’re all daughters–in–law of this family, so why is Mom treated as if she’s nothing? Such blatant double standards.
Barbara’s gaze shifted to Evelyn. “So, this is the one you brought back from the Cirrus family?”
“Yes. This is Evie. Evie, hurry and greet your grandmother,” Penny urged, pushing her forward.
“Grandmother,” Evelyn called reluctantly. The word came only because Barbara was an elder.
“This is your Uncle Thomas and Aunt Jade, and over there is your Uncle Charles and Aunt Scarlett.”
This time, Evelyn stood still, showing no desire to greet her uncles and aunts, and they shot her looks of disdain in return.
“Alright, you may go. I’ll have a word with Evelyn alone,” Barbara ordered.
Penny gave Evelyn a worried glance before stepping out.
They had kept her standing the entire time, never once offering her a seat. Surrounded in the middle of the hall, it felt less like a greeting and more like a trial.
“Come here, child,” Barbara suddenly said with a soft wave of her hand.
This old had did a one–eighty just like that—she must be scheming something. Evelyn smiled faintly. “Grandmother, whatever you want to say, just say it. I can hear you perfectly well from here.”
Barbara’s face stiffened at being denied such deference. Her displeasure showed, but she lifted her chin and asked loftily, “I heard that before you were raised in the Cirrus family. Now that you’ve returned to us, do you still keep in contact with those foster parents?”
Evelyn understood immediately. So that’s what she’s after–trying to use me as a bridge back to
the
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Chapter 19 Disgrace at the Mansion
Cirruses.
“No,” Evelyn said flatly, cutting off the idea before it could take root.
Jade quickly jumped in to scold her. “That’s not right, Evelyn. You’ve found your birth parents, but your family’s circumstances aren’t good. Shouldn’t you let your foster parents help out a little? After all, you lived with them for so many years. Don’t you even understand such simple reasoning?”
Evelyn turned a cold gaze on her. “That’s where you’re wrong, Aunt Jade. Even blood relatives refuse to help each other these days. What makes you think outsiders would?”
Her words were sharp, and everyone knew who they were aimed at. After all, Penny was her birth mother, and Wyatt her birth father. Her uncles were her father’s own blood brothers. Yet they had cast their family out to suffer while they sat here basking in luxury.
“You… what do you mean by that?” Jade stammered, struggling to keep up.
Barbara cut her off with a sharp, “Enough. Be quiet!” Her irritation was clear.
Just then, a girl walked in.
“Wow, everyone’s here! Grandma, what are you all talking about?” It was Regina Gulliver, Charles and Scarlett’s daughter.
Barbara’s expression softened into a rare smile. “Ginny, how’s your piano practice going? The exam is coming up soon.”
“Don’t worry, Grandma. I’ll pass for sure.”
“Mom, Ginny’s been working so hard. Even her teacher says she’s talented,” Scarlett chimed in with pride.
Watching them chatter as if she weren’t even there, Evelyn felt completely ignored. Rolling her eyes, she quietly slipped out of the hall. No one noticed her leave.
She went to look for Penny and found her in the kitchen helping with lunch.
“Pick through these vegetables.”
“Wash the peppers.”
“Peel the garlic.”
Penny worked busily, treated almost like a servant.
Evelyn rushed over and grabbed her mother’s hand. “Mom, what are you doing?”
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“Helping out in the kitchen,” Penny replied as though it were nothing new.
Back when she had lived in the Gulliver Mansion, she had been made to work alongside the staff. Barbara had always said she wouldn’t support idlers. Even after being cast out, every time Penny returned, she was still expected to work.
“Stop it!” Evelyn snatched the garlic from her hands.
“Evie, it’s fine. I’m used to it. It’s better than sitting around doing nothing,” Penny said softly.
“Why? Why is it that Aunt Jade and Aunt Scarlett sit in the hall covered in jewels, while you’re stuck here working like a servant? It’s not fair! You don’t owe them anything.”
Penny’s eyes clouded with sorrow. “I… I was never of good background. I came from the countryside. Back then, when your father was cast out, half of it was because of me.
“Your father may not have been as clever as his brothers, but he has always been the kindest of them all. And he fell for me, a nobody from the countryside, and insisted on marrying me against Barbara’s wishes. It’s all my fault…” Her eyes reddened as she spoke.
Only then did Evelyn fully understand. Her father, Wyatt, had indeed been born the Gulliver heir, but because he wasn’t clever enough, Barbara had never favored him. And when he chose to marry Penny, a woman with no family or background, he went completely against Barbara’s will.
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