The fact I had friends that cared about me made me felt assured. As I marched into the mansion, I noticed a lot of guests, including heirs of different families, who had been invited to the banquet. Although the family wasn’t a member of the upper echelon, it was considered a renowned family in Avenport.
It felt as though it was a blind date set up for Crystal. The moment I marched into the manor, I could feel the guests looking at me. The sense of inferiority had caused me to behave oddly. I just couldn’t get used to being the center of everyone’s attention.
However, after spending a few years in the corporate world, I could conceal my emotions and keep everything to myself. I looked at the guests and nodded in return. All of a sudden, I saw Nathan, Scarlett, and Yvette engaging in a conversation nearby the staircase. The family of three seemed to be having a great time.
I was supposed to get used to it, but it would still get to me as the one next to Nathan used to be a loving father. The one next to her wasn’t Amelia as well. However, those were merely sweet memories of mine.
When I reached Nathan’s side, I greeted him, “Hey, Dad.”
His expression darkened the moment he saw me. As Lyle was nowhere to be seen, he craned over and queried, “Where’s Lyle? Why are you here on your own?”
I had long gotten used to his irritated look after spending the past decade being neglected by him. “He’ll be joining us soon because he has to deal with something else.”
“Go entertain our guests and mind your manners! Otherwise, I’ll hold you accountable if anything goes wrong!” Nathan beckoned me away with his face puckered in irritation, joining other guests once he finished humiliating me.
I couldn’t figure out the reason the loving father of mine had turned into an indifferent man over the night. On top of having an affair with another woman, he had a daughter that was around my age. The thing that hurt me the most was the fact my mother had left me behind.
Scarlett scowled at me and wrapped her arm around Nathan’s arm, joining him in entertaining the other guests. On the other hand, Yvette approached and greeted me enthusiastically, “Hey, Yvonne! You look different! It took me a few minutes to figure out you’re my sister! Where’s Lyle, by the way? Why isn’t he here? Are you guys fighting again? I hope that’s not the case, otherwise, it’s a bad omen!”
She wouldn’t stop rubbing salt into my wounds, but I had no intention to waste my time with her either. It seemed like everyone was conscious of my strained relationship with Lyle and couldn’t wait to gloat over my misfortune.
Smirking, she added, “You should have listened to me when I told you to stay away from Lyle because he obviously had a thing for Crystal! Had that been the case, you wouldn’t have gone through the ordeals over the past two years. You don’t think you can turn the tables around, do you?”
I would never be on good terms with my stepsister unless some sort of miracle occurred over the night and allowed us to patch things up with one another.
All of a sudden, I recalled the great time I had as the only daughter of the Tanner family. I was my parents’ sweetheart, but everything changed the moment Scarlett and Yvette showed up.
My mother, Amelia, couldn’t stand being around them and decided to leave everything behind, including me. I ended up being the extra one as Nathan deemed Scarlett and Yvette the nucleus member of his family. When Crystal joined the family along with his mother, life got worse for me. I should consider myself lucky for making it through adulthood.
“Why don’t you stop poking your nose into my business since you’re aware I’m Lyle’s legal spouse? Well, I guess you can define a mistress better than others, huh? After all, you’re the daughter of a mistress,” I rebuked with my head held high.
