“Your sister used to live with the White family. How could she own a fake bag? Anyway, you came home
just in time for dinner. Come and sit down.” Eva waved gestured her children to come in with a smile.
Irritation flashed in Lila‘s eyes and she walked to the dining table reluctantly. The house was so small
that the living area and kitchen were pretty much one room and there was barely enough space for the
four of them.
As if the cramped feeling wasn‘t enough, the place was filthy, too. A few flies hovered over the food. Eva
scooped some gunk into a bowl and put it in front of Lila.
“Eat it while it‘s hot. I didn‘t know you‘d be here for dinner, so I didn‘t buy any other ingredients
beforehand.” Lila was used to a life of luxury. She only ever had food made with imported fresh
ingredients. Her taste buds were accustomed to food from high–end restaurants and their home chefs.
She had never seen “peasant” food such as the bowl of gunk in front of her. But since she was already
here, she had no choice but to eat it.
However, the second she put the spoon in her mouth, she felt like vomiting. The disgusting–looking
dishes coupled with the overall stench of the home made her lose her appetite. She sulkily pushed the
bowl away and pouted.
*******
That evening, after tidying up the house, Eva approached Lila with an embarrassed smile.
“We only have two bedrooms; one for me and your dad and the other is for your brother Jeff. You‘ll have
to make do in the living room, is that okay?” Lila looked at her in a daze, not knowing what to say. Well,
there was nothing she could say. She couldn‘t stay in Glenn and Eva‘s room because they smelled
terrible.
On the other hand, Jeff‘s room was just filthy. As for the living room… Lila glanced at the piles of
garbage. This whole place was like a trash bin. Eva wanted her to sleep in here? What was the
difference between sleeping here and on the street?
The more Lila looked around, the more disgusted she felt with this family. She didn‘t want to live here at
all. When she left the White family, Johanna had given her a generous amount of money. As long as she
didn‘t squander it, it would be enough for her to live a carefree life for a couple of years. Thinking of this,
Lila put on a fake smile.
“Don‘t worry. I‘ll stay in a hotel.” As she spoke, she quickly grabbed her luggage and headed for the
door.
“That‘s really not necessary!” Eva hurriedly stopped her.
“Our house might not be as nice as the Whites‘, but we can make do...” Lila couldn‘t stand being inside
this house a second longer, so without replying, she turned around and left with a sneer.
*******
A few days later, Lila was lying peacefully in a luxurious bathtub in her hotel room with rose petals
floating around her. She stretched her arms and yawned, picked up a glass of red wine on the side, and
sipped it carefully.
These days, she had been staying in the hotel. She hadn‘t felt so relaxed in so long. This was the kind of
life for her.
However, her moment of peace was interrupted by the shrill ringtone of the mobile phone.
“Hello?” she asked irritably.
“Who‘s this?”
“When‘re you coming back, Lila?” Eva asked in an anxious voice. She had called Lila many times in the
past few days.
“Your brother told me that the hotel you‘re staying in is very expensive. Why don‘t you just come back
and stay at home with your family?” Eva seemed to have been born with a loud voice, so as she spoke
into the receiver, Lila felt as though she was about to go deaf. Before Lila could say anything, she heard
Jeff shouting in the background, “She could‘ve spent that money buying me new clothes! How could she
just burn the money and stay in a five –star hotel alone for so long?” Lila rolled her eyes impatiently.
The more she learned about the Gillian family, the more disgusted she was with them. Glenn was an
alcoholic who always skipped work while Eva was a dirty–mouthed shrew. Jeff was the worst of them.
Her younger brother was a jobless punk who still lived with his parents even though he was in his 20s.
Worse yet, he always demanded money from his parents and would make a scene if he couldn‘t get any.
“I don‘t want to go back. The money is mine. I can do whatever I want with it. It‘s none of your business,”
Lila hissed into the receiver.
Judging from the many phone calls from Eva, she could tell that her parents didn‘t love her. They had
always wanted a son, not a daughter. So obviously they only loved Jeff.
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