With a frown on the desperate expression on her face, Adelpha helplessly watched as Lyra swallowed
the two large pieces of apricot almond cake.Oh, Momma! Why are you such a glutton?! she quietly
cried.
"My dear sister." Elise shook the apricot almond cake in her hand, her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly
as they glinted brightly.
"Would you like to try it too?"
"No, no! No need for that,"
Adelpha blurted out as she waved her hands aggressively.Every inch of her body was outwardly
rejecting the offer.
"I-I have tried it in the cafe.I am so full that I can't take another bite now!"
"Is that so..."
Elise lowered her eyes in disappointment, but a smile remained plastered on her face the whole
time.When she turned around, she looked at Lyra with a kind expression.
"Since Adelpha doesn't want to cat it and I have suddenly lost my appetite, please finish the pastries for
me, Aunt Lyra"
Lyra froze for a second when she heard that.
Is this really happening? she wondered before she started coughing when she nearly choked.Her
cough gradually calmed as she hit herself on the chest a few times.
Pretending to be as calm as an elderly would, she uttered, "If that is the case, I have no choice but to
accept it."
"Mihm, lam sorry for troubling you!" Elise kept smiling while she replied.
Now that her taste buds were satisfied, Lyra then returned to the kitchen with the cakes in her hand
with light steps.
As Adelpha worried that her mother would finish all the cake, she quickly went around Elise's back to
give Lyra a warning without Elise knowing.She was only halfway there when Elise suddenly stood up,
coincidentally standing face to face with her.
The smile Elise had on earlier had completely disappeared by then.
"Don't slack off, Adelpha.It will be tomorrow in a few more hours.I feel like having plum pudding
tomorrow.You can go prepare to make it now"
Adelpha instantly felt her throat constrict when she heard that.
"Are you asking me to make it myself?"
"You won't do it?"
Elise put on a sad expression.
"It is not that I don't want to, it is just that—"
"That will do."
Elise didn't give her a chance to finish her sentence.
"Learning is a lifelong journey, Adelpha.I know that you can do it.Cheer up!"
Without waiting for her to refuse, Elise proceeded to walk upstairs.
Adelpha could only keep mum at that as she had no other choice.
When she remembered the box of cakes again after a while, she hurried into the kitchen to snatch
away what Lyra had not finished eating, and threw it all away.
"My daughter! Why did you throw it away? It is so delicious!" Lyra couldn't help feeling like it was a
waste.
"Momma!" Adelpha lowered her voice as she angrily stomped her foot.
"I drugged the cakes! Why did you cat it?!"
"What?!"
Lyra had only thought it was a normal pain that she was feeling in her abdomen at first, but after
listening to Adelpha's words, her stomach immediately started cramping painfully.
"Why didn't you say so just now?!" she groaned while pressing her stomach.
As she spoke, she felt an abrupt force trying to break out of her body.She quickly started to run out of
the kitchen with her legs pressed together, all the while releasing foul gas.
Disgusted, Adelpha, too, quickly fled the scene with her hand over her nose.
When the next morning came, Onyx entered the house with his luggage, only to be greeted by the sight
of a pale Adelpha lying on the sofa.
"Ahem""
He pulled a face and forced a cough to wake her up.
She eventually woke up, her body shaking.
She thought that it was a dream when she opened her eyes and saw Onyx, so she rubbed her eyes to
confirm that it wasn't a dream.
After confirming that it was her beloved father, she immediately stood up and ran over to hug him.
"Poppa, you are finally home! I have missed you so much, Poppa!"
Adelpha began to sob as she spoke.
Onyx’s attitude instantly softened then.
As he pulled her away, he wiped the tears from her cheeks fondly and complained, "You are too old to
be sobbing like a baby! Wasn't I only on a business trip for a week? Why do you already miss me so
much? How are you going to live a married life in the future?!"
"I don't want to get married.I want to be your precious daughter for the rest of my life!"
Adelpha took his arm and leaned against him as she acted like a spoiled child.
Elise happened to see them when she walked to the middle of the stairs.
Indifference and ridicule appeared in her eyes at that very moment.
He didn't even ask about his own daughter who had died at sea despite how much she had suffered,
but here he was, doting on someone else's daughters.
Elise could only imagine how sad Anastasia would be if she was watching this unfold.
After all, Elise and Anastasia shared one similarity— they were both deprived of their fathers’ love.
Even though everything was resolved after Austin left, Elise could still relate to and feel the pain in
Anastasia’s heart.
Onyx soon noticed Elise standing there.
Before he came home, Lyra and Adelpha had reported to him everything that had happened at home
these two days.
Of course, they made it a point to exaggerate every detail.
Onyx, who was a loving father up ull a moment ago, took a look at Elise and his face fell immediately.
"Look at how haggard your little sister looks.You have done one hell of a job, huh?"
"By helping them exercise their body? I sure did, didn't I? You don't have to rush to compliment me,"
Elise said lightly.
"Compliment you? I would have beaten you to death if I wasn't holding back for your mother's sake!"
Enraged, Onyx flared his nostrils and raised his graying eyebrows.
"We haven't heard a peep from you when you went missing for half a year.Now you are back, only to
be treating your stepmother and stepsister with disrespect.You sure have become impudent!"
"Why are you getting mad so early in the morning? They did it all voluntarily.You can ask them if you
don't believe me," Elise remarked while walking down the stairs.
Hearing that, Onyx turned to look at Adelpha beside him."What exactly is going on?"
Adelpha bit her lip and lowered her head before she deliberately grabbed Onyx’s clothes and hid
behind him.Her light sobs turned into loud wails at this point.
"Anastasia was the one who forced us into it! She beats up anyone who doesn't do as she says.Our
servants can testify!"
Onyx immediately blew his top and boomed at Elise, "You better kneel down!"
Elise only rolled her eyes as she walked to the sofa and sat down.She proceeded to calmly pour a cup
of tea, which she then held in her hand.
"I don't mind kneeling before my parents, but you have already cut off our father-daughter
relationship.You don't deserve to see me on my knees."
Onyx was so angry he went mute at that.He didn't expect that Anastasia, who had always been
submissive, would suddenly become such an unreasonable person.He only came back to his senses
after a long time, and when he did, he put out his trump card by rushing over to point in the direction of
the door.
"Since you are not my daughter, get out of this house and never come back!" Elise continued to
unhurriedly blow at her hot beverage before she eventually raised her head to cast an indifferent gaze
at him.
"Sure, I can leave.I will also go to Grandpa's birthday banquet in a few days by myself to save you the
trouble."
After she said that, she stood up holding the teacup as she got ready to go upstairs to pack up.
"Hold on!"
Onyx stopped her.
He then made concessions, albeit reluctantly.
"As an elder, I shouldn'tOnyx would be big trouble if news of this incident were to reach the ears of
Anastasia's grandfather.”
"Poppa!"
Upset with the decision, Adelpha shook his arm as she asked him to be just.
"Stop this nonsense!"
Onyx could only vent his frustration on Adelpha since he couldn't afford to get on Elise's bad side.
"I just came back from a business trip.Can't you give me one thing less to worry about? Isn't your piano
examination soon? How is your practice going?"
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