Gritting my teeth, I washed and dried my hands leisurely, intending to ignore Rylee.
Rylee barricaded the door by standing before it in her high heels, incensed. “What, are you playing the victim now? Do you know how much the three of them have gone through together just to have gotten to where they were? You ruined everything when you appeared. Sienna, don’t you realize what a jinx you are?”
“What’s that got to do with you?” I shot back, trying to suppress my rage. “It’s entirely up to the three of them if they disagree. Why are you in the picture? Or are you worried that you won’t be able to reap benefits from them as easily as you did before?”
“That’s total nonsense!” Rylee shrieked. “You don’t even know the depth of their feelings for each other. You’re utterly cold-blooded, Sienna. You have no idea at all.”
“Yes, I have no idea!” I replied. Countless people had come and gone in my life, but I’d never once thought of asking anyone to stay. I was indeed unfamiliar with the feelings that Rylee referred to.
I made another attempt to leave. Rylee, however, was determined to stop me. Impatiently, I remarked, “Rylee, the only reason why you’re blaming me right now isn’t that you care about their friendship. You’re just upset that I appeared on the scene. You think it’s because of me that they’re colder to you than before, but it’s entirely your own doing! You’ve shamelessly used them over and over again. You could have depended on Anthony’s goodwill to tide you through, but you were just too greedy. His money wasn’t enough for you; you had to have his love as well. You even dared to use Parker’s last words to satisfy your own selfish desires! It’s no wonder that they’re disgusted and sick of you. You’ve already revealed your worst side to them.”
Rylee’s face was white as a sheet. I took the opportunity to push her aside and walked out of the bathroom.
When she had recovered herself, she hastily lunged towards me. However, she lost her balance, tottering on her high heels.
Rylee fell straight onto the bathroom tiles, landing on her behind. It was a most unflattering posture for her.
“Sienna…” She howled after me in fury.
I shrugged helplessly. “That was all you. It had nothing to do with me.”
It would have been in keeping with Rylee’s usual style if she acted pitifully or started crying. However, seeing as there was no one around to witness her suffering, it was rather pointless for her to carry on with her usual show.
I was thus surprised when she actually burst into tears. It quickly evolved into full-blown sobbing.
Between tremendous sobs, Rylee heaved, “Sienna, how could you say such wicked things? Parker was everything to me. When he asked Anthony to take care of me, Anth was the only emotional support I had. You snatched him away from me, and now…”
I didn’t fully comprehend the situation until I caught sight of Jared striding towards us.
Looks like a leopard truly never changes its spots!
Jared never even glanced in Rylee’s direction as he entered the bathroom. I felt that my presence there was no longer necessary and walked back to our table.
The sound of Rylee’s sobs followed me down the corridor.
I hardly noticed Jared when he caught up with me, assuming it was just another patron in the restaurant.
Instead of going on ahead, however, he walked alongside me.
Instinctively, I turned to look at him. His face was expressionless, and he looked almost like his usual self.
After a while, Jared suddenly said, “You took care of Summer ever since she was young. I never once considered taking her away from you, but she’s still a Crest, after all. No matter what kind of life she ultimately chooses, she still has to know that her father is still alive.”
Dumbfounded, I stopped short in my tracks and looked at Jared speechlessly.
After a pause, I managed, “Before Macy left, she insisted that she’d never let Summer acknowledge you nor allow her to be known as a Crest. Jared, you have to understand that some things, once lost, can never be regained.”
Jared looked at me icily. “What do you plan to do, then? Will she follow you for the rest of her life? You might have given her everything, but do you really know what she truly wants?”
“She’s been with me since she was born. Why shouldn’t she continue to stay with me? You might be her biological father, but have you ever cared for her? Have you ever seen her stumble over her first words? Trip over her own feet when she was learning to walk? Were you ever there to comfort her in the middle of the night when she was bawling for her mother? Never. What right do you have to call yourself her father? Based on the sole contribution of your sperm?” I snapped back.
I was incredibly touchy about any matters pertaining to Summer.
Suppressing his rage, Jared growled, “I wasn’t even aware that Macy was pregnant back then. If I knew, I definitely wouldn’t have left her just like that to carry the child to term alone, much less leave her in your hands! All this was out of my control.”
I snorted. “How could you not have known? If not for you, then how would Kristina have gotten the news? She provoked Macy when Macy was at her lowest, causing her to give birth prematurely and die from a hemorrhage. Jared, do you think that flimsy claim of yours sufficiently excuses you for all you’ve done?”
Jared looked rather dejected. Narrowing his eyes, he asked skeptically, “Did you say that Kristina caused Macy’s death?”
“Are you saying that you’ve never tried to find out what happened to Macy back then?” I asked. My heart ached for Macy. If Jared really cared about her, why didn’t he even try?
The obvious answer was that he didn’t care. Otherwise, Jared wouldn’t have given up just like that. Not only had he never tried to look for Macy, he never even asked after her.
It made me even more fearful of handing Summer over to Jared.
He remained silent, biting his lip.
I’d calmed down. Looking at Jared’s troubled face, I vowed, “No matter what the Crests have planned for Summer, I will never give her up to you.”
I then stalked the rest of the way back to the table.
Anthony had been engaged in casual chit-chat with Joe. When he said me, he reached out in concern and asked, “What took you so long?”
“It’s nothing. Have you finished eating already?” We’d all gathered here today under the pretext of having dinner, but nobody had taken more than a few bites.
Anthony continued looking at me. “You’re not hungry?”
I shook my head vigorously. “Nope.”
Upon hearing this, Anthony pushed back his chair and stood up. Politely, he said to Joe, “It’s getting late. We’ll get going then.”
Obvious displeasure was written all over Joe’s face. He demanded, “Didn’t we agree to this get- together? Are you leaving before we’ve even gotten to say anything?”
“It’s late!” Anthony repeated firmly, hauling me along with him. Jared was smoking near the door. We passed each other without another word.
My heart throbbed as we got into the car. “Anthony, do you think it’s right for me to keep Summer with me?”
Anthony started the car. In a mellow voice, he asked, “Did Jared say anything to you?”
I shook my head. “I just feel that whatever I do for her won’t be good enough, somehow.”
I had often considered if I should tell Summer everything, all those times that Jared had visited her at the villa. But what would I tell an innocent child of four, five years old? What could she do with that information?
Perhaps everyone else was right. Summer would leave someday, eventually. But not now.
Anthony caressed my hand with his. His gentle gaze soothed me. “How about this? Let Summer and the Crests get to acknowledge each other, but she continues to stay with us. They can come over every once in a while to see her. Would you be able to accept that?”
I thought about it. For Summer, that would mean a bigger family and more love showered upon her. She had nothing to lose from this arrangement.
I stalled for a while before replying uncertainly, “Can that be arranged?”
Anthony took my hesitation for agreement. “Of course!” he agreed heartily.
Summer was already at the villa when we got back. When she saw Anthony and me enter, she came running and flew into his arms. At her age, she was already rather adept at turning on the charm.
“Mr. Featherstone, I have something for you!” Summer announced, putting on an air of mystery.
Struggling to contain his laughter, Anthony asked, “What is it?”
She furtively fished out a sweet from her pocket, hiding it in the palm of her hand. It was all very obvious to us, but she was evidently trying her best.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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