Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Evelyn then said to Yancy, “Don’t stay here. I’ll chat with Yalena and leave soon. Downstairs… guests are waiting.” Hearing Evelyn’s words, Quinlyn put a hand on her chest. It was good that she didn’t feel hurt.
Hearing the word “guest,” Yancy looked surprised. He nodded and dropped the skirt, and then walked out slowly.
Quinlyn went downstairs first. She saw Zoe looking around, anxious but quict, probably thinking Quinlyn wasn’t brave enough to go upstairs.
“Quinlyn!” Zoe sounded panicked. Quinlyn had vanished right under her nose. Zoe had searched everywhere but was too scared to say anything, afraid she’d get blamed.
Quinlyn nodded and said, “Sorry to trouble you.” She didn’t explain.
Zoe didn’t scold her and hurried her to wash up. “I’ve got my daughter’s clothes. Let’s go get dressed.”
They came down one after the other. Yancy followed. Hearing Zoe’s words, he frowned, “Don’t you feel embarrassed? Wearing a maid’s clothes? People will think the Guzman family is broke!”
Quinlyn looked at him, confused, not sure what he meant.
Yancy looked into her misty eyes and his heart softened.
The Narrator said, [Yancy didn’t like Yalena’s personality, but honestly, he thought she was gorgeous. Still, remembering Yalena’s tears, he decided to ignore Quinlyn for now and maybe befriend her later.]
Quinlyn heard the narration and just rolled her eyes inside. She knew things were set from the start.
From their first meeting, Yancy’s harsh words toward Quinlyn because of Yalena meant misunderstandings would only grow, making the gap wider.
He might’ve started liking Quinlyn, but misunderstandings killed that feeling. From interest to dislike, it only took a few incidents.
Yancy snapped, “Figure it out yourself if you don’t care about looking stupid.” Then he turned to leave.
He paused. A pale, slender hand timidly grabbed him. Quinlyn said in a pitiful tone, “Yancy… I have no clothes, so I wore the maid’s outfit. Yancy, what should I do now?”
Quinlyn knew how to show her vulnerability too well.
Ten minutes later, Yancy threw a bag at Quinlyn furiously.
Quinlyn got a new dress and smiled brightly. She thanked Yancy with a big, happy smile.
Yancy felt bad seeing that Quinlyn was happy with a borrowed dress. He quickly promised to take her shopping.
Quinlyn’s huge smile almost made Yancy lose his cool.
The Narrator said, [Modification: Yancy felt weak under Quinlyn’s stare. He thought since Quinlyn was his younger sister, she deserved some love sooner or later.
[He went to the rival he hated most next door and took a dress from the rival’s sister. He even promised to take Quinlyn shopping another day.]
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Chapter 5
Quinlyn listened to the narrator. She sighed in relief, feeling her chances of survival had just gone up. And she saw that her fate had changed, with the progress reaching 10%.
She exclaimed, thinking, ‘I am not gonna die anytime soon. That’s awesome!’
The Guzman dinner was a big deal. Yalena sat at the head of the table, with the Guzman parents on either side, then the Guzman brothers, and finally, the Chappell family.
Graham said, “Take it easy. You’ve looked after Quinlyn for over ten years and are Yalena’s… mom and brother. Feel at home.”
Yarden had a rough afternoon. Beatrice nagged and pinched him for every little thing. Hearing Graham’s words, Yarden relaxed like an old friend. “See! If you treat my sis Yalena this well, you won’t stiff us.”
Then Yarden turned to Beatrice. “Mom, stop worrying. Yalena had it easy all these years. Now she knows we’re her real family. Would she ditch us? She’ll treat you right.”
Yalena looked at Yarden. He sat sloppily, stood carelessly, shirt open like a punk. She frowned without realizing and muttered, “Yarden…”
Yarden was a real opportunist. He puffed up and asked for what he wanted right away. “You’ve seen how mom’s always at the hospital. You don’t want her to suffer, right?”
Yalena’s face went dark. She couldn’t accept that her family was this awful.
Graham subtly moved in front of Yalena and smiled, “A car is what you
deserve.”
The Narrator cut in, [Mr. and Mrs. Guzman, including Yalena, were about to give the Chappell family a car and cash to make them never come back.]
It hit the mark. The Chappells wouldn’t stop showing up.
Quinlyn’s memory was slow. For a moment, she forgot why the Chappells stopped coming to the Guzman family in her previous life.
Then, thinking hard, she realized it was because of her. After being rejected by the Guzmans, she blamed the Chappells for switching the babies and not raising her right. That was why, even in her own position, she couldn’t stand firm.
She didn’t want the Chappells to show up. The Guzmans agreed. Beatrice didn’t want Yalena to leave the Guzman family, keeping things peaceful. So, Quinlyn got blamed for ignoring her foster mom. The Guzmans judged her to be distant and cold as she looked.
Quinlyn ate the crab in front of her, watching the Chappells carry on. She thought bringing the Chappells was the right move. Things got fun now.
She glanced over and accidentally met Yalena’s gaze, who was peeking at her. Yalena quickly looked away.
Evelyn immediately acted like a mother hen. “Quinlyn, Yalena is a bit shy. Don’t take it personally.”
Quinlyn wasn’t shy like she was in her previous life. She couldn’t match Yalena at acting pitiful. With a soft “oh,” she lowered her eyes, her hair pinned up to show her perfect neck. The warm chandelier light made her seem distant.
The Guzmans weren’t wrong. Deep down, Quinlyn was cold. To put it bluntly, she was ungrateful and hard to warm up to.
Yancy looked at Quinlyn’s calm face. He remembered Yalena tugging his sleeve, complaining about not having clothes. Inside, he felt weird about Evelyn’s words, thinking, ‘We’re family. Mom’s words sound weird.”
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