Thaddeus had envisioned a peaceful family dinner, a moment of unity and harmony, but it had turned into a disaster.
Being a man, he thought he could smooth things over with some sweet talk, âAhem! Bertha, I realize that I might have been a bit harsh onâ¦â
But Bertha wasnât in the mood for his late apologies. Taking Lea by the hand, she prepared to leave the table. âLea, letâs go. We wonât live with him anymore!â
Lea nodded and stood up with Bertha.
As Bertha and Lea prepared to leave, a smirk spread across Sophiaâs face. This was just the spectacle she was hoping for: her father kicking them out.
Sophia knew that Thaddeus favored her, but she couldnât stand anyone else taking even a tiny bit of his affection and attention. She secretly hoped that Bertha was serious about divorcing Thaddeus and taking her âbratâ of a daughter with her, never to return.
Just as Bertha was about to leave with Lea, she caught Sophiaâs triumphant grin. She paused and turned around. âSophia, what are you laughing at? Are you finally getting what you wanted, rid of me and Lea?â
Sophia quickly withdrew her smile and feigned innocence. âBertha, I wasnât laughing! Why are you accusing me?â
Bertha smirked, âI can see clearly whether you were laughing or not. But donât celebrate too early!
Sure, Iâm divorcing your father, but I wonât leave empty-handed! Your father wants to leave all his wealth to you, right? Well, Iâll hire the best lawyers and fight for half of it! Youâre aware of the law in M State, arenât you? It tends to favor the mother!â
âYouâ¦â Sophia lost her smile. She hadnât expected Bertha, who was usually timid, to fight back this fiercely.
Bertha cut her off, âAre you going to mock me now? Saying that Iâm greedy and have been after your fatherâs wealth all along? Iâll have you know, I donât need money and I donât care for your fatherâs wealth! The lawsuit is to provide a fair share for my daughter. Once I win and gain half of your fatherâs wealth, Iâll donate all of it to charity in Leaâs name! In other words, Iâd rather give it away than let you inherit it all!â
Sophia was taken aback. She looked at her father with an aggrieved expression, âDad, you see. This is her true faceâ¦â
Bertha chuckled. As she had expected, Sophia played the victim card.
She interrupted again, âEnough! Stop playing the victim in front of your father! Donât think that acting pitiful will make him hand over his fortune to you sooner. Iâll be filing for divorce in court right away. Until the divorce is finalized, your father has no right to decide who will inherit his fortune!â
Sophia clenched her fists. If it wasnât in front of Thaddeus, she would have slapped Bertha by now!
Seeing Sophiaâs anger, Bertha smiled, âYou brought this upon yourself! If you hadnât targeted Lea, I would have been fine with your father leaving you all his wealth. Are you happy now?â