Maggie continued her act by saying, âI know youâre upset that we came here without notifying you in advance, but we were just worried that you were busy. We just didnât want to disturb you, thatâs all. However, your housekeeper was so formidable! She even used your name to drive us out!
Neera, I know you look down on us country folks now, but even so, you wouldnât do something so heartless, right?â
Neera closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, her gaze was icy cold.
She didnât mince her words, speaking very directly.
âIt was I who asked Auntie Zuniga to show you two out. She was merely following my instructions, not intentionally targeting you. Thereâs no need for you to keep calling her a housekeeper in a derogatory way. As for your affairs, I neither want to meddle nor hear about them. You had the chance to head back to the countryside by car after leaving my house, but you didnât. Instead, you chose to call me at this hour. You and I both know that youâre scheming something. I assume you at least have enough money for a hotel stay, right? If you have nowhere else to go, just check into a hotel and head home tomorrow. From now on, live your own lives and please, donât bother me again.â
After she finished speaking, she didnât wait for Maggie to respond and directly hung up the phone.
âBut-â Before Maggie could finish her sentence, the line went dead.
She was instantly infuriated. After turning off the screen, she gritted her teeth in anger and muttered angrily, âThat insolent wretch! She really thinks sheâs some kind of royalty now, acting all high and mighty. How dare she speak to me like that? I bet sheâs forgotten that it was us who took her back when she had nothing to eat or drink and nowhere to go! That shameless wretch has no decency!â
Nigel, too, had a stern expression on his face.
âHmph! We were just too kind back then. Thatâs how we ended up raising such an ingrate! Iâd like to see just how long she can keep up this arrogance!â
The next day, in the evening, Neera was having dinner with her family when he unexpectedly received a call from Levi.
She initially thought something urgent had happened at the company, so she quickly picked up the call.
As soon as the call connected, she was immediately met with the sobbing sounds of Maggie before she could even hear Leviâs voice.
Her expression turned gloomy instantly. âWhatâs going on?â
On the other side, Levi was frowning deeply as he watched the couple in the reception room, his expression far from pleasant.
âYour adoptive parents came looking for you early this morning, and now theyâre refusing to leave the reception room. They claim they have nowhere else to go and asked me to help find a place for them.
Do you think we should-â
âNo need!â He hadnât even finished speaking when Neera hastily rejected the idea, her expression quite distressed. âHow did they enter the office building?â
10:35 Fri, 8 Dec With a speechless expression, Levi massaged his forehead as he replied, âI didnât want to let them in at first. I saw that you looked upset the last time they showed up at the office, so I knew they werenât good news. But they said that they would cause a scene at the companyâs front door if they werenât allowed entry, which would attract a lot of attention. I was worried it would negatively impact the company, and more importantly, harm your reputation. As such, I had no choice but to let them in.â
Neera was instantly filled with anger.
She slammed her fork on the table and said sternly, âGive her your phone. Iâll speak to her directly.â
Levi hesitated for a moment, then walked in and handed his phone to Maggie.
Maggie was still sobbing uncontrollably, going through a lot of tissues, and making a mess of the coffee table.
She looked up at Levi, her eyes filled with suspicion, âWhat are you doing?â
With an indifferent expression, Levi said straightforwardly, âNeera has something to tell you.â
Upon hearing that it was a call from Neera, Maggie felt a bit apprehensive, instinctively glancing at Nigel.
The latter gave her a reassuring glance, encouraging her to confidently take the call. Only then did she pick up the phone.
âNeeraâ¦â
âAre you two ever going to stop? Wasnât I clear enough with what I said yesterday? Weâve already gone our separate ways, so how much longer do you two intend to keep bothering me?â Neera questioned her fiercely.
Maggie didnât like the sound of that. âNeera, how could you say such a thing? Do you think weâd turn to you if we werenât truly at our witsâ end? Even if youâre heartless, you canât just ignore us! After all, weâre your parents!â
âParents?â As if she had heard a funny joke, the corner of Neeraâs mouth twitched, but there was not a trace of amusement in her eyes.
âI have biological parents. You two are just my adoptive parents. I know very well how you two treated me in the past, and you know it too. Do we really need to bring our past up? I donât have the time for this, nor do I want to waste my energy on this. Iâve been tolerating you again and again for Wilfridâs sake, but donât think for a moment that it makes me a pushover! Iâm warning you; if you two donât leave immediately, Iâll call the police myself and have them arrest you two for trespassing! Think it over;
would you rather go home peacefully, or get detained by the police?â
Maggie almost choked when she heard that. âY-Y-Youâ¦â she stammered, struggling to form a coherent sentence.
Even so, she felt a sense of dissatisfaction in her heart and resorted to cliched words.
âPlease donât be angry, Neera. I know youâre a wealthy lady, and it was hard for you to live a rural life when you were young. You suffered hardships, and it was unfair. But you also know that we were never wealthy. We had to support Wilfrid, and also you, who has no blood relation to us. Even if we couldnât take care of everything, we truly did our best. Are you still blaming us for the hardships you faced back then?â
After hearing that, Neera gave a cold, sarcastic laugh.
She sure is adept at distorting the truth! With just a few words, she was able to turn this into my fault!
Neera was well aware of how shameless and unscrupulous these two were, so she knew it was pointless to reason with them. Since words couldnât get through to them, she decided to simply stop talking.
At that moment, she completely ignored Maggieâs remarks, saying coldly and bluntly, âIâm only giving you three minutes. If you insist on causing trouble in the company and refuse to leave, then Iâll call the police. Donât blame me for being ruthless, then.â
She had already given them more than enough chances.
After she finished speaking, Neera promptly hung up the phone.
At the dinner table, everyone else was staring at her. Seeing her pale complexion, they all couldnât help but furrow their brows.
Adriana was the first to ask, âIs that adoptive mother of yours causing you trouble? What does she want?â
Neera took a deep breath and shook her head, âItâs nothing. Itâs already been taken care of. Donât worry about it, Aunt Adriana. Letâs eat.â
Of course, Adriana couldnât possibly not worry. âHow could you consider that as being resolved? They wonât keep bothering you, will they?â she asked.
Chad too, said with a serious expression, âNeera, if thereâs anything, just tell us. If they still bother you and you donât want to deal with them, weâll help you sort it out.â
Shane expressed his support as well. âExactly, a family should stick together. This is such a minor issue that I could help you out with it.â
Neeraâs originally unhappy mood was immediately soothed by their words. A warm sensation swept across the bottom of her heart.
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