Chapter 11

After school that afternoon, Elysia arrived at the school gate but didn't see the Rosewood family's car. Raising an eyebrow, she hailed a cab. About twenty minutes later, the cab pulled up in front of the Rosewood residence.

Elysia got out, walked through the villa gate, and immediately sensed a heavy silence. She guessed another "family war" was about to unfold.

Just as she expected, a cup flew toward her as she entered. She calmly caught it and looked at the group on the sofa. Emma was curled up in Bella's arms, sobbing uncontrollably, while Scott, furious, pointed at Elysia and shouted, "You still dare to come back?"

Elysia chuckled lightly. "This is my home. Where else would I go?" She waved the cup. "What's going on? Who upset you?"

"How dare you even ask? Why did you transfer to Grade 12, Class 1?" Scott fired back.

Elysia raised an eyebrow. "You're not happy with that?"

Scott let out a cold snort and fell silent.

"I thought you'd be happy for me," Elysia said. She paused. "I'm a Rosewood. If people found out I was still stuck in the worst seventh-grade class, how would that look for the family?"

Scott narrowed his eyes. "Then how did you get into Class 1? Did you pull some kind of stunt?"

Elysia glanced at Emma, her voice cold. "Did Emma say something to you?"

"It doesn't matter who said it. Just answer me—yes or no?" Scott demanded.

"No," Elysia replied flatly.

Scott didn't believe her. Frowning, he said, "You better be honest. Since you said no, then how did you transfer to senior year?"

Elysia crossed her arms. "I took their exam. They thought I was talented enough to be in the twelfth grade. The principal and the heads of the Liberal Arts and STEM departments can back me up. If you don't believe me, just call and ask."

"Stop lying to Mom and Dad, Elysia. That's not what you said. You shouldn't lie out of fear. Just listen to me and apologize. They'll forgive you," Emma chimed in, tears streaming down her face.

Bella quickly wiped Emma's tears, gently patting her back. "Don't cry, Emma. It hurts me to see you like this."

Elysia smiled slightly. "What did I tell you?"

Emma thought for a moment and blurted out, "You said that whatever I think is true."

"So, what are you thinking?" Elysia shot back.

Realizing she had misspoken, Emma was about to explain when Elysia continued, "So that's how you see me, huh? You really don't want me to succeed, do you?"

Elysia then turned to Scott. "You have Levi's number, right? Can't you just ask him and find out the truth?"

Scott didn't respond. He took out his phone and called Levi.

Elysia plopped down on the couch, crossing her legs and looking relaxed.

"Look at you! Do you even know how to act like a lady?" Bella scoffed, pointing at Elysia's crossed legs.

"What does a lady look like? Like Emma, a wolf in sheep's clothing?" Elysia shot back.

As Bella opened her mouth to retaliate, Scott hung up the phone, his face gloomy.

Emma thought Elysia's lies had been revealed and felt pleased, waiting for Elysia to get in trouble. But Scott directed his anger at her instead. "Emma, is this how you treat your sister?"

Emma was taken aback.

Scott continued, "Why did you suspect your sister like this? Do you know that your assumptions just got me scolded by the principal at Milton School?"

"What did he say?" Bella asked, her brow furrowed.

Scott smirked. "Levi said I don't even know my own daughter. She's such a promising talent, and we almost held her back. Now, I have the nerve to ask him about her."

Bella's expression soured.

"Is everything okay then? If that's all, I'm going back to my room," Elysia said, starting to get up.

"Hold on!" Bella snapped.

"Anything else?" Elysia turned to Bella, slightly annoyed.

"This issue might be resolved. But why did you tell the other students that your sister is adopted?"

"Isn't that the truth?"

Bella took a deep breath, holding back her anger. "Emma may not be our biological child, but we've always treated her like one. She means just as much to this family as you do."

Elysia sneered to herself, 'As much? She's actually held in higher regard.'

"Forget it, Mom. Don't blame her. It's just that so many people at school know I'm adopted. What if they start looking down on me?" Emma said, tears welling up again.

"Don't worry, I'll have your dad post something on social media to confirm your identity. Then no one will dare to judge you," Bella reassured her.

"Post to prove what?" A boy with red hair swaggered in, hands in his pockets, looking like a careless rich kid.

Everyone turned to look, and Emma spoke up excitedly, "Logan!"

Logan Jackson, the red-haired boy, didn't reply. He grinned, glancing at Elysia. "Bella, is this your daughter who just came back? She doesn't look like a country girl."

Bella cleared her throat awkwardly. "Elysia, this is your cousin, Logan. He just got here from Shercity today and plans to stay with us for a few days."

Elysia nodded. "Got it. But honestly, he doesn't seem like the humble and polite type."

"Elysia!" Bella shot her a warning look. "Be respectful."

Logan laughed it off. "It's fine, Bella. She's way more interesting than Emma," he said, then seemed to remember something. "What were you saying about posting on Twitter?"

Bella sighed. "Elysia mentioned in front of her classmates that Emma is adopted. Emma is worried that people at school will judge her, so I thought maybe Scott could tweet something to confirm her background."

Logan glanced at Emma, who looked hurt, and frowned. "Bella, to be honest, posting that on Twitter is basically just announcing to everyone that Emma is adopted."

"Well," Jasmine fell silent.

"Besides, I don't think there's anything wrong with being adopted. As long as she has good character, she doesn't need a label to earn respect. Emma, you believe in your character, right?" Logan asked.

"What are you talking about? Of course, I believe in my character. I'm just worried my classmates will look down on me because of the change in my identity," Emma replied, attempting to explain her feelings.

Logan shot back, "What does that matter? Haven't you always been the adopted daughter of the Rosewood family? Or do you want everyone to know about it? If that's how you feel, I won't push it."

"It's not like that." Emma looked anxious but didn't know how to explain.

Logan chuckled. "See? Problem solved."

"Logan's right," Scott said, looking at Bella disapprovingly. "You're being too emotional about this. Sharing everything on social media isn't necessary."

Emma bit her lip, furious inside. 'Elysia, you ruined everything. Why did you come back? Why are you taking everything from me?'