Chapter 16
In the afternoon, Elysia slipped into a sky-blue dress and tied a blue headband in her softly cascading curls. With a light touch of makeup, she gracefully walked down the stairs, looking like a fairy from a storybook.
Today, Emma wore a pink dress, her long, straight hair flowing down her back. She wore a sparkling diamond necklace and her makeup was perfectly done. Emma felt beautiful—until she caught sight of Elysia. Her confidence immediately began to fade.
Everyone in the room was glued to Elysia, their gazes following her as she descended the stairs.
Logan couldn't help but admire her. "Elysia, if anyone dares to call you a country bumpkin again, I'll be the first to stand up for you."
Elysia smiled, saying nothing.
"You look fantastic today, Elysia," Emma said, forcing a friendly tone. But deep down, she felt herself unraveling the moment she saw Elysia.
Emma had planned to wake Elysia early, apply heavy makeup to mask her natural beauty, and choose an awkward outfit to make Elysia look out of place. But Elysia had thwarted that plan—she had even involved Scott. In Emma's eyes, it seemed he had once doted on her, but since Elysia's return, everything had changed. He no longer spoiled her as he used to; he even got angry with her at times.
She smirked. This is all Elysia's fault. If she hadn't come back, everything would still be fine. Why did she have to return and ruin everything? I can't stand her!
Originally, Emma had hoped Elysia would dress awkwardly—like the first time they met, when Elysia wore that loud floral dress with braids. It was the perfect image of a country girl. Emma had wanted Elysia to appear in ill-fitting clothes and unsuitable makeup, turning her into a joke. But Elysia looked perfect, her makeup flawless. How could Emma's confidence not shatter?
"I told you this morning that I'm naturally beautiful. You didn't believe me then, but it seems like you agree now, right?" Elysia teased.
Emma fell silent, her face darkening.
Logan laughed. "Absolutely! You're gorgeous. Anyone who says otherwise is going to regret it."
"Thanks," Elysia replied with an elegant, confident smile.
Logan smiled back, screaming in his mind, "Oh, she's so sweet."
Watching their interaction, Emma felt the sting of resentment grow sharper.
Bella chimed in, "Emma, make sure to keep an eye on Elysia. We can't have her embarrassing the Elysiawood family."
"Don't worry, Mom," Emma replied, turning to Elysia. "Let's head out."
Elysia nodded, and the two climbed into the Elysiawood family car. The ride was quiet, and when they arrived at Amour Café, some people were already inside. Elysia followed Emma in.
Later at Amour Café:
The moment Natalie spotted Emma, she waved enthusiastically. "Emma, over here!"
As Elysia and Emma approached, Natalie raised her eyebrows at Elysia's outfit but quickly composed herself. Leaning closer, she whispered, "If it weren't for Emma, we wouldn't have accepted you."
Then she turned to the others and said, "This is Emma's younger sister, Elysia. She'll be joining us for afternoon tea today, so let's make sure she feels at home." She stressed the words "feels at home."
Emma smiled. "I'm counting on you guys."
Everyone returned her smile politely, nodding in agreement.
"Don't worry. Your sister is basically our sister too. We'll take good care of her," a lady said.
Another added, "Exactly. Let's not just stand here—everyone grab a seat."
A long wooden table had only three seats left—two on the left and one on the right. Natalie and Emma sat together, leaving the last seat for Elysia. She walked over slowly. The waiter pulled out her chair, and she nodded and gracefully took a seat.
Once seated, a man in a white suit strode over. "He looks a bit familiar. Did I see him before?" she thought.
As Elysia pondered, the man approached, looked at Emma, and softly called, "Emma."
"Robert!" Emma's face lit up with excitement. She stood and walked over to him. "When did you come back?"
"Just yesterday," Robert Davis replied, glancing around. "I happened to see you here, so I thought I'd come over and say hi. Hope I'm not interrupting anything?"
"Not at all, Mr. Davis," Yolanda Yates replied with a smile.
"Glad to hear that," Robert replied.
Just then, Emma waved over Elysia. "Come here, Elysia. I want to introduce you to someone."
Elysia stood up and walked over.
When Robert looked up and saw Elysia, a spark of surprise lit his eyes. He'd never seen anyone quite like her—natural and refreshingly elegant. Yet her eyes looked strangely familiar, as if he'd seen them somewhere before.
"Robert, let me introduce you," Emma said. "This is Elysia, my younger sister. She just came back from the countryside a few days ago."
Then she turned to Elysia. "This is Robert, my childhood sweetheart. I wanted to meet him earlier, but he was busy with training sessions in Jorlandia. Oh, and he's enrolled at Milton School too—he's in your class."
"You're in Class I as well?" Robert asked, looking surprised.
Elysia studied Robert, and then it clicked—he was the gold medalist from the National Youth Programming Competition. She had mentored him briefly two years ago. Neo Anderson had even asked her to. Back then, she had worn a mask during their sessions. Plus, she had changed quite a bit over the last two years, so she figured he wouldn't recognize her now.
Later (continued):
"Elysia, Robert is talking to you," Emma gently nudged her.
Robert frowned. "Is she into me right off the bat? Sure, she's cute, but she's not really my type. Plus, she's Emma's sister, and Emma is my fiancée." The Rosewood family had arranged that engagement with Robert's family long ago, a deal made by the previous heads of both households. Even though no one had mentioned it in years, Robert had always considered Emma his fiancée.
Elysia shook off her thoughts and smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, I was just lost in thought for a moment."
This revised version corrects grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure for clarity and flow. It also removes redundant phrases and inconsistencies. The italicized sections represent the character's internal thoughts.