Chapter 208
When Phoebe first saw how much the Jenkins family doted on Sienna, she felt neither jealousy nor hatred. Over a decade—even if it had been a dog, they would have developed deep feelings for it, let alone a person. After all, they had raised her for over a decade. When she had first returned to the Jenkins family, they had welcomed her with open arms. Elliot had immediately given her a bank card, telling her to use it freely. If she ever ran out of money, she could ask Lydia for more—or come directly to him. Lydia had held her hand, crying, saying how much she had suffered all those years and how grateful she was that she had finally come home. Her brothers, while not overly enthusiastic, hadn't been hostile to her at first either. Even Cain, who was the most distant, would still greet her and exchange a few words.
But it didn't take long for Sienna to start scheming. She subtly hinted to the Jenkins family that Phoebe wanted to take everything from her—even her status as their adopted daughter. At first, when they blamed her because of Sienna's words, Phoebe tried to explain. But they didn't believe her. After it happened repeatedly, she gave up. It was useless anyway. Since they insisted on accusing her of things she hadn't done, she simply defended herself. And just like that, they labeled her as someone who loved causing trouble. Their bias was clear—they only believed the daughter they had raised for over ten years. Their biological daughter, who had been forced to grow up outside their care, was nothing but an outsider to them.
What hurt and disappointed her the most was that they unconditionally favored and believed Sienna over her. If they had just taken the time to investigate Sienna's manipulation and lies, they would have found the truth. But they never did. So all their so-called “care” and “concern” for her? A complete joke. That was why, in her past life, she had already wanted to cut ties with the Jenkins family before she was kidnapped. And when she was kidnapped, they had chosen to save Sienna first. That was the moment she had completely given up on them. Lydia never expected Phoebe to not only refute her but to speak so sharply.
She thought to herself, It's true, Phoebe was always good to us and cared about us… But isn't that how family should be? We only misunderstood her because we were deceived. Why does she insist on holding onto this forever? Lydia was infuriated by Phoebe’s words. If she had swallowed her anger and said, “What’s in the past is in the past. We now know we misunderstood you,” it might have been different. She put on a sincere expression. “That’s why I want to bring you home. We’ll make it up to you—we’ll truly treat you well this time.” Phoebe wasn’t touched. She only found it ridiculous. Her eyes were filled with cold indifference as she replied, “Keep your kindness and compensation for Sienna. I can’t afford it, and I don’t want it.” She glanced at her watch. “Had I known this was all you had to say, I wouldn’t have wasted nearly ten minutes here. I’m going back to my room to…”
She had never expected Lydia to come and try to mend things with her. Had she finally realized Sienna’s true nature? Was she now remembering how good Phoebe had been? Did they think she was someone they could call and dismiss at will? Without waiting for Lydia to respond, Phoebe turned and walked away.
Chapter 208
Lydia stood frozen for a moment before snapping back to reality, watching Phoebe’s figure disappear from sight. I felt as if something precious had truly slipped away forever. An unexplainable mix of anger and loss lingered in her chest. Lyslia murmured, “How could Phoebe be like this? We are her family.” She had already realized that Sienna wasn’t as innocent as she had seemed. Many of Sienna’s claims of being bullied had been exaggerated or outright lies. She now knew that. She had even humbled herself to come and make amends, to personally invite Phoebe back home. She had lowered her pride and offered an olive branch, yet Phoebe had refused to take it. This was a huge blow to Lydia.
Nearby, Elliot’s assistant watched everything. He had been standing behind Lydia, listening to the entire conversation. He was shocked at how firm Phoebe’s stance was. It was obvious—Phoebe had zero intention of returning to the Jenkins family or recognizing them again. He glanced at Lydia, who looked utterly lost and devastated. He thought, Well, well… if only they had realized this sooner. If blood relations mattered so much to them, why did they drive Phoebe away in the first place just to favor Sienna? And now that they’ve realized Sienna is a problem, they want Phoebe back? What a joke. Phoebe doesn’t owe them anything. Of course, these were just his private thoughts—he wouldn’t dare say them out loud. Instead, he asked politely, “Madam, would you like to return to your room to rest or head to dinner?”
Lydia’s face was dark. “I’m too full from being pissed off to eat.” She was truly furious. “She talks to me like I’m her enemy, not her mother!” Born into a wealthy family and later marrying into the Jenkins family, Lydia had never been treated like this before. This was the first time someone had mocked her for being shameless. And that someone was her own daughter. A storm of frustration and resentment churned inside her. She had never been this humiliated before. Her appetite was completely gone. Suppressing her anger, she told Elliot’s assistant, “I’m going back to my room to rest. You can go handle your own matters. If I need anything, contact you.” The assistant nodded. “Understood.”
The more Lydia thought about it, the more upset she became. So she called Elliot. After recounting her conversation with Phoebe, Elliot was left speechless. “Why did you go looking for her now?” he asked. Lydia, feeling wronged, said, “I know we misunderstood her in the past. I wanted to mend things—I wanted to see her. This was the perfect opportunity. How was I supposed to know she’d be so heartless? Tell me, what do we do now? I don’t think she’s just acting out. I think she’s serious.” Elliot sighed. “You’re only realizing that now?” If she had any intention of reconciling, she wouldn’t have tormented her brothers the way she did. He had once called Phoebe, hoping she would help a friend with a horoscope reading, but she had refused—her attitude completely cold. And now, Lydia had sought her out, only for Phoebe to make it even clearer that she meant what she said. He originally planned to settle the Sienna issue first and then go to her together. That way, it would at least show sincerity! “But now, you’ve gone and made things worse.”
Chapter 208
How could they bring Phoebe home while Sienna was still around? Would that force them to confront each other? And if they didn’t personally handle Sienna, Phoebe would never let go of her resentment. Lyoka was momentarily stunned, feeling guilty, she mumbled, “I didn’t think of all that. You never told me…” Elliot rubbed his forehead. “I didn’t think you’d rush off to see her like this. But what’s done is done. At least now she knows we never abandoned her for Sienna. We’re still family.” Elbot added, “For now, just leave her alone. Once we deal with Sienna, we’ll try again.” Lydia nodded. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.” She then asked, “What attitude should I have toward Sienna now? I honestly can’t bring myself to dote on her anymore.” Elliot said, “You don’t have to, just act however you feel.” Lydia smirked. “Then I’ll make sure she learns some proper discipline when we get back.” Elliot replied, “No problem. This is a good plan—just keep her confined at home as much as possible.” He still hadn’t uncovered all the information he needed. If they sent Sienna away now, it might alert the wrong people or even cause a bigger mess. Keeping her under close watch for now was the safer option. Lydia immediately understood. “Got it. Leave it to me.” Keeping someone locked up at home! That was easy. She had plenty of ways to make that happen.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Sienna sneezed several times in a row.