Chapter 127

“How could this happen? I was under the impression that Joe and Maisy were in a relationship,” Samuel said, voicing his disappointment.

“Let’s drop it,” Jeffrey interjected, clearly annoyed.

Maisy had confided in some friends about her plans to marry Joe. This led one of them to share a photograph in their group chat—a picture of Joe and Annie at John’s engagement party.

They hadn’t received an invitation to John’s engagement party. This exclusion stemmed from the Williams family’s inability to penetrate the social circles of John and Joe.

Maisy was mortified.

“Where’s Skylar? It’s already past six, and she’s still not back,” Samuel remarked irritably. A heavy air of gloom hung over the bedroom.

Skylar had just returned to the Williams residence. It had been a little over a month since she had moved out. It felt surreal, like a dream.

The housekeepers, who were fond of Skylar, greeted her quietly. One whispered, “Ms. Williams, your parents are upstairs. You’re all family here. If you just acknowledge your mistake, I’m sure they won’t be hard on you.” Skylar was favored by the housekeepers over Maisy, mainly because she treated them with respect and never acted superior.

Without saying much, Skylar replied, “I’ll go up and check on them.” On her way upstairs, she turned on a voice recorder hidden in her bag.

Reaching Sadie’s bedroom door, she overheard Samuel criticizing her. “She doesn’t act like we’re family. If she cared, knowing Mom is ill, she’d be worried, concerned, and definitely would have visited.”

Skylar inwardly scoffed. In her previous life, an incident had left Sadie paraplegic. None of them had shown her any concern then; they would complain about the smell whenever they approached her room and quickly leave.

“Do you even consider me part of this family?” Skylar asked defiantly, unwilling to enter the room. Her biting, sarcastic tone startled them; they immediately turned towards her.

“So, I thought you’d never return,” Samuel sneered.

“Wasn’t it you who had my mother call me, desperately trying to bring me back? If you hadn’t reached out to her, do you think I’d have wanted to set foot in this house?” Skylar retorted with a smirk.

Sadie felt a pang of confusion and dismay that Skylar wasn’t referring to her as “Mom.” “Why is Skylar being so aggressive toward us?” she wondered silently.

“Skylar, please don’t say that. It really upsets Mom and Dad,” Maisy pleaded gently.

Witnessing the contrast between Maisy and Skylar, Samuel found Skylar even more displeasing. “Remember to call the right person ‘Mom,’ and don’t forget who your real mother is,” he said.

“Samuel, most people use their brains to discern right from wrong. Are yours just for maintaining double standards? Your precious sister calls someone else ‘Mom’; did she forget who her real mother is, too?” Skylar shot back.

Samuel was left speechless.

Enraged by the comparison, Maisy exclaimed, “It’s not the same! How can your foster mother even compare to our mother?”

“Oh, they can’t be compared. The shamelessness alone sets them apart. My mother is beyond comparison with her gentle and understanding nature,” Skylar retorted with a cold scoff.