When Era arrived at their house, the door of Xu family seemed to be ajar. Pushing the door open as quietly as possible, Era walked into the house and opened the refrigerator. She quickly grabbed a bottle of water and took two sips. Moments later, she heard a loud noise coming from upstairs. It was Enoch ran down the stairs in a hurry. He looked so furious, as if he was about to die of anger.
"Dad..."
'Smack!' Enoch furiously raised his hand and slapped her right in the face! "You immoral girl!"
Without an ounce of fatherly love for his own daughter in his eyes, Enoch gave Era a vicious tongue-lashing! "Where were you last night? You didn't come home all night! If you cause some sort of scandal, I am going to break your legs. You mark my words!"
"Dad, are you sure you want to know where I went off last night?" she asked as she rubbed the area where she was slapped. At that moment, she felt a little bit of pain. There was pain in her cheek, but her heart ached even more.
It was said that she was the apple of Xu family. But little did they know, she was nothing but a hostage!
"What did you just say?" Hearing her talking back to him, Enoch's eyebrows were deeply knitted. After all, this was the very first time she had ever been disobedient as well as the first time she had raised her voice, leaving him utterly displeased.
"Dad, I said, are you sure you want to know where I went off last night?" Era stubbornly raised her head as she gave him a look of derision. "Okay, then I'll tell you. Last night, I went to the Glory Hotel along with a man to check in, and then we..."
'Smack!' —
Using all five of his fingers, he slapped her really hard in the face once more. "You immoral girl, how could you possibly do such a shameless thing? You... You..." As the intense anger surged through him, Enoch felt a sharp pain in his chest.
At this moment, Grace Liu walked downstairs. Holding Enoch's arm, she went on and said, "Enoch, you should take good care of yourself. Both of us depend on you. Please try to calm down."
"Mom is right, Dad. Please listen to her." Anna Xu came over a little while later, and she also snuggled up to him, acting like a spoiled child.
What a happy family of three they were! Their moment of happiness felt like such an eyesore to Era. She clearly didn't belong in this family at all!
"Hey, what's that in your hand?" Anna Xu asked when she noticed the invitation card Era was holding.
"It's nothing," Era answered in a cold tone, tightly holding on to the invitation card.
"Let me have a look." As she said that, Anna Xu reached for the invitation card. "Ah!" she exclaimed in total bewilderment. "Why do you have an invitation to Mrs. Ye's party?
Mom, take a look at this!"
"Are you serious?" Feeling a little doubtful, Grace Liu took the invitation card and blurted out, "It really is an invitation from Mrs. Ye!"
"Mom, I want to go there with you," Anna Xu said, feeling so excited as she held Grace Liu's arm.
"Okay, okay. I will get you dressed up as the most beautiful princess... All eyes would be on you for sure. Hahaha..." Trying to keep herself from smiling, Grace Liu completely forgot that the invitation card was not even hers.
"I'm sorry!" Era reached out for the invitation card and beamed them a smile. And she said, "Mrs. Ye clearly said that the invitation to her party wasn't just for any woman, so I can't give this invitation to you!" Passing by both Grace Liu and Anna Xu, she ran up the stairs.
"Era!" Anna Xu screamed at the top of her lungs. Truth be told, she was used to take Era's things for granted, so she almost lost herself in anger that moment.
"Mom, I don't care about that. I'm going to attend Mrs. Ye's party no matter what!" Era completely ignored her. For that reason, Anna Xu held onto Grace Liu's arm and asked for help. Hearing this, Grace Liu turned her head and said to Enoch in a cunning tone, "Enoch, you heard Era, right? How could she say such a thing? This saddens me. I've always treated her as my own daughter and yet..."
"Stop right there! You wicked girl!" Enoch roared at the woman running up the stairs.
This made Era stopped in her tracks, and she turned back slowly.
"Apologize to your mother this instant. You are Anna's elder sister. You should give the invitation to her!"
He seemed to be as hard as nails, yet Era simply gave him a bitter smile. "By the way, Dad," Era said, "there's something I forget to tell you. From this day forward, Era Xu will no longer exist in this world. And right now, it is Era Ling who is standing in front of you. You are no longer my guardian. So, please stop ordering me around!"
"You..." Fuming with so much anger, Enoch couldn't find the words right away. "Get out of my sight! You ungrateful girl! Get out of my house this instant!"
Era turned around, and tears began to roll down her face.
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