The Mitchell family's success today was all stolen!
Thinking of that, Cheyenne clenched his fists tightly under her long sleeves.
Malaya indirectly caused the death of Selah, her mother. Cheyenne heard about it accidentally when she was in middle school.
In her memory, Malaya was nice to her. Whenever she and Nora fought over something, Malaya would scold Nora and then hand the toy to Cheyenne gently.
She would pat her head tenderly and say, "Cheyenne, you have to remember that you are the Lawrence family's young lady. You were born to be respected."
"Things you like can only belong to you. If they are in someone else's hands, you have to take them back in any means!"
Later on, Malaya bought many beautiful dresses for her and made her look very premature.
Cheyenne grew to fourteen years old while treating Malaya as a mother figure all along.
Until one day when she participated in a piano competition just like Nora did.
She practiced piano in the room, thinking that she could win the championship title through this competition so she couldn't wait to share it with Malaya.
However, when she walked up to Malaya's doorsteps, what greeted her were sounds of crying from Nora. "Mom, why did you let me lose to Cheyenne? I can't accept it. I played the piano better than her!"
Malaya saw her crying and pulled her gently into her embrace, wiping Nora's tears away with a handkerchief.
Running her fingers through Nora's hair, she whispered softly, "You have to understand that everything I'm doing is for your own good."
"People always say that being a stepmother is difficult. If I openly favor you, everyone will think that I am mistreating the stepdaughter."
"Then, everyone will only blame me and also you. They'll say that you're the illegitimate child of a mistress with no upbringing."
"But if Nora herself goes astray, then it's her own fault!"
"I told you to let her win, just to boost her ego, to make her think she's unbeatable, to make her become self-centered!"
"In the end, when her self-centered and arrogant personality is ingrained to the core, she won't be able to change even if she wants to."
"And then, you, who excel without fighting or competing, are the true belle of the Lawrence family, a genuine young lady."
"I promise that the frustration you're experiencing now will all get better as time goes on."
"The dowry left by Cheyenne's mother is all yours."
"When you grow up, I will find you a well-off match, so you can be a carefree little princess for your whole life."
"Meanwhile, that bastard will only be scorned by the world!"
The fourteen-year-old girl stood by the door, listening to these words that were not too difficult to understand.
Her mind felt blank, as if some emotion was about to erupt like a geyser!
A glint of moisture shimmered in her eyes as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. She had never realized she could be so naive.
She thought Malaya genuinely saw her as a daughter. She tried to be affectionate with, cuddle and get close to Malaya. She even attempted to vie for Malaya's attention against Nora.
But the brutal reality shattered her illusions.
The woman she'd been touched by was intending to "elevate" her in front of everyone, calling her "darling" to her face, yet behind her back, labeling her a "bastard"!
Cheyenne became completely sober and clenched the piano sheet music tightly in her hand.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: She Became Rich After Divorce (Cheyenne and Kelvin)
Nice story...