I timidly followed behind my dad as we entered the house.
His wife came over and warmly held me, saying that I was too thin and that she would take good care of me in the future.
She even harshly punished her own daughter, who looked down on me.
Touched, tears welled up in my eyes, "I will also take good care of Rhianna."
A sly smirk crept onto the corners of my lips in a secluded spot, where no one was around to witness it. Of course, "I will take good care of all of you murderers."
1.
At that moment, I was sitting in the police station, glaring at the man in front of me with bloodshot eyes.
The police officer told me he was my father, Silas Fann.
I clenched the ring in my hand, which still had my mother's blood on it.
Upon seeing this, Silas snatched the ring from my hand and examined it for a while before handing it back to me with a gloomy expression, saying, "Yes, it is indeed Rosemary Lemmon's."
Seeing me looking at him, Silas's face immediately changed. He knelt down and hugged me, crying out, "Ella, I have finally found you after so many years."
The tears that I had been holding back for a long time fell in that instant. I embraced him, sobbing, "Dad, mom is gone, and I only have you."
Silas's body tensed for a fleeting moment, and he loosened his grip on me slightly as if he were on the verge of saying something.
I inwardly sneered, yet my voice remained outwardly pitiful as I spoke before him, "It's alright, Dad. If you're concerned that Rosemary and Natalee won't be content, you can send me to the orphanage. I'm quite accustomed to being alone, after all."
After hearing this, a hint of joy flashed across Silas's face. He was about to speak when he heard the whispers of the people nearby.
"So he's a scumbag who doesn't care about his daughter."
"Absolutely, he doesn't even want his own child. He's nothing short of beastly."
"Who said he isn't? Why do I feel like I've seen him somewhere before? It seems like he appeared on some financial news."
…
The crowd's words caused Silas's face to flush deeply. He immediately grasped my arm, gestured towards the police station, and led me back.
Standing in front of the magnificent villa, I refused to move forward.
Silas impatiently came over to urge me, and I timidly took two steps back and said, "Dad, maybe I shouldn't go in. Mom left me some money and said I can withdraw it after a while."
I saw Silas's eyes light up.
When he started his business, my mom provided him with start-up capital, which was a huge amount. But where did that money come from? My mom never told Silas.
Later, Silas hooked up with the daughter of the top executive of a leading group in the industry. Naturally, he was unwilling to start from scratch again, so he decisively abandoned my pregnant mom and became a successful man by marrying into a wealthy family. He turned my mom from a legal wife into a mistress.
I saw a hint of greed in Silas's eyes.
He kindly came over and held my wrist, leading me into the house.
Rhianna Fann had been waiting at the door for a long time, accompanied by Natalee Fann, who had enjoyed a privileged lifestyle since childhood.
When Rhianna saw us, she hurriedly greeted us with a polite smile, tears in her eyes. She looked me up and down and couldn't help but say that I had suffered.
"That's quite a hypocritical display of innocence." I thought.
Natalee kept shouting next to her, "Mom, why are you so good to this little slut?"
As a young child, Natalee spent her early years with her grandmother in the countryside until she turned fourteen, due to Silas and Rhianna's hectic schedules. Feeling a sense of remorse for the time she missed with her daughter, Rhianna overindulged and pampered Natalee even further.
"Shut up!" Before Rhianna could speak, Silas reprimanded Natalee.
Chapter 2 The First Confrontation with the Stepmother2.
Rhianna cast a fleeting glance at Natalee before turning to me with a gentle tone, "Ella has recently lost her mother, so it's only natural for us to lend her a little extra care. And speaking of which, Ella and you share the same birthday; it's truly a remarkable coincidence."
I looked up and happened to meet Rhianna's eyes.
Her eyes appeared to be brimming with concern on the surface, yet beneath them lay a subtle undercurrent of provocation.
My memory was instantly pulled back to a few days ago.
It was just dawn, and there was a piercing scream outside the house, "Someone died, someone jumped off the building!'
I opened my sleepy eyes and found that my mother was not beside me. I immediately woke up and felt a sense of alarm. I stumbled out to open the door.
The door opened, and what came into view was a floor covered in blood.
My mother was lying on the ground, barely breathing.
I hurriedly crouched down and held her body, feeling her life gradually slipping away in my arms.
A sense of despair spread around me, and I cried out in pain, "Mom, why did you do this?"
My mom had a cheerful personality. Over the years, many people had openly or secretly mocked her, saying that I had an unknown background and that she was the mistress of some wealthy man. But she had never been discouraged and always comforted me with a smile.
My mom touched my cheek. Blood dripped from her arm onto my snow-white nightgown, leaving behind crimson stains.
My mom whispered in my ear, "Rhianna Fann."
Afterward, she used her last bit of strength to hand me a ring and then closed her eyes forever; no matter how much I shouted; it was in vain.
No one believed that my mother was forced to jump off the building. They all took Rhianna's money and, relentlessly and without mercy, continued to slander my mother as a mistress, tarnishing her reputation even in death.
I detached myself from the painful memories, only to discover that it was she who had reduced my mother, who was the rightful wife, to the status of a mistress.
So, I approached her, kindly holding Rhianna's hand, and also took the opportunity to hold her arm.
Rhianna's sharp nails pierced my skin, yet I barely felt it, and I said, "Thank you for being so good to me. I will definitely be filial to you."
I emphasized the word "filial".
Before Silas could appreciate the peace between us, he saw me suddenly scream and break free from Rhianna's restraint.
He looked displeased and was about to scold me, but stopped abruptly when his eyes met the two long blood marks on my arm.
I took two steps back in fear, "Dad, it seems that Rhianna and Natalee don't like me. Since that's the case, I'll leave. Consider that money as breaking the bond we had."
Silas hurriedly tried to persuade me to stay, but I struggled to leave no matter what he said.
Finally, Silas was furious, and he slapped Rhianna's face.
With such force, Rhianna was slapped to the ground, and her forehead hit the corner of the table heavily, causing a burst of blood.
Silas's voice echoed in the living room as he gasped, "I'm still here, and you dare to bully Ella so openly. Do you think I'm dead?'
Natalee rushed to hug Rhianna and turned to angrily shout at Silas, "Dad, if Grandpa finds out how you're treating Mom, you're in big trouble."
Silas's oppressive aura immediately dissipated, and he grudgingly fell silent. He hesitated to help Rhianna up, so I discreetly stepped forward.
Silas snorted as if he had gained confidence, "So what?"
A hint of sarcasm flashed in my eyes. "Silas was to physically assault his wife merely for the immediate benefits he hadn't seen. This is in line with his style."
The doctor arrived quickly. After treating the wound on Rhianna's forehead, she specifically asked the doctor to check the scratches on my arm.
She squatted beside me with a guilty look, "Ella, it's all my fault. I was too excited to see you, so I accidentally scratched you. Don't blame me."
I smiled kindly, "Rhianna, how could I blame you."
"Good, good child, don't worry. From now on, I will love you like my own daughter."
Chapter 3 Paternity Test Storm3.
That night, I sneaked to the door of Silas and Rhianna's room, and sure enough, I heard intense arguments.
Silas's angry voice sounded, "Whether you agree or not, I plan to introduce Ella to everyone on a good day formally."
There was silence in the room for a while, and then I heard Rhianna's voice, no longer impulsive but rather calm, "Hubby, I know you love your daughter very much, and I won't stop you. But think about it, what if Rosemary Lemmon had cheated on you?"
Silas didn't say anything.
I snorted inwardly, knowing that for that amount of money, Silas wouldn't hesitate to do anything, even kneel, let alone accept being cheated on. His silence was merely a result of being unable to find a suitable rebuttal.
On the other hand, Rhianna thought she had convinced Silas and continued to persuade him, "Why don't we do a paternity test first and decide later? It's not too late."
The next morning, I washed up and went downstairs to have breakfast.
Natalee had already was already seated in the dining room downstairs.
I didn't know what Rhianna said to Natalee, but unexpectedly she didn't come to find trouble with me.
I raised my eyebrows and sat next to Natalee. That was interesting.
Natalee looked at me sitting down and gave me a fierce glare.
I smiled at her indifferently, "Natalee, good morning."
Then, right in front of Natalee, I poured the steaming soup on my arm and kicked Natalee hard.
Instantly, my eyes grew red with pain. Natalee, seated beside me, went from shock to fury, staring at me as if I were a monster, shouting and lunging towards me.
Before she could react, I faced Natalee, my face contorting in agony and unleashed a heart-wrenching cry. "Daddy, Daddy, it hurts so much!"
Silas heard the noise and hurriedly came downstairs to see the scene, frowning and scolding, "What's all this noise early in the morning!"
I approached him with my arms covered in blisters, staring at Silas with a look of grievance.
As Silas's gaze fell upon my arms, he recoiled in shock and rushed me to the hospital without delay.
I navigated through the hospital's expedited channel and insisted on paying for my treatment myself, pulling out a card from my pocket to settle the bill.
After the card was swiped, my mobile banking message lit up with several zeros behind it, and Silas's eyes widened.
He hurriedly came over to support me, personally went to get the medicine for me, and listened carefully to the doctor's instructions, portraying the image of a good father to the fullest.
I sneered, but there were tears in my eyes. "Dad, Rhianna has never believed I am your daughter. Since we are at the hospital today, let's do a paternity test first."
Silas couldn't ask for more and eagerly agreed.
However, he hesitated momentarily when he was about to take a step forward. "Ella, let's go back and do the paternity test."
I nodded, "I'll listen to you."
When I just got home, Silas went to park the car, and the doctor, Frank Lemmon, was already waiting at the door.
I pretended to be understanding and said, "Mr. Lemmon, my dad won't be able to come out for a while. Shall I go get his toothbrush for you?'
Frank glanced in the direction Silas had left and nodded.
The results came out quickly.
"Silas Fann and Ella Lemmon definitely have a parent-child relationship: it conforms to the laws of inheritance, with a probability greater than 0.9999."
When Rhianna saw the test results, her face darkened.
I knew why. It was because she hadn't had a chance to tamper with it yet.
Rhianna made an excuse of feeling unwell and went to the bathroom, but suddenly screamed and rushed out, grabbing my wrist and questioning me, "Whose toothbrush did you take?'