EuropeNovelShe was quietly sobbing, the picture of someone who'd just suffered the world’s greatest injustice. In any
ordinary family, everyone would be fussing over her, trying to soothe her hurt feelings, desperate to make up for
all the years she'd
supposedly missed out on.
But this was the Tate family.
The Tates' faces were utterly unmoved as Illeana Morton put on her little one-woman show. Not a flicker of
sympathy, not a word of comfort.
After seventeen years living among the Tates, Alessia’s temperament had inevitably picked up sof their
coldness. Watching lleana’s delicate, pitiful act, Alessia found her interest fading fast. In fact, after a long
journey, the faint sound of those sniffles was starting to get on her nerves.
“Dad. Mom.” Alessia withdrew her gaze.
“Sit down,” Scott Tate said. Alessia obeyed, slipping into a chair just as Mae appeared with a tray, setting down a
cup of tea in front of her.
Alessia took a delicate sip. The fragrance of black tea bloomed on her tongue, soothing her nerves and
smoothing sof the tension from her shoulders.
“This must be... my sister, right?” lleana finally dropped the act when no one paid her any attention. In an
instant, she switched tactics: shoulders slumping, lashes fluttering with wounded innocence. She was quick to
play the underdog, eyes wide and mournful, a posture designed to elicit sympathy, to make others want to stand
up for her.
Unfortunately, her performance was so painfully obvious that none of the three Tates responded.
For a moment, the air in the room seemed to freeze.
Alessia almost laughed. As she set her cup down, she glanced at Ileana with a
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtraised brow.
Where Alessia was strikingly elegant and beautiful, Ileana had inherited Yvonne Sullivan's softer features. She
was attractive in her own right, but when the two stood side by side, the difference was obvious.
The jealousy in lleana’s eyes was impossible to miss. Alessia’s lips curled in a faint, knowing smile. She had a
decent sense of lleana’s personality already-just as the background reports had suggested. Hopefully, she'd
show a little more sense when
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15-55
dealing with the Tate brothers.
“This is the information on your biological parents.” Scott slid a folder across the table.
That was the Tate family for you-no warmth, no pretense. They valued time, because tmeant money, and
sentiment solved nothing.
Alessia picked up the folder, slender fingers flipping through the pages with unhurried grace. From the moment
she'd entered the house, everything about her spoke of poise. After all, she'd been raised by the Tates. If she
and Ileana stood on either side of Scott, no one would ever guess that Ileana was the Tates' real daughter.
The first few pages covered her parents’ basic information. Alessia skimmed them, and her earlier suspicions
grew even more certain.
No wonder they've suddenly clooking fornow, she thought, but said nothing aloud. Instead, she
casually turned the page.
Her hand paused when she saw the photograph. She let out a long breath. “Well, looks like Ill have to rethink my
strategy.”
She was already considering her next move, but Illeana, watching her, misunderstood the sigh-assuming Alessia
was overwhelmed with sadness about her future. Illeana lowered her head, hiding the smile tugging at her lips.
When she looked up again, her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears.
“Alessia-my adoptive parents aren't well-off. Please don’t be too upset.”
“There's no need to callyour sister. It sounds strange.” Alessia didn’t bother to put on a show for the Tates-
she didn’t care, and neither did they.
“ » ) q
S—sorry.” lleana fidgeted with the
hem of her skirt, Tres trembling
ap lisheverathe ost wronged
person in the world. The content is
on novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
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| know you've lived a privileged life,
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and it'll be hard to adjust when yoy
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daughter, but she's grown up with
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you. She'll miss you too.” The content
is on novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Ileana tilted her face up at Scott, her gaze shimmering with practiced
vulnerability-the perfect portrait of self-sacrifice, as if she’d gladly bleed if it meant sparing him a single
inconvenience.
Alessia raised an eyebrow and took
another sip of tea. Unfortunately, if
had gone cold, ani 1oé taste was
ringed: Bhé set the cup down; Mae
immediately stepped forward and
replaced it with a fresh one. The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
2/3
15.25 wo
Scott ignored Ileana’s clumsy effort at manipulation, and Alessia had no intention of playing along either.
“So, what are your plans?” Scott asked, watching as Alessia closed the folder.
“Everyone to their proper place,” Alessia replied, taking a sip of her tea to hide the smile tugging at her lips.
3/3
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