Today, Wendy is teaching us table manners. I learn very carefully.

By contrast, Christine frowns, as if she's suffered a great injustice. She questions, "Mom! Why do I need to learn all this? I'll only be hampered by such trivia!"

Wendy is stunned, probably because she didn't expect her adopted daughter to say such words.

She looks at me and asks, "Beck, do you feel the same way? Do you also feel that I'm restricting you?"

I shake my head and reply, "Mom, everyone needs to learn table manners. What you teach us is useful!"

Charles also nods in agreement.

Come on, Christine, roar.

As expected, Christine gets angry after hearing what I said. She slams the table, springs to her feet, points at me, and flares at me, "Rebecca! What do you mean? Are you implying that I don't want to listen to Mom?"

I pretend to be startled and drop my cutlery to the ground with a clatter.

I stare at Christine blankly and say weakly, "Chris-Chris, I didn't mean that..."

Wendy's face turns cold. She comes over and gives me a comforting hug before she turns to Christine and says, "Chris, is this how I taught you to behave? Did I teach you to point at people when you talk?"

Christine seems to be irritated by the word "behave" and snaps, "You keep telling me to behave and even want to control the way I eat. You're basically depriving me of freedom!"

Then, she storms back to her room, covering her face in tears.

Great. Christine is really stupid. I suppose Wendy's dislike for her has grown even more now.

Charles follows Christine worriedly and says to Wendy, "Mom, don't take Chris' reckless words to heart. I'll go take a look at her."

Wendy nods silently with a cold face and just holds me tight in her arms.

After what happened at the dining table last time, Wendy has become noticeably colder towards Christine.

But Christine doesn't care and just gives Wendy the silent treatment in return.

Perhaps Wendy already feels that she has raised an ungrateful daughter at present.

But that's not enough.

Wendy and I are becoming closer and closer. Everything she's taught me is all useful.

Wendy no longer forces Christine to learn those manners and will teach her only if she wants to learn.

We then peacefully begin to study at high school.

Of course, it just seems peaceful on the surface.

Finally, Christine falls in love.

As a reader of the novel, I've long known she would have a relationship with Yves South.

But Wendy is not me. In Wendy's eyes, Yves is just a bad student with frequent absenteeism who always makes trouble and has such poor grades that there's hardly any chance of him going to college.

Christine is so blind as to fall for a man like this.

Such a man of no ability from a poor family can only make Christine suffer if she gets together with him.

Wendy doesn't think highly of Christine and now even thinks Christine's relationship with Yves has brought disgrace on the Matthews family.

Therefore, she insists that Christine break up with Yves. "I painstakingly raised you with everything you need, yet you are willing to be tied to domestic chores for just a boy!"

Christine straightens her neck and retorts, "But you know what? When he cooked me a bowl of soup, I felt love for the first time."

I add lightly, "How can you be moved by just a bowl of soup? Why are you still unable to feel love at home when Mom can give you whatever you ask for?"

Christine still refutes what I said with lame remarks. "Rebecca, you've been like this since childhood. You're willing to be the Matthews family's lackey just because they feed you food!"

I think Christine is simply out of her mind. How dare she say such words in Wendy's presence?

Sure enough, what Christine said infuriates Wendy even more. "Christine Matthews, what did I teach you? Do you have any manners? If you insist on being with that thug, then get out of the Matthews family!"

Though Christine still keeps her head up, I can tell that she's instantly panicked by Wendy's words.

She probably has never expected Wendy to be so insistent.

She idiot has no idea how I've gradually changed Wendy's attitude toward her.

Since we were young, the couple of the Matthews family have always been responsive to Christine's requests.

Christine has been raised in wealth and luxury, but leaving this home means that she will never get a penny from the Matthews family again.

She can hardly bear such consequences.

However, she always values her dignity to the extreme, so she leaves directly after spitting, "Fine, I'll just leave! I don't give a damn about the Matthews family!"

I click my tongue secretly.

I wish Christine had the guts to never come back.

3

Of course, my wish can never come true.

When Charles returns home and notices Christine is not here, he comes to ask me what happened.

I tell him the whole story in detail.

After a flicker of a grimace on Charles' face, he says with concern, "It's all that thug's fault for leading Chris astray!"

I stare at him quietly until he becomes uneasy and says, "Beck, can you go find Chris with me?"

I firmly refuse and stop Charles. "I won't go, and Charlie, you can't go either, or I'll tell Mom."

In the end, however, Charles still sneaks out and finds Christine at Yves' place.

I don't know what he said to Christine, but he comes back to the Matthews family's house with Christine.

However, Christine still looks reluctant when she apologizes to Wendy. "Mom, I'll break up with him. Can you please not abandon me?"

Charles echoes, "Mom, now that Chris already knows she was wrong, please forgive her this time."

I chime in, "Mom, Chris said I'm the Matthews family's lackey."

Charles and Christine immediately gape at me in shock.

After a cold glance at Christine, Wendy strokes my head and says, "Christine Matthews, apologize to Beck. I'll pretend nothing happened."

Charles coaxes Christine, "Chris, you indeed said something wrong. Just apologize to Beck, and you'll still be sisters on good terms..."

Christine reluctantly says sorry to me.

Charles was wrong. Christine and I can never be sisters on good terms.

Christine has then returned to the Matthews family.

But Wendy no longer allows Christine to do as she wishes like before and disciplines her even more strictly.

Wendy rigorously forbids Christine to hang out with Yves and go out alone.

I know Wendy fears that Christine will disgrace the Matthews family again.

To my surprise, Christine eventually resorts to my help even though she's always at odds with me. "Uh, Beck, can you help me? I know Mom likes you the best, so I guess she won't have a problem with you taking me out... I've already promised Yves to help him clean his home."

I'm shocked even though I experienced the same thing in my previous life.

Christine must be out of her mind. As a daughter of the respected Matthews family, she is going to clean a thug's place willingly.

But I remain calm on the surface and ask, "Why should I help you?"

Christine cries sadly, tears streaming down her face. "Mom and Dad don't understand me, but Beck, I know you'll understand me, won't you? Yves loves me, and that's why he let me go to his place."

I can't help but admire Christine's blindness.

I don't think the Matthews family can bear to see their daughter slave for a thug.

I firmly refuse Christine and offer her a solution. "I won't help you, but maybe you can go to ask Charlie for help. He often goes out for work lately. You can tell him you want to hang out with your friends."

Charles knows Christine is going out for Yves, so he is determined not to take her out for fear that Wendy will drive her out.

Since Christine keeps crying and making a fuss, Charles has taken a long time to coax her into calming down.

After all the trouble, she finally stays quiet for a few days.

Knowing neither of us will help her, she never mentions going out again.

However, I know this thing won't end so easily when I see her holding her cell phone all day with a delighted and bashful face.

Sure enough, at noon today, the butler walks inside with a fierce youth pinned under his hands.

Christine exclaims anxiously, "Mr. Lewis, let him go! He is Yves!"

Wendy asks as she gives Yves a questioning look, "Why are you here?"

Yves still spits aggressively though he's pinned down, "I'm here to find Chris. She doesn't want to stay in the Matthews family at all. You are just her adoptive mother. You have no right to control her!"

Hearing what he said, Wendy snorts, "Do I have no right? Then what about you? I have raised her for over a dozen years, and everything I gave her is out of your reach for your whole life!"

Yves is enraged and struggles so vigorously that he manages to break free.

He rushes toward Christine and grabs her by the wrist, saying, "Chris, come with me!"

Charles wards off Yves' hand and pulls Christine to his side.

Unexpectedly, Christine breaks free from Charles' grasp and stands resolutely by Yves' side.

She even shouts at Charles, "Let me go!"