Ileana struggled to her feet, trembling, her hair a tangled mess, streaks of mascara running down her cheeks. She looked as disheveled as anyone could imagine.


    “Dad…” Her voice was choked with tears, but instead of thefort she hoped for, a sharp p echoed through the room.


    “You’re an absolute disgrace.”


    Her head snapped to the side from the force of the blow. Clutching her cheek, she stared at him in disbelief. All her life, the Mortons had treated her like a precious jewel–she’d never even been spoken to harshly, let alone struck. Yet today, her own father had pped her.


    She was the victim here! She was the one who should be angry, who deserved sympathy!


    But now, afraid to speak or even look up, she just held her face, her body shaking even harder.


    “If I’d known you’d embarrass me like this, I never would’ve taken you back!”


    Ileana jerked her head up, her eyes brimming with hurt. “Dad, it was an ident. I was scared too!”


    “You let a dumb animal scare you into this mess, and you expect me to believe you’re good for anything? Why doesn’t Alessia fall apart like this? Look at yourself–do you have any idea how much shame you’ve brought on the Scott family? You’re no better than those street women from the slums!”


    “Alessia! Always Alessia!” Ileana’s fists clenched, all her resentment buried deep


    inside.


    Her eyes rimmed red, she choked out, “Dad, I’m sorry, I promise it won’t happen again. I… I was chased by a dog when I was little, I just- I’m scared… but I swear, <b>it </b>won’t happen again.”


    “If you mess up one more time, I’ll send you right back to where you came from!” Scott spat. He regretted ever thinking Ileana was easy to control–she looked shrewd, but in reality, she was nothing but foolish and spiteful.


    At least Alessia, for all her stubbornness, wasn’t liable to cause this much trouble.


    The more he looked at Ileana, the more annoyed he became. With a final re, Scott stormed out.


    <b>14:43 </b>


    The door mmed shut, making Ileana flinch. Terror seized her; if she lost Scott’s trust, her carefully orchestrated return to the family would crumble to dust.


    Visions of that cramped, sour–smelling apartment she’d once called home swelled. in her mind, feeding her panic.


    No. No, I can’t go back! I won’t!


    Her mind raced for solutions, high heels clicking frantically on the polished floor. Spotting herst hope, Ileana reached out, desperation and pleading in her eyes.


    “Mom…” Her voice was shrill, almost broken.


    Yvonne paused, turning back. She took Ileana’s hand for the briefest moment, and Ileana’s face brightened–until Yvonne’s cold gaze cut right through her. With a sharp tug, Yvonne wrenched her hand away, sending Ileana stumbling to the floor, her hopeful smile frozen in ce.


    “Mom?”


    “I don’t need a daughter who humiliates me. Remember that.” Yvonne’s words sliced through her, the final blow that crushed any hope left.


    The door opened and closed again. This time, Ileana didn’t flinch. She knelt there, alone, her expression twisted with despair.


    A bitterugh escaped her lips, growing louder and more frantic until she was gasping for breath and tears blurred her vision.


    So what if the homing party was a disaster? All she had to do was behave, win Scott and Yvonne back, and everything would be fine. In a few weeks, who would even remember tonight?


    She was the Tate family’s heiress now. That alone guaranteed her a life of Tuxury–nothing else mattered. As long as she had money, she needed nothing


    more.


    Let Alessia be as perfect as she wants–she’s not a Tate anymore. Everyone knows Ileana is the true daughter of the Tate family now.


    ???