She couldn''t be bothered with the Spencer family''s affairs now.


    After she spoke, there was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a long sigh.


    "Yvonne, I know you resent us. But Dad just got into trouble, and Mom kicked


    Queena out. The James family has always looked down on the unfortunate, and I don''t know how much humiliation Mom will have to endure. If we''re there with her, it might be a little easier.


    Yvonne, Mom didn''t know you were switched at birth; she was a victim too. For the sake of the woman who gave birth to you, can''t you be less cold?"


    Jeffrey went on and on. Annoyed, Yvonne put down her woodenb and retorted, "Are you trying to guilt-trip me?"


    "That''s not what I mean. But even if we''re just acting like regr rtives, you shouldn''t miss your grandfather''s birthday banquet."


    Jeffrey said weakly.


    Yvonne gazed at the original owner''s young face in the vanity mirror. If the original Yvonne were still here, she probably would have softened. It was the motherly love she had always dreamed of.


    "I''ll be there this weekend," Yvonne said and ended the call.


    As one of Istra''s top elite families, Mr. James Sr.''s birthday banquet was bound to be far grander than Thomas''s party.


    Rumor had it the James family booked an entire hotel every year to celebrate the old man''s birthday.


    Yvonne needed to prepare a gown for the event.


    This time, Sandra had prepared an aqua-blue gown for her, adorned with tiny diamonds that shimmered like stars falling into the ocean.


    Yvonne tried on the gown beforehand and frowned at her reflection. "Another low- cut dress?"


    Sandra, who was handling mail on her phone, nced up. Her eyesnded right on Yvonne''s ample chest. "When you''ve got it, unt it. It would be a crime not to."


    Yvonne: "...Is that supposed to be apliment?"


    "It is," Sandra confirmed with a serious nod.


    The old master of the James family''s banquet was on the weekend, but there was a family dinner on Friday night.


    This was Yvonne''s first time visiting the James family, but not the original owner''s.


    After the original Yvonne was acknowledged, Teresa would bring her along for every holiday and for Mr. James Sr.''s birthday.


    But the James family members were selfish, cold, and opportunistic to their core.


    Teresa herself wasn''t favored, so her long-lost daughter was even less wee. Mr. James Sr. and the elders treated her as if she were invisible, and her cousins bullied her relentlessly.


    "Because of what happened with your father, your grandfather has lost a lot of face. When we get there, you twe need to be on your best behavior. Whatever anyone says, just pretend you didn''t hear it Don''t start any fights."


    Teresa was already nagging them before they even set foot on the James family estate.


    Yvonne let it go in one ear and out the other, humming nomittally.


    Due to traffic, by the time Teresa arrived at the James family estate with Jeffrey and Yvonne, almost everyone else was already there.


    In the ground-floor hall, a long table was set, already surrounded by people.


    Mr. James Sr. sat at the head of the table. To his left was Mrs. James Sr., his second wife, who was more than a decade his junior. Seated with her were the son and daughter she ha? borne him.


    The daughter, Marcia James, was only two years younger than Teresa. The son, Joshua James, looked to be in his early thirties-the old man''s youngest child.


    To Mr. James Sr.''s right sat his eldest son''s family. Jerome James, Teresa''s full brother, was in his fifties with graying temples.


    Next to Jerome''s family were a few empty seats, clearly reserved for Teresa and her children.