There was a pin drop silence in the room. Sydnee blinked for a few times before she regained herposure. Mistress? Was Lady Geneva serious? She was just a high school student. Could it be that Lady Geneva think that Duke Theodore and she had a rtionship? That’s absurd.


    Thinking about that makes Sydnee want to puke.


    “Mama, what are you saying? Dad has a mistress?” Catarina then red at Sydnee. “And the mistress is she? Come on, Dad is pricky. He won’t choose a child.”Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    She mentally pped her forehead upon hearing Catarina’s words. Sydnee thought that the girl would speak for her, who knew that she would just add fuel to the fire?


    Lady Geneva’s lips twitched. She hummed and looked away. “If you don’t want me anymore, then let’s divorce!” the woman said on the other line of the phone.


    There was silence before the duke’s assistant spoke, “Lady Geneva, are you talking about Sydnee Lurica?”


    When Sydnee heard her name, she froze once again. She was not ustomed to have someone, a stranger to her, call her full name with respect. For all she knew, the assistant only spoke her name carefully because of the duke.


    “Who else other than this sickly looking girl on front of me?”


    Sydnee lowered her head and closed her hands into a knuckle that they turned white. She did not know whether tough or cry. To be honest, since the day she faced Lady Geneva in Conscion next town, she knew that the madam was not someone who had a simple mind who would follow the Duke’s arrangement without thinking. And Sydnee was thinking whether the saying that blood is thicker than water was true. If so, why Lady Geneva could not feel something when facing her? They said that mothers will know who was their child or not, but in case of the madam in front of Sydnee, it’s not actually true.


    “Lady Geneva, the duke wanted Sydnee to stay in the house. Sydnee was chased out of her house by her mother, and the Duke pitied her,” said the Duke’s assistant over the phone.


    She drew a breathe. Pity? So… all of it was just charity? Heh. She did not know why there was a small disappointment growing in her heart. She thought that Duke was helping her due to kindness, but the truth is, in his eyes, she was just a beggar he pitied on. Her lips formed a thin line. But what else could she do to this noble family? She was nothing in their eyes.


    She sighed. She was right not to believe that the world of the rich was honest and warm. There was no such thing as kindness. All they could think of was a good reputation. It’s just a pity that she was beginning to ept the life of a noble, not hating them for once because of Duke Theodore’s warm hospitality to her. But what a joke. She was like a fleece to him whom he pitied on.


    “Oh?” Lady Geneva’s brow raised while assessing Sydnee. She then smirked. “What pity? Husband, do you think that my house is an orphanage?”


    There was a pause before the butler answered Lady Geneva. “Mydy, the duke wanted you to let Sydnee stay in the house.”


    A hystericalugh echoed in the dining room. Silence hovered above them as Lady Geneva continued to attack daggers to Sydnee through her gaze. “You think poorly of me, my husband. Do you know that you’re not suited to be a good samaritan? In my eyes, you’re the most horrible monster that slept with me in the same bed. What rtionship do you have with this filthy girl? Answer me!”


    Sydnee opened her mouth to speak, “Lady Geneva, it was I who —”


    But the butler cut off her words when he said, “The duke wanted Sydnee Lurica to be his adopted daughter. I hope that mydy will understand.”


    Lady Geneva was stupefied upon hearing the butler’s words. She eyed Sydnee, assessing the girl’s face that was familiar to her. She thought that she saw that face a long time ago, but she forgot where shest seen that face. She remembered that her godson, Rogie, introduced this rude girl who barged in the room of the rulers in Conscion. But she did not examine closely the features of this girl. She remembered that her name was Sydnee Lurica so it rang a beng. But while staring at the girl’s face, it became so familiar to her that it bothered her so much.


    She knew that she saw this face a long time ago, but she forgot when and where shest seen it.


    The ackward atmosphere was broken by Catarina. “Adopted daughter? Have you seen this filthy girl, dad? What made you think that it is okay to adopt this girl?!”


    “Catarina, shut up,” Lady Geneva said while squinting her eyes on Sydnee who was cowering in front of her. “This girl’s face is familiar,” she blurted out in a whisper.


    But it was enough for Catarina to hear it. Catarina sneered. “Don’t you think, mother, that she has the same face as you?” the girl said in disgust.


    Right then, Lady Geneva’s eyes widened in surprise. She seemed to have hit her head while looking at Sydnee. Yes. How could she not notice the huge simrities between her and the filthy girl?


    Lady Geneva clenched her fist. “Theodore, howe this Sydnee’s face…” she whispered on the phone while gritting her teeth. She could not believe that a mere girl was so desperate to catch the attention of the duke, that she actually gone into stic surgery!


    What a despicable girl!


    The butler cleared his throat. “Lady Geneva, Sydnee is your biological daughter.”


    Catarina covered her mouth in shock while Lady Geneva’s face paled. Sydnee swallowed hard while standing in front of the two. The prating gazes she received from them was overwhelming. A sweat trickled down from the side of her forehead and she tried to moved her gaze away from them.


    A few momentster, Catarina recovered from her shock. She turned to Lady Geneva andined. “Mom, you have a daughter? And she’s the same age as me?!”


    But Lady Geneva continued staring at Sydnee, trying to figure out what to feel about the situation she was in. Facing a girl with the same features as her was not pleasant. She thought that her husband was ying tricks on her, changing the girl’s face. Besides, stic surgery was famous in foreign nations. She wanted to see a sign in Sydnee’s face that it was all a joke, but all she could see from that girl was uneasiness and embarrassment.


    What a joke! What a good, good joke it was!


    “Mom!” Catarina yelled and grabbed Lady Geneva’s hand. “Mom! Tell me that it’s not true!”


    Lady Geneva turned to look at Catarina who was anxious and scared. She sighed and pat the girl’s head. “Catarina, go to your room,” she whispered.


    Catarina stepped back. The girl’s eyes were wide and mouth gaped. “It’s true? Really?” Then she looked at the floor. “So she will stay in this house?” Catarina whispered.


    “Catarina —” Lady Geneva was cut off of her words when Catarina ran away, climbing up to the stairs.


    The dining hall was silent once again. Lady Geneva then turned to Sydnee who was still looking at the floor, without the slightest intention to lift her head. Lady Geneva drew a breathe and put the phone beside her ear. The call was still ongoing and she knew that her scumbag husband was listening.


    “Are you happy now?” Lady Geneva asked the man listening from the other end of the call.


    Silence answered her. She then gritted her teeth and fist closed tightly, that her knuckles turned white.


    “Bringing this filthy girl born out of rape? Is this what you want, Theodore?” Lady Geneva blurted out.


    Sydnee jumped because of the woman’s yell. She lifted her face and looked at Lady Geneva with widened eyes. What? Born out of rape? Was she talking about her?


    Lady Geneva squinted her eyes and raised her hand. She pointed a trembling finger on Sydnee. “You, that bastard’s daughter! Your father raped me and you are not allowed to call me mother! I don’t have a daughter with that monster!”


    “L-Lady Geneva…”