Chapter 6 A Birthday Party
Bridgette was the first to speak. “Sephora, where were you? Dad and Mom were worried sick. I know you don’t like me. You could have just told me to leave you alone. But you shouldn’t leave them worrying like this.”
Sephora raised the box in her hand. “I went to get something I left behind the last time I went out.”
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Christine and Gerald fell silent at her words. She stood in place, locking eyes with them.
Then Gerald nudged Christine. “It’s your fault. It’s been days since Sephie came back, and you still haven’t gotten her a phone. How are we supposed to find her if this happens again?”
Christine sighed and pointed at the coffee table where a box with a phone inside sat, “My friend is hospitalized, so I left in a hurry. Sephie, I got you a phone. Remember to take it the next time you go out.”
In fact, Sephora did have a phone. But she never let any of them see it.
Besides, they didn’t really care about what she had anyway.
If she took out her phone now, Christine might be upset again.
So, she just walked over to the dining table. “Thanks, Mom.”
Christine’s eyes turned red as she heard the way Sephora addressed her. “Good girl.
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“Let’s eat.”
Seeing Christine put food onto Sephora’s plate throughout the meal, Bridgette slowed down in eating.
Then she said, “Mom, Dad, it’s so wonderful being part of your family.”
“Nonsense, Bridie. You’re our precious daughter, too. We’re family.”
Looking at the few pieces of meat on her plate, Bridgette smiled at Sephora provocatively and stretched her leg under the table to step on Sephora’s foot.
Sephora paused in eating and looked up at Bridgette.
Meanwhile, Bridgette met her gaze defiantly. She was wearing slippers and wouldn’t leave a mark on Sephora’s shoe. Even if Sephora told on her, Christine and Gerald wouldn’t believe it.
To her surprise, Sephora smiled, which was a rare thing. Just as she saw the meaningful smile on Sephora’s face, she felt a pain in her calf, which was so immense that her face turned pale.
Sephora wore sneakers with stiff toe caps. Plus, she kicked Bridgette with force. The pain was almost unbearable.
Noticing the look on Bridgette’s face, Gerald asked with concern, “What’s up, Bridie?”
Bridgette immediately started to cry while looking at Sephora, seeming aggrieved. “Sephora…”
Just then, Sephora lifted the tablecloth and glanced underneath. “I’m sorry, Bridie. I had no idea you stretched your leg so far. I felt
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uncomfortable sitting still for this long and happened to kick you. I didn’t mean to.”
Hearing this, Christine and Gerald glanced underneath, too.
Bridgette and Sephora sat opposite each other. They had taken Bridgette to take etiquette lessons, and no matter what, stretching her leg over to Sephora’s side was rude for her.
Frowning, Christine looked at Bridgette. “Bridie, didn’t your etiquette teacher teach you how to position your legs during meals?
“Were you not paying attention in class?”
Bridgette bit her lip, her resentment of Sephora reaching its peak. Her leg hurt so much, and she actually found that she couldn’t pull it back
at all.
She glared at Sephora, and in the next second, Sephora kicked her in the same spot again.
She almost cried out in pain. “Sephora, how could you…”
Sephora frowned. “Bridie, why haven’t you pulled back your leg?”
Only then did Bridgette feel that she could move her leg. She looked at Gistine and Gerald through tears. “Mom…”
What’s gotten into you today, Bridie? After the meal, go upstairs and write a one–thousand–word confession.”
Christine had always been strict with Bridgette, asking her to write a confession whenever she made a mistake. It had been ages since Bridgette had made a mistake.
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Bridgette looked at Sephora, who focused on eating as if nothing had ever happened. Not daring to tell them why she had stretched her leg, she could only finish eating quickly and go upstairs.
She texted Elaine, complaining.
Elaine replied to her, “Sephora is such a phony. She’s too much!”
Bridgette texted, “She’s their flesh and blood, and they dote on her. What else could I do apart from taking this lying down? My leg still hurts.”
Elaine sent her a kissing emoji and texted, “Chill, Bridie. I’ll teach her a lesson for you when I have the chance.”
“I gotta ask you, Bridie. You were so curious about Lowe this afternoon. Are you interested in him?”
Bridgette replied, “What? No.”
Elaine sent her a smiling emoji and replied, “Really? Well, just so you know, Rodney told me Lowe’s grandfather has forced him to get married as soon as possible. He’s been setting Lowe up with a lot of women, but Lowe doesn’t wanna be any of them. Since his seventeenth birthday is around the corner, he’s invited dozens of women for Lowe. to audition. How hilarious is that?”
“Audition?” Bridgette texted.
“Exactly. There will be literally dozens of women! Lowe has no idea. about this: I’ll take you there this weekend!”
Bridgette was momentarily stunned. As Lowell’s cold, striking face. emerged in her mind, she couldn’t help but beam. She replied, “OK.”
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Meanwhile, she thought, “Audition, huh?
“Does that mean I have a shot, too?”
On Saturday, Seymour called Sephora.
“Seymour, hi.” Seymour was always stern–faced. Fearless as Sephora was, she was always obedient in front of him.
“How have you been these days?” Seymour asked.
“Good. I’ve been learning chess every day.”
“Is your teacher OK?” Seymour asked after a short pause.
“Of course. I’m there to learn, not to crush them. Playing with them. isn’t as fun as playing with my online friend.
“Why did you call me, Seymour?”
“A business partner sent me an e–vite, wanting me to attend a birthday party in Frostford tomorrow. Go there on my behalf tomorrow to deliver a gift. I’ve mailed it to you, which will arrive today. Keep an eye out for the courier’s call.”
“OK.”
“Call me if anything,” he instructed.
“I see.”
After hanging up, Sephora started to browse on her phone in bed, waiting for the call. Little did she know that the courier didn’t call her. He left after giving the package to the housekeeper.
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Bridgette preferred opening packages herself. She walked downstairs.
to pick up her packages, only to see one for Sephora.
Frowning, she glanced upstairs quickly.
Who’d send Sephora anything?
She figured it might be from Sephora’s adoptive parents.
But she didn’t get it–in her opinion, countryside bumpkins always sent local specialties, but the package for Sephora was long and narrow, and there seemed to be a stick inside.
She took it together with her packages back to her room when no one was noticing.
Upon closing the door, she opened Sephora’s package at once and then saw an exquisitely wrapped dark–green gift box inside. She then opened the box and saw a scroll of paper.
Curious, she unrolled the paper, only to see a few words, “Wish You Good Health and Long Life“.
The signature at the bottom was “Philomel“.
Bridgette knew nothing about calligraphy, and she didn’t think Sephora would receive anything good. However, the words on the
paper got her thinking. She pondered for a while before taking a photo. of the paper and sending it to Elaine, who had studied calligraphy before.
