If she did not need to work, her parents would have taken her to Bridgedale.It had been a year since Layla had started working at Tate Industries. Time had flown by.It had been a year of growth for her.Her parents had begun to stay out of her personal and work life. Though she struggled to adjust, she knew that it was a necessary burden if she wanted to grow as a person.That night she returned home after a long day at the office. She thought that silence would be the only one there to greet her, but when she got home Kiara and Rose were there. Shea had brought them over."Layla, your parents haven't arrived at Bridgedale, right? I didn't want you to feel bored alone at home, so I brought Kiara and Rose here," Shea said with a smile."You are the best, Aunt Shea! Mom and Dad took Robert with them to Bridgedale, and I was kind of upset about it this morning, but I feel so much better to see you guys here."Layla patted Kiara on the head before doing the same to Rose."What ar
At eight in the morning, Irene arrived at the Hightide Church.She did not remember much about the church as she had been young when she left the church. She only remembered a few details about the dorm she had lived in. However, she felt something for the church.She never had a home, but the church felt like the closest thing she had to home. When she arrived the church had just opened, and she approached a member of the staff who was on duty. "Is Sister Arya here?"The staff was shocked for a moment before nodding. "Do you have an appointment?"Irene shook her head. "No. There's a dormitory behind the church with a lot of kids, and I used to live there when I was little.""What’s your name? Your name when you lived here.""Irene.""Sure. Hang on a minute." The staff turned and hurried toward the backyard.Irene intended to wait there, but she could not help but follow the person she had spoken to, who was now heading toward the backyard.Shortly after, Sister Arya came ou
Rose immediately darted off toward the backyard.Kiara was about to catch up with her sister when Rose skipped ahead of her again. "Mom! Hurry! Rose is running off!" Kiara yelled toward Shea.Shea was more tepid by nature, and Kiara was just like her."Let's just sit and rest in the dormitory. Your sister will find us later," Shea said gently."No! We need to catch up with Rose. I want to see what her best friend looks like," Kiara said before dragging her mother toward the backyard.Meanwhile, Irene and Sister Arya had been chatting in the backyard for half an hour when Sister Arya suddenly remembered something."Rose called me last night and said that she is coming to visit today. If you don't want to see her, I won't keep you here for lunch," she said.Irene paused and panicked at the coincidence.After a brief moment of consideration, she decided to leave. She had accomplished what she had come here for and had no regrets. Just as she bid farewell to Sister Arya, she hear
Shea and Rose had the same innocent look in their eyes and anyone could sense how passionate they were from the way they spoke."Irene, just say yes! Rose keeps talking about you! You have always been her best friend," Shea said with a smile. "She spends most of her time with Kiara, so she doesn't have any other close friends."Irene turned to look at the girl next to Shea, who was slimmer and shorter.Kiara looked at Irene sheepishly, not daring to speak."Irene, this is my younger sister, Kiara." Seeing as how Irene did not say anything, Rose pulled Kiara to her and made the introductions.Irene nodded."It's settled then. I will call Wesley and tell him to get a room ready." Shea smiled before walking away to make the phone call.It was too late for Irene to protest, and she asked dazedly, "Who is Wesley?""That's our dad," Rose said. "Aunt Avery took me down the hill and they are the people who adopted me. They treat me like their own. Even Kiara sees me as her real sister,
Irene remained silent."Why don't you come in?" Shea asked after going inside."Mom, Irene is a little shy. I'll wait outside with her!" Rose said before turning to Kiara. "Go help Mom with the bags."Kiara immediately hurried over to her mother. Shortly after, Elliot's staff appeared with their belongings. One of them said to Shea, "Since Rose's best friend is here, it's only natural that you want to welcome her into your house. I will tell Layla later when she comes home.""I'll call Layla and tell her myself," Shea said politely. "Thank you.""You're welcome." The servant walked past Irene and glanced at her. "Is this Rose's best friend?""Yeah! Isn't she adorable? Just as cute as my Rose," Shea said. "If only she wasn't an adult, I would have adopted her as my daughter as well."Shea did not need to work, so she had more patience when it came to caring for children. "What a pretty young lady. She kind of looks like—" The servant choked on her words because the young lady
After dinner, Rose took Irene to her room. "Irene, there's so much that I want to tell you. Let's sleep together tonight"! she said.After a brief moment of hesitation, Irene nodded. "Sure!"She could tell that Rose had indeed seen her as a friend, and it brought back memories of when they were children.Once the children left, Wesley headed into his study room and Shea followed him curiously."Honey, what are you doing?""I remember that we have a camera here. Is it in the study?"Shea thought about it and nodded. "I think so. Why do you need the camera? Do you want to take some photos? You could have just used your phone! Smartphones these days are just as advanced as cameras..."Only professional photographers would use cameras, and smartphones were sufficient when it came to satisfying the needs of regular people. "Professional cameras give better results. Our daughter is going out with Irene, right? I'm going to give them the camera; they might need it," he said."How sw
It had been years, but Elliot and Avery had never quite been able to give up on Ivy.They had searched for Ivy for years but had not been able to find her. Though Wesley wanted to help them, his ability to help them was limited.Seeing Irene had given him hope that she might be Ivy.It was possible that two unrelated people could look similar, but the chances were rather slim.Meanwhile, Rose showed Irene everything that she owned to Irene, including the accessories, jewelry, and daily necessities she received as gifts from her parents or other relatives. Since they showered her with gifts, she never had to buy anything for herself."I know I'm not related to my parents by blood, and I was really scared when I first got here. I thought that they would abandon me," said Rose who was sitting on her bed. "I'm sure you understand that feeling. I didn't dare to make mistakes or act wilfully. Luckily, everyone has been really kind to me throughout the years...""I know, Rose. I can see
Wesley had not expected her to cooperate and froze."Dad, why didn't you tell me you needed grey hair? I have a head full of it. Just take mine!" Rose said."Rose, I don't need yours because your gray hair isn't formed the same way as other people's grey hair.""Alright, then!" Rose said sheepishly."Dad! What about mine?" Kiara came over.Rendered helpless, Wesley said, "I didn't remember the research until I saw the gray hair on Irene's head... I don't need that many!"Shea knew what Wesley was trying to do and immediately dragged Kiara away.Wesley untied Irene's ponytail and her hair fell to her shoulders. Despite his efforts, he could not find one. Taking a deep breath, Wesley plucked a black strand of Irene's hair. "Dad, let me see," Rose asked, curious as to how her hair would be different from Irene's.Wesley had never had such a huge panic attack before as he had never told such a blatant lie in his life. "I need it, so I will be putting away… If you want to see wh