Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Edith looked toward the doorway and saw a man in his forties walk in . It was her father , Vincent . Her happiest years had been before she turned twelve . Back then , her mother was still alive , her father loved her dearly , and her brothers were all close to her . She used to believe Vincent truly loved Melinda . It wasn't until Karen married Vincent - bringing Hallie , who was just a few months younger than her - that Edith realized Vincent had already cheated while Melinda was pregnant with her . After Hallie moved into Lovett Manor , Edith never felt her father's love again . Her four brothers were later turned into laughingstocks by Karen's manipulations . Vincent saw Edith and her brothers as a disgrace . During the ten years Edith spent in the hospital , Vincent never visited her once . Dad - Hallie's sobs rang out as she threw herself into Vincent's arms . She whimpered , " My hair … it's all gone . Edith shaved it all off , just because I didn't give her back the room she asked for yesterday . " If she'd just talked to me nicely , I would've moved out . But instead , she broke into my room and shaved my head while I was sleeping . Dad , I'm so upset - I don't want to live anymore .. Edith looked up and met Vincent's eyes . Her voice was calm . " First , Dallas already checked - there's no sign anyone broke into Hallie's room . Second , this is the first time I've ever met Hallie . Even if I didn't like her , I wouldn't do something like that . " Dad , if you don't believe me , you can send me back to the town right now . I've lived there for six years . I don't mind staying there for the rest of my life . " She lowered her gaze , fingers twisting nervously at the hem of her shirt . Vincent noticed how rougher Edith's skin looked compared to Hallie's . He saw the calluses on her palms , and how her clothes had faded from too many washes . He'd worked so hard to convince Karen to bring Edith home - he wasn't about to send her back now , He gently patted Hallie's back and said sofily , " Hallie , you're still young . Your hair will grow back . Let your mom take you to the hospital later , just to check if something else caused it to fall out overnight ." Hallie's ' s eyes widened in disbelief . " Dad , you don't believe me ? " Vincent said patiently , I know Edith . She wouldn't- " I knew it ! " Hallie burst out , furious . " You always liked Edith better . Now that she's back , you're not gonna love me anymore , right ? " Vincent frowned . " Hallie , that's not true . I- ' " I don't care ! " Hallje clapped her hands over her ears and started crying harder . " I lived twelve years without a dad . You promised you d make it up to me . But the second Edith came back , you stopped loving me ." "I don't want you as my dad anymore . I hate you ! " With that , she ran off . Every time Hallie tires a fit , she'd storm out - and every time , Vincent would run after her . This move had never failed . But today , Vincent didn't budge . Karen , who'd been quiet the whole time , watched with growing unease . Clearly , she'd underestimated how much Edith meant to She stepped forward and said , " Hallie's always cared a lot about her looks . Losing all her hair at once must be too much for her . I'm worried she might do something rash Vincent , please go after her . I'm really scared something might happen . " Vincent let out a sigh . He had indeed missed twelve years of Hallie's life . He turned to leave , but Edith spoke up . " Hallie's too worked up right now . If you go after her , it'll only make her angrier . Karen , maybe you should go instead TM Chapter 6 Vincent paused . " Good point . Karen , go check on Hallie . Call me right away if anything happens " Karen narrowed her eyes and gave Edith a cold stare . For the past six years , she'd had people secretly keeping tabs on Edith . Every report she got said the same thing - Edith was timid , weak . and unremarkable . She had thought Edith would be easy to control . But clearly , that wasn't the case . Edith met Karen's gaze , then said with concern , " Karen , you should hurry . If you wait Hallie any longer , you won't be able to catch up with Karen turned and walked out in her heels . Edith let out a faint , meaningful smile . Hallie always loved showing off how much Vincent doted on her , so she decided to destroy the one thing Hallie was most proud of: Vincent's love . " Hallie's always been like that . She speaks without thinking , but she's not a bad kid , Vincent said , looking at Edith . " You've really grown up . Edith smiled sweetly . "I have . I'll be eighteen in a few months . " You're a young woman now ," Vincent sighed . " When I sent you to that small town back then , it was because I wanted you to have a peaceful place to recover . You don't blame me , do you ? " Edith shook her head . " Of course not . Dad . I know you did it for my sake ." Back then , Vincent had sent her away not just because of her depression , but also because of Karen's pressure . And Edith knew very well - Vincent's new wife's daughter would always mean more to him than the daughter of his late wife . " Dad , I've been doing really well in the town . " Edith's voice was still sweet " I'll be taking the SAT in a few months . I want to go back to school 24 soon as I can . Vincent paused , then said , " I found two schools for you . One's a regular high school - you'd just barely meet the cutoff with your grades . The other is Sunspire High School , the best school around here . " Selfishly , I want you to go to Sunspire , but I'm worried it might be too hard to keep up . The classes and tests can be pretty tough. What you think , Edith ! " do Edith raised her eyebrows slightly . This hadn't happened in her previous life . That time , Hallie had ruined her first meeting with Vincent , and no one had ever asked her what school she wanted to attend She answered calmly , I want to go to Sunspire High School . " If she wanted to change her fate this time around , she had to get into the best school and receive the best education . " Good , that's my girl ! " Vincent said with a proud smile . T've already pulled some strings at Sunspire . You can go register today . I'm free right now - come on . I'll take you Edith pressed her lips together . It turned out that Vincent had already made arrangements for her schooling . But in her previous life . Karen had just beaten hing to it and dragged her to that trashy high school first . System : [ New mission : A proper heiress is a sweet and thoughtful daughter at home . Please give your father a shoulder massage |