Chapter 38
Chapter 38
Throughout their three-year marriage, Leah had never enjoyed sex with Han. He was far from gentle with her and he had never kissed her, not even behind closed doors.
Yet there he was, making out with Molly in the public. Leah’s heart sank. She looked at the keychain she was holding and she lifted a miserable smile. I bet he won’t even notice this keychain has gone missing. He doesn’t even love me, why would he care about a gift from me?
Leah slipped the keychain into her purse, before quietly leaving the stairwell. Little did she know Han was observing her all this while. The moment Leah was out of his sight, Han pushed away Molly impatiently.
“What’s the matter, Han?” Molly asked, taken aback. They had only shared a brief kiss, leaving her yearning for more.
Han glanced at his watch. He said coldly, “Excuse me, but I have to go now.” Molly wanted to say something but he had already turned on his heel.
It had been a minute since her engagement party with Han was ruined. Despite her father urging them to get engaged, Han managed to brush the matter off with various excuses. He left her with no choice but to take things into her hands now.
Leah decided to return from the hospital once she regained consciousness. She felt fine despite the shock. When she stepped into the house, Ian and Sasha were chatting on the couch. Sasha was beaming while Ian looked distracted.
“Welcome home, Ms. White.” Noticing Leah, one of the maids quickly greeted her. Ian glanced at the entrance and he immediately walked toward Leah.
“How are you feeling now? Are you okay?” He examined her with a concerned look. Leah shook her head, “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
Sasha glared at Leah before approaching her with a forced smile. “Thank god you’re back, my dearest sister! I was so worried about you. If you hadn’t pushed me away, I would have been the one being taken hostage. Oh, what should I do without you, Sarah?”
To show how much she cared about Leah, Sasha pulled Leah into an embrace; she even teared up to add to the effect. It worked; Leah felt she shouldn’t be too hard on Sasha. Perhaps she misunderstood her.
Two days later, the White sisters were working together again. Their father Gordon would be returning today after sealing a significant deal he had spent almost a year abroad negotiating.
The deal boosted the White family’s reputation and everyone wanted to be friends with them. People were flocking to Gordon’s welcome home party to get on his good books. Owned by NôvelDrama.Org.
Leah and Sasha changed into their dresses for the party. Sasha stared at Leah in her new dress, though she was secretly seething inside. Leah looked pretty. Too pretty. Sasha felt threatened; she needed to be the only rightful daughter in the family.
“Let’s go and greet the guests, shall we?” Sasha plastered a smile on her face and she held Leah’s hand. However, Leah wasn’t ready. She was afraid to bump into Han.
“I have to fix my makeup. I’ll meet you outside,” Leah said feebly.
“Sure.” Sasha resisted the urge to roll her eyes and she swiftly turned away.
As she walked away, Sasha thought of something, and she quickly returned to Leah. “Oh yes, Sarah! Mom told me Han couldn’t make it today. She asked me to get you, so dad could introduce you to everyone.”
Leah’s heart leaped as Sasha mentioned Han’s absence today. Sasha smirked, noticing Leah’s reaction. “You look like you’re scared of Han. What happened?”
“I’m not. You’re overthinking this.” Leah denied it, trying to sound nonchalant.
As soon as Leah and Sasha stepped into the ballroom, Gordon waved at them, calling for Leah. Leah paused for a moment and she walked over to Gordon on the stage.
Standing on the stage, she could see everyone in the ballroom. Han wasn’t among the crowd. She let out a sigh of relief.
“May I get everyone’s attention please,” Gordon spoke, holding Leah’s hand, “I would like to share with all of you today very happy news. This lovely lady here, her name is Sarah White, and I’m glad to call her my daughter.”
“Wait, what? Since when does Mr. White have two daughters?”
“This is not right. I remember he has only one daughter.”
Surprised by Gordon’s announcement, people were whispering. Gordon cleared his throat, “As you all know, I lost my daughter in an unfortunate accident on the sea ten years ago. We found Sasha two weeks later. Then, we also found Sarah six months ago.”
“I am fully aware only one of them is my birth daughter, but my wife and I love both of them equally and wholeheartedly. So please, cherish both of them as part of the White family.” Gordon concluded following what he and his wife had agreed earlier.
No matter what, both young ladies should be treated equally before they knew what the truth was. Gordon’s speech was greeted by a round of applause.
“Mr. White is such a kind-hearted man.”
“Good for you, Mr. White! Now you have two daughters to take care of you.”
“Sarah is quite pretty. She does bear a resemblance to Mrs. White when she was younger.”
Lights dimmed in the ballroom as Sasha appeared on the stage, wearing a striking champagne-colored dress. Everyone stopped and they looked at her in awe. A spotlight shone on her, casting an angelic glow on her face. She was breathtakingly beautiful.
“Thank you everyone here for joining us in welcoming my father home,” she announced with a confident smile, “Here’s a song for my father and all of you.”
Leah sat down in front of a piano. She began playing. The performance was flawless.
“She plays it so well! I heard she won second place in the International Piano Competition.”
“How elegant! Her proper upbringing shows in her perfect performance.”
“I bet the impostor can’t play half as well as her.”
Leah heard the two women commenting about her. She turned to look at them. They glared at her. She was flustered by their hostility toward her.
“Well, well, hello there, little miss impostor,” one of the women jeered at Leah. “How could you do this though? How could you fool the Whites and how could you try to replace Sasha?”
“Look at you! I’m amazed you have the confidence to compete with Sasha,” the other woman joined in, “See that angel on the stage? She’s the real deal. You’re nothing.”
“Sasha has been playing the piano and painting forever. She’s good with everything. What are you good with? Do you even have any talent to show?”
Leah pursed her lips and she kept quiet. Before she could walk away, Sasha had finished her song and everyone was cheering for her perfect performance.
Sasha stood up and she found Leah almost immediately. She called out to her, “Sarah, it’s your turn now. Come on, show us your present for our dearest father!”
She tried to look as sincere as possible, yet she was secretly rejoicing at Leah’s dumbfounded reaction to being put on the spot. Sasha was certain Leah had not prepared anything.