Aurelia walked to the side of the road, intending to let the car pass. She didn't want to know who was coming to visit. She only wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
What she didn't expect was for the car to stop beside her.
The back window rolled down, showing the face of a middle-aged man. His stern face made him seem unapproachable. His eyes scanned her from head to toe. Taking in her worn clothes and the bag slung over her shoulder.
If she wasn't wrong, this was supposed to be her father. Just as he was assessing her, she was assessing him.
She didn't have an inherent bias towards the heroine's family. She didn't feel much of anything towards them. As long as they didn't piss her off, she wouldn't mind staying here.
However, she had to admit, their greeting left a lot to be desired. Had it been the old Aurelia, she might have stayed and tried not to cry. Hoping and praying for a family that cared for her.
From her memories, she could see that one of the things the young girl longed for was a family. Her family left early, and she hoped the Starlight family could fill that slot. She, herself, also hoped for familial love, but she wasn't willing to give up her principles for it.
"Aurelia?" he asked, his face slightly confused.
"Yes. Who are you?"
He seemed taken aback by her tone. Not expecting her to reply as coldly as she did. However, he put it aside. Instead, he asked her what she was doing outside and why she was leaving.
"The people who live here don't seem to want me here. I have been waiting for more than ten minutes for someone to open the door. I have knocked and rang the doorbell. Since it is inconvenient, I will leave."
Without waiting for his response, she turned and walked away. She didn't take it to heart that he didn't let her know who he was. As long as she knew, that's what mattered.
She also wanted to know how this would play out. Would they let her leave or actually go out to find her?
It didn't take long for her to get an answer.
She saw a car stop beside her. Someone quickly got out of the car. Who else could it be but the man who brought her here? She thought about the name he had given when he bombarded her on their first meeting. Arthur Haywood.
Aurelia looked at him, a smile playing on her face, "Arthur, my good man, I thought you died after you brought me here?"
She knew exactly what she was doing. She wanted to irritate him. She wanted him to have an outburst so she could blame him and receive compensation from this family. Whether in the form of a better room, money or something else.
Unlucky for her, he might have known she wanted to irritate him, or he got a hell of a scolding. He didn't take the bait.
"Miss, I apologise, there was something I urgently needed to take care of. It was unexpected that none of the servants would open the door for the lady."
Blaming the servants, thought Aurelia. As if she would believe that. But she didn't care who didn't open the door. She needed to know what would happen when she went back. She was ready for another play to begin.
She didn't say whether she understood or not. Just walked to the car and sat down, ready to go back to the villa.
This time, the door opened as soon as the car stopped.
The man who had stopped at the gate earlier, her father, ushered her inside.
She walked in and surveyed the villa. She noted their furnishings. While she hadn't seen anything as luxurious, she wasn't naive. She clicked her tongue in appreciation.
The man ushered her into the living room. There she saw a girl sitting on the sofa, looking polite and good-tempered. Nothing like the ugly heart she had seen when she was walking away.
Now, she knew the female lead wasn't the only person at home. She didn't ask why the person on the sofa didn't open the door. If the female lead didn't agree, this young miss wouldn't agree either.
This must be the younger sister. The Starlights had three children. She was the oldest, and the twins, a boy and a girl, who were one year younger.
Usually, the younger children are the ones showered with love. But in their family, it was the oldest. The kidnapping incident that happened not long after she was born led them to feel guilty over the years. Too bad they didn't realise they never got the right daughter.
Aurelia shook her head; she truly didn't know what to say about this family.
She didn't wait for an invitation and sat on the sofa adjacent to the young girl. The man sat on the single sofa. He cleared his throat and looked at Aurelia. The mix of expressions on his face made it clear he didn't know how to continue.
"Are you my father?" Aurelia asked. Since he didn't know how to start, she would give him a way out. So far, he didn't seem like a bad father.
He relaxed slightly, "Yes, I am. My name is Charles Starlight. This is your sister, Aurora Starlight."
She looked at the girl sitting across from her. She couldn't sense any of the disdain the book talked about. She didn't seem happy to see her, but it wasn't to the point of pushing her down the stairs or anything like that.
She found it even more odd to see her father. The man wasn't mentioned much. He didn't seem to have any problems with Aurelia. At most, he spent his time working.
She decided to reevaluate the family. She was now curious about why the book said they hated her.
"It's nice to meet both of you," Aurelia said. Then she turned to Aurora. "I like your name. I've always wanted to see the aurora borealis. I bet it's just as beautiful as you are."
She could see the twinkle in Aurora's eyes, but she heard her scoff and turn her head away. Aurelia just let out a small laugh and turned to her father.
"So the rest of the family isn't here?"
"Your other sister is upstairs. Your younger brother is out with your mother, looking for gifts for you. They didn't know what to get you and were nervous about what you would like."
She wasn't sure what to say about this. It was different from what was written in the book. Then again, the book really starts when the heroine takes the gene test. Even her arrival in the evening was told from the heroine's perspective.
"I'm not that picky. As long as you don't dislike me, that's enough. I've seen too many step-parent stories. I know this isn't the same situation, but it is similar."
Aurelia made a preemptive strike. This way, no one would say she wants to break up the family or is trying to take someone's place.
"You've only just found out the daughter you've had for eighteen years isn't your daughter. I don't know how that feels. I only know that I've lost my parents to the disasters, and now, I find I have a new set of parents. I feel guilty and at the same time relieved. Guilty because I want family love, and it would feel like I'm trying to erase my parents. Relieved because I still have someone who cares about me. I'm not telling you this to make you feel bad. I only want you to know how I'm feeling."
After her long speech, she held her father's gaze for a moment before turning to Aurora.
"I'm not trying to steal your sister away from you. If you're willing, you can have another sister, me. If you aren't willing, I will leave you alone."
She didn't talk any further and left the rest up to them. If they chose to accept her, that's fine. If they didn't, she would ask for money and leave. She wasn't interested in internal fighting.
"Well, I will talk to your mother tonight and let her know what you've said." He ran his fingers through his hair. "She's been out of sorts since she found out. What you said would put her at ease."
Yeah, I'm sure it would. She was the worst out of everyone in the house. The twins mainly cause trouble because the heroine keeps pitting them against her. But her so-called mother was never nice about anything.
She took advantage of the other Aurelia's timid character to boss her around. Almost treating her as a servant.
She put the thought behind her. So far, neither the father nor the sister has been mean to her. She hopes it will be the same for the mother and brother.
As for the heroine, judging from what she saw from downstairs, there would be no getting along.