Ch. 2881..2890

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2881-“You can do that again.You're only possessive of me because we've known each other for so long, and your feelings have turned twisted."

Claire suddenly became agitated.

''You don't know meat all, so don't tell me what my feelings are for you! I like you, I love you! When I chose someone else back then, I had my reasons.If I could've stayed, I would've stayed.Don't forget, it was me who fell for you first.No matter what, I'm willing to love you more.You can't deny that.

"Life played a cruel joke on me.Every time I wanted to choose, it made me lose something as important as you.But when I finally realized my mistake, you

chose another woman.Sherman, can't you give me another chance? Or did you marry Rita just to spite me? You two barely know each other.How could you spend your life with her?"

Claire cried uncontrollably, wetting Sherman's chest with her tears.

It was heart-wrenching for Sherman to see her like that.

He could not help but urge Rita, "Did you call the ambulance?"

Rita nodded earnestly.

"I just called, but they'll take some time to get here.Has Claire's bleeding stopped?"

“You don't need to pretend to be sympathetic, Rita.Whether my bleeding stops or not has nothing to do with you! You probably wish I'd die here so you wouldn't have to compete with anyone for Sherman's love."

"Miss Claire, why would you think like that? We have no grudge with each other…"

“Huh, no grudge? You stole my man.How is that no grudge?" Rita frowned.

Even though Claire was injured, she felt the need to defend herself.

''I never wanted to compete with you for him.But if you two weren't together from the start, why couldn't I marry him? Claire, you need to figure out whether your feelings for him are love or possessiveness."

“Why you!"

Claire struggled to sit up, but Sherman pressed her back down.

“Are you crazy? You're still bleeding."

Sherman's concern, however, made Claire feel like she had found his weak spot.

‘So I was right.He doesn't love Rita at all.At the end of the day, I'm the one he cares about the most,’ thought Claire.

Claire returned to his embrace.

"My head hurts so much.Is the ambulance here yet? Am I going to die, Sherman?"

People around whispered, "If she was afraid of dying, why did she run into the pillar in the first place?"

"You don't understand.She didn't hit the pillar for herself.She did it to show Sherman.If she wanted to die, she wouldn't have done it in front of everyone like this.She's just trying to make Rita's life difficult."

'I don't think Rita can compete with this woman Look at her, just standing meekly there. She should speak up for herself!"

As everyone continued to whisper amongst themselves, the ambulance arrived.

Before leaving, Sherman exchanged a glance with Rita's supervisor.

"Don't worry, Mister Sherman.You have my word that what happened today won't get leaked."

Only then did Sherman carry Claire into the ambulance.

As soon as they were inside, medical personnel began treating her wounds, leaving Rita standing alone, watching the ambulance drive away.

Stop right there, Rita. Where do you think you're going?" asked Lenny m authoritatively, which was a stark contrast to how he had behaved toward Sherman a few moments before.

He seemed impatient.

"Aren't you afraid that by causing such a scene, our newspaper is going to be in tomorrow's headlines?"

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2882-Rita was confused.

"How is this my fault? Miss Claire was the one who came here to kick up a fuss.If you've looked into it, you should know I didn't steal her boyfriend.She and Sherman had never been together, so what does this have to do with me? She publicly accused me of something I didn't do, so I'm the victim here."

"Why you! You think you're so smart, don't you? Have you forgotten who's in charge here?"

He had been groveling in front of Sherman like a sycophant, bending over backward to please him despite his age, yet when it came to Rita, he behaved

arrogantly.

“You're in charge of course, but what does that have to do with whether I did something wrong or not? Just because you're my supervisor, does that give you the right to falsely accuse me too? I haven't done anything wrong, no matter what anyone says!"

"You…You…You…Who's your boss? Bring him here.I want to see who raised such a disobedient reporter like you."

The other onlookers started slowly dispersing on their own on account of not wanting to incur his wrath.

“My boss has nothing to do with this,"

Rita said stiffly, refusing to answer.

Rita could not shake off the expression on Sherman's face when he left.

He did not even notice she was standing there.

He did not even ask if she wanted to go to the hospital with him; he just left like that.

Did he ever consider that she was scared too? Rita was furious.

She did not care about her superior who still wanted to lecture her; she went straight to the parking lot.

She needed to find Sherman and get some answers.

Did he care about her at all? ‘Is our marriage just a contract to him? Does he not even care about me a little? The fact that he left with Claire in front of so many people…

Doesn't he know how humiliating it was for me? He might as well broadcast to the whole world that he still has feelings for her.

But I swear I didn't break up their relationship.

No one in the company is going to take me seriously after this.

Sherman wouldn't have done this if he cared about me,' thought Rita.

She felt like a mere bystander when Sherman carried Claire into the ambulance.

He was so indifferent toward Rita, focusing only on the woman in his arms.

Rita was not oblivious to the fact that Sherman did not have feelings form her, but they were still good friends, were they not? That was, of course, unless he decided to completely ignore her due to her father's blackmail.

Rita felt uneasy, but she had to go to the hospital.

She needed to know Sherman's attitude toward her.

Even when the ambulance arrived at the hospital, Claire refused to let go of Sherman's hand as she lay on the hospital bed.

Don't leave, okay? I know I made a lot of mistakes in the past, but I regret it now. Otherwise I wouldn't have come back from abroad. You understand me the best, don't you?

Please don't go. I miss you so much./ miss the days we spent together … "

Sherman did not respond to her pleading.

Instead, he just said, "Don't worry. The doctor will come in to stitch up your!

wound, and it won't hurt anymore when they're done."

"I don't want them to stitch up my wound. I want an answer from you! I want you to tell me if you've forgiven me!"

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2883-"I need to know, even if I can't accept the answer!"

The doctor, who was growing irked, beside them kept urging, "Sir, please give her an answer.Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to treat her wound.The bleeding hasn't stopped yet.We can't joke around with a person's life like this."

Sherman looked at Claire, tears welling up in her eyes, and finally nodded.

"I know you have your reasons for all the choices you've made.It's been so long, and I've forgiven you a long time ago."

However, Claire did not feel relieved at his answer.

Instead, her heart broke even more.

She would rather he got angry at her.

At least then it would mean he still had not let her go.

Realization dawned on Claire that Sherman had moved on from their relationship.

Her heart grew colder, and she stopped struggling.

Seizing the opportunity, the doctor and nurse pushed her into the room for further treatment.

Outside the room, Sherman sat alone on a chair, looking at the blood on his hands.

He sighed heavily.

‘She wouldn't have gone to New Capital Times to kick up a fuss if I had made it clear to her earlier,' he thought with a frown.

He wondered how efficient Rita's superior was at handling public opinion.

He just hoped it would not affect Rita's work.

It would be best if none of her colleagues brought up the matter again.

With these thoughts in mind, he planned to visit her company after Claire's wound was stitched up.

However, Rita arrived less than 15 minutes later, to Sherman's surprise.

She hurriedly walked up to him, looking completely unlike her usual composed self.

After exchanging a glance, Rita managed to calm her breathing before asking, "How long has Miss Claire been in there? Did the doctor say how much longer the stitching will take?"

Sherman shook his head.

"You came quickly.She just went in about ten minutes ago."

"Oh.Do you think my coming here is unnecessary and will just make things worse for you?"

Rita stood there at a distance, not daring to approach.

She was afraid that if she got any closer, he would be disgusted and want to walk away.

Sherman frowned.

"But you're the cause of all this."

Ah! You've misunderstood. I'm not trying to shirk responsibility. I'm just worried that Miss Claire would be angry when she wakes up, which wouldn't be good for her recovery. But I was so worried about her, so I decided to come. Plus, I have some other questions I want to ask you …

Rita hung her head.

She had been harassed by Claire, and her clothes were disheveled from rushing over from the office. She looked quite miserable.

"Go ahead and ask."

Sherman encouraged her to speak, but Rita did not know how to articulate her thoughts.

She felt like she must be the most shameless person in the world.

After everything her family had done to Sherman, she still dared to ask him if he liked her.

Only someone with an immense amount of narcissism could ask such a question.

However, her heart kept pounding, and she wanted to hear the answer from Sherman's mouth.

That way, she would be able to let him go if he did not have the slightest bit of affection for her.

In the end, Rita chose to ask another question.

Do … Do you like Miss Claire?"" I've already said it our relationship is in the past. Did you not hear what I just said?"

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2884-Sherman sounded impatient, and Rita could not help but feel like he was mocking her.

She did not dare to speak anymore.

She would just chalk her earlier thoughts down as her delusions and refrained from asking Sherman the question she really wanted to ask him.

"Do you have any other questions?"

Sherman knew she still had other doubts when he noted her hesitance, but he did not expect her to shake her head.

“You must be tired.Let me buy you a bottle of water," said Rita.

Sherman did not understand why she looked so upset.

‘Shouldn't she be happy to hear that there's nothing going on between me and Claire? Just what the heck is this woman thinking?’ Rita felt sad, especially about her own family.

It was not like she could cut them off from her life, but at the same time, she did not have the right to openly express her feelings for Sherman.

She longed to return to the past when they were not bound by so many interests.

Back then, she would have asked without hesitation.

She was no longer the straightforward reporter she used to be, nor did she have that kind of confidence.

Rita sat outside alone for a long time before finally buying a bottle of water and returning.

On her way back, she happened to meet Sherman.

He only returned to his seat when he saw her coming back.

“What took you so long? Where did you go to buy the bottle?"

Rita explained, Oh, I saw a patch of grass over there, so I sat there for a while.I'm sorry."

Even her smile seemed ingratiating.

Sherman furrowed his brow even more tightly.

He did not understand what happened to make her so cautious after just going out for a bit.

He admitted there was an element of spite when he initially agreed to marry her.

He wanted her to see clearly what their relationship was and also wanted to punish her.

However, it was only after Claire reminded him that he realized he had feelings for Rita.

Nonetheless, those feelings had not fully developed.

They were just a hint of fondness, surpassing friendship but not quite reaching the level of romantic love.

“Sherman, maybe I should go back for now.

Miss Claire probably won't want to see me here when she comes out.

Besides, I still have other things to attend to at work."

Seeing Rita's eager-to-escape demeanor made Sherman even more irritated.

"I forget that you're a busy woman.You can leave now if you don't want to stay.Don't need to make it seem like I'm forcing you to stay."

When Sherman said this, Rita's intention to leave weakened.

She did not want him to see her as someone irresponsible.

After all, the whole incident started because of her.

Regardless of Claire's misunderstanding, she needed tom explain things properly to her and assure her that she was not a homewrecker.

"Didn't you say you wanted to leave? Why haven't you gone yet?"

Rita smiled at him.

When I think back about it, I realized I didn't have any urgent work.

Besides, my colleagues can cover for me.

Also, won't you feel bored waiting com here alone? At least with me here, we can talk."

Sherman turned his head away before smiling slightly.

Only Rita would come up with such a clumsy excuse just to keep him company.

She could have just said she wanted to stay with him.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2885-The two did not have to wait long.

Claire's wound could have been treated quickly, but due to her public figure status and the desire to avoid obvious scars on her head, they had to use cosmetic stitches to handle it delicately.

As soon as Claire emerged, she loudly called out Sherman's name.

Sherman immediately stood up and walked to her bed, helping wheel her into her ward along with the other nurses.

“Miss Claire, how are you feeling now? Are you still feeling dizzy?"

Seeing this, Rita also went over to help.

However, as soon as Claire saw her, her smile turned sour.

"What are you doing here?"

“Of course I'm here.I came to take care of you since you've been admitted to the hospital.After all, Sherman's a man and might be clumsy in many ways, unlike us women who are more detail- oriented.Plus, we still need to clear up the misunderstanding from before.I need to explain to you properly that I didn't steal Sherman from you."

Claire lay on the hospital bed, her mouth twisted with anger.

'Does she really think I'm a fool? Ugh, the way she pretends to care about me makes me sick! How shameless can she be to be standing there and spouting all these so-called grandiose reasons?"

"I appreciate the thought, Miss Rita, but I don't need your care.Sherman and I have known each other for many years.We've always taken care of each other when one of us is sick, so we're very familiar with each other.In fact, I felt a bit dizzy the moment you appeared.Maybe it's because our vibes don't mix well together.Sherman, you better get Miss Rita out of here quickly."

Rita looked at Sherman helplessly.

She had never heard such ridiculous excuses before.

She thought Claire should just be honest if she did not like her instead of talking about 'incompatible vibes'.

After the nurses escorted Claire to her room, they instructed her not to move around, to just rest quietly, and left.

"I'll inform your agent to come and take care of you later," said Sherman.

Upon hearing this, Claire immediately grabbed his hand.

"No, I want you to take care of me.Serena needs to take care of her kids.It wouldn't be right to call her over now!"

Before Sherman could respond, Rita quickly expressed her eagerness to care for her.

"How about letting me take care of you? I don't have anyone at home either, so I can stay with you in the hospital.

Miss Claire, I sincerely apologize to you.I wanted to explain everything to you earlier, but my anger got the better of me, which led you to act recklessly.But don't worry, I'll definitely make it up to you."

Claire could not tell if Rita was genuinely naive or just pretending.

She simply did not want to see Rita lingering around her and Sherman.

She wanted it to be the only two of them.

‘If Sherman can take care of me before, why can't he take care of me now?’ thought Claire.

Claire failed to realize that Sherman had become a married man, legally bound to Rita.

He was not the same person who used to cater to her every whim especially considering that they had not been together for a long time.

Sherman had even moved on from the relationship.

Only Claire remained stuck in the past, unwilling to let go.

Sorry, Sherman can't stay here to take care of you since he needs to take care of his grandparents at m home Miss Claire, I'm your best option now. Otherwise, we could arrange for a private nurse to take care of you. That wouldn't be a bad choice either, considering nurses are more professional than us … "

Sherman remained silent, curious to know how Rita would handle the matter.

However, Claire interrupted her before Rita could finish her sentence.

"1 Are you incapable of understanding human language? I said | don't want you to take care of me. you even doing this? Are you trying to make me give up on Sherman?"

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2886-"Who do you think you're fooling with your fake concern? Is that how you've managed to trick Sherman into marrying you? Well, let me warn you: he might not see through it, but I certainly do. So stop pretending in front of me. You're just jealous of me, aren't you? I've known him for so long, but what about you?

Just a few months, and you think you know him? You're not even worthy of being with him!"

Sherman quickly intervened with a stern frown, "Claire, she's my wife. I won't allow you to speak to her like that."

Claire's tears started flowing. "You've never scolded me before, but now you're scolding me for this woman? Oh, my head hurts. Doctor… Please call the doctor!"

Seeing Claire in distress, Rita panicked. "Sherman, she…"

"Quick, go get the doctor. Don't panic."

Rita rang the bell and rushed out to call the doctor. The nurse arrived promptly, checked Claire's wound, which was not bleeding, and scolded them both, "The patient needs rest. Her emotions must be kept stable, so even if you have urgent matters, you should wait until her condition has stabilized before discussing them with her. We have other patients to attend to, and we can't put all of our attention on caring for her."

Rita kept apologizing profusely, "Sorry, we didn't mean to upset her. We won't do it again. Please, go ahead and attend to your other tasks."

Claire fell silent. She only pretended to feel dizzy earlier to manipulate Rita and Sherman, and after the scolding, she did not utter a word. Admitting that they were married was still difficult for her.

"You two should leave. I don't need anyone here to take care of me. Just let me die here on my own," she said.

Sherman was about to leave, but who could leave after hearing such words? In the end, he said decisively," Rita and I will leave now. The nurse will attend to you for now, and I've already contacted Serena. She said she can spare some time to take care of you."

With that, he held Rita's hand and left. Rita looked back with mild concern. As soon as they stepped out of the room, they heard the sound of a cup shattering against the wall.

A nurse rushed over, visibly frustrated. Claire's earlier excuse of feeling dizzy would not work anymore. The nurse sternly reprimanded her, "This is a hospital, not your home. If you want to throw a tantrum, I can arrange for you to be discharged now. You can find another hospital!"

"Isn't it harsh to just leave her alone in the hospital like that?" Rita admitted that many of the things she said earlier were to anger Claire, but seeing her lying alone in the hospital bed made her feel sorry for her.

Sherman sighed inwardly, thinking Rita was still as soft-hearted as ever.

We'll wait here until her agent arrives, and then we'll leave. We can rush back inside if anything happens to her."

Rita smiled and nodded. "Good idea!

That way, she won't see us and get angry, which will be good for recovery."

Once they were seated, the atmosphere between them improved significantly. Rita tentatively felt the urge to ask him the question that had been on her mind.

"Sherman…"

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2887-Rita turned to look at him with a pleasant smile, but her expression faltered when Sherman's phone rang, She caught sight of the caller ID displaying her father's name. "Why is he calling you again?"

"If even you don't know, how would I know? Perhaps you should go back and ask your father what he's done to drive his company to this state of ruin."

Sherman's tone dripped with disdain.

"Don't answer his calls anymore. He's probably asking you for money again. I'll talk to him when I get back. Things weren't this bad before. How could be recklessly squander everything when he has a baby boy coming?"

Sherman's expression grew darker with each word Rita spoke. He could guess exactly what Vince was doing-Vince was treating him like a free ATM. After all, even Rita could guess it. He could tolerate it once for Rita's sake, but he would not tolerate anyone continuously draining him.

The interruption from her father made Rita no longer want to ask Sherman anything else. She even felt too ashamed to speak in front of him.

"Whatever amount he's taken from you, just add it to my account. I'll repay you."

Sherman chuckled softly. "Are you sure you can repay me?"

Rita smiled bitterly. His words might be harsh, but they were true. Rita knew she owed his family a debt she could not possibly repay. It was only thanks to Sherman and his family's kindness that they did not pursue it further.

To make matters worse, she always felt a sense of guilt for being perceived as his wife by his family.

"You're right, I owe you more than I can repay. And if I had the choice, I wouldn't want to be born into a family like mine," said Rita.

Given a choice, she would rather be a child from an ordinary family than be burdened by a father like hers. As she was driven back home, Rita realized just how much she had grown to detest her family. She had never entertained such rebellious thoughts before.

'How could I have such disdain for Dad when he's worked so hard to raise me?

Isn't this my duty as a daughter to bear his debts? But he's becoming increasingly greedy. Does the family really need so much money?' thought Rita.

She was sure that a large portion of the funds were being used for his unborn son. Vince was just too audacious; he treated Sherman as if he were a brainless bank! He did not even consider Parr Group, something Sherman had built through his own hard work, was completely unrelated to him.

"Who knows when Dad will wake up and stop doing shameless things like this? It's probably better for me to earn more money and repay as much as I can."

As Rita muttered to herself, she flipped through Esmond's files. She had almost completed her investigation into his background, and his activities over the years had become clearer to her.

He would have been considered quite a character if he was not a thug. After experiencing significant life changes, the few key decisions he made brought him considerable wealth, which was why so many people were willing to work for him.

'But I wonder whether he knows Sadie is his daughter,' thought Rita.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2888-Sadie even changed her surname.

Rita decided to wait until the next day before going back to her father's place; there were some questions she needed to ask Karen in person.

She did not plan on telling her father about this for the time being. With so much happening lately, coupled with the fact that Karen was pregnant with a baby boy, telling him would not likely make any difference. She needed to hold onto this leverage and use it to her advantage at the right moment.

Despite all the troubles, life went on as usual. Rita focused on her work, and she planned to think about her future once she wrapped up the case. Over the

years, she had received invitations to join the entertainment industry, but she always declined. She disliked that industry at the time, and as a heiress, she did not need to compete with others for a living.

However, things had changed. She had her own things to do; she could no longer rely on the allowances her father gave her.

'It might not be so bad to work as an actress. At least I'd be able to quickly repay the debts,' thought Rita as she drove back home.

Vince seemed somewhat pleased to see her when she arrived. "You're back!

Where's Sherman? Didn't he come back with you?"

Rita's expression darkened as she handed the keys to the servant. "Why did you call him yesterday?"

"I'm his father-in-law. Why else would I call him if not to catch up?" Vince replied casually, Rita bit her lip. She did not want to use harsh words against her father, but he was increasingly pushing the boundaries.

"Dad, Sherman has given you the money. Our family isn't as struggling as you claim, so I suggest you stop asking him for money. At the end of the day, I'm his wife. Can't you leave me with some dignity?"

Vince's expression darkened. "What do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm an embarrassment to you? Have you forgotten I provided everything you have now, everything you eat, wear, and use? Yet you dare to complain about my thick skin…"

Rita hung her head without retorting, but Vince's words became increasingly outrageous.

So you've finally admitted you're his wife? Yet you were so reluctant when I forced him to marry you ? What a joke! Don't think you're any special just because you're now his wife.

Once a Russell, always a Russell!"

Rita weakly protested, "It's precisely because I haven't forgotten I'm a Russell that I'm advising you. Do you really not know what kind of person Sherman is? Do you really want to do O things that will humiliate him? It's only out of his own good will that he decided to financially help out our family, and you shouldn't take him for a fool by constantly asking him for money. Do you know we keep a record of every penny that you took for him? That's because I have every intention of paying him back!"

Vince grabbed her arm. "What did you say? You're going to pay him back? The Parr family said they'll give us the money with no strings attached, so why do you need to pay them back?"

Rita was caught off-guard by Vince's grip. He insisted on hearing an answer from her. Even though he knew his daughter did not have much money, he could not have asked Sherman for money, only for Rita to secretly repay it.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2889-Vince found it intolerable for the money to be a loan. After all, that money rightfully belonged to him, so why should Rita want to repay Sherman?

Rita refused to tell her father why. She could not let him ruin her plan since she had decided to repay the money.

At that moment, Karen-visibly pregnant-came downstairs.

"What are you doing coming down?" asked Vince.

"Rita rarely comes home for a visit. Why do you insist on driving her away?

Can't we all sit and talk as a family?" replied Karen.

Rita could not help but roll her eyes inwardly at the sight of Karen. However, she had questions for her, so she forced herself to remain calm.

Vince turned to face Karen with disgust. "Do you know what Rita's saying? She wants to pay back the money the Parr family gave us! Can you believe it? If I didn't know her any better, I'd think she's crazy! That amount of money is like chump change to them, whereas it can set us up for life!

"Rita, even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about your unborn baby brother. How can you be so selfish?"

Vince pushed Rita roughly, causing her to stagger back a few steps before regaining her balance.

'How could my own father call me selfish when I only want to have the right to hold my head high in front of Sherman?' thought Rita.

Karen walked over to Vince, her expression gentle as she soothingly patted his chest, "Darling, she's still just a child. She doesn't know how much you have sacrificed for this family.

"Rita, your father has been working tirelessly for your marriage, so much so that some of his hair turned gray. Now that you're Sherman's wife, you shouldn't forget who was the one who made it happen. Come now, apologize to your father, so that we can put this behind us. We're family, after all, and families always forgive each other."

She turned back to Vince again. "The same goes for you, darling. Rita has finally come back for a visit, and before we even have a chance to talk things through, you're scolding her. I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't come for a visit next time!"

"Hmph! As if I give a damn whether she comes back for a visit or not," Vince retorted.

Karen sighed in exasperation. "Weren't you the one who kept worrying if she was living well or being mistreated by her in-laws? So why are you saying such hurtful things to drive her away when she's standing right in front of you?"

"Oh please, when have I ever worried about her?"

Vince's voice remained cold, leaving Rita unsure whether Karen's words were true or false.

Did her father really care about her when she was not at home, or was he only concerned about how much money he could get from the Parr family after she married into it?

The thought left. Rita feeling bitter. She wondered what had happened in just this short year to make her stop trusting even her own father.

Alright, let's compromise. Rita, Sadie have just gotten back from school She's upstairs right now. Could you please call her down for lunch? You came back at the perfect time. I had Donna prepare a honey-glazed pork rib. I don't know why, but ever since I got pregnant, I've been craving these meaty dishes," Karen said softly with her eyes down and her hand resting on her belly.

Vince immediately placed his hand on her waist. He then reminded Rita, Hurry up and call your sister down .

Ypun stepmother and I are hungry, and the little one in her belly can't wait."

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2890-Rita took a deep breath. It seemed that Karen had come prepared, and Rita wondered what surprises Sadie had in store for her upstairs. Nevertheless, since she was there, she had to make the best of it. At least that was what she told herself.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Sadie, Dad wants you to come downstairs for lunch. Your mother is hungry,"

Rita called out.

Sadie became visibly irritated upon hearing Rita's voice. "Alright, got it. You can go downstairs now."

Rita did not care whether Sadie actually came down. After receiving a response, she immediately headed downstairs.

Karen looked surprised to see Rita entering the dining room alone. "Rita, I asked you to call Sadie. Why hasn't she come down yet?"

"I did call her, and she asked me to come down first, so I did."

"Oh… Is that so?" Karen continued to glance upstairs, but there was no sign of movement. Even Rita took a quick look.

"Are you sure you called Sadie? Why isn't she coming down yet?" asked Vince.

Rita was speechless. "Dad, what are you talking about? If I were lazy, I wouldn't have climbed up these stairs in the first place. I did call her, and if she hasn't come down, that's her problem. Why are you blaming me?"

Vince slammed down his bowl onto the table. "Your temper is getting worse. Do you think you're someone special just because you married into the Parr family?

I was just asking you a question, yet you retorted me with three. Is this the attitude you should have toward your elders?"

Rita gripped the bowl tightly but remained silent.

"Why aren't you going up to call her again?" Vince demanded.

Rita clenched her jaw and eventually went to call Sadie again.

As she headed upstairs, she faintly heard Karen trying to reason with her father in a disapproving tone.

"You shouldn't have spoken to Rita like that. Always scolding her will push her away, and then you'll regret it," Karen said.

"I'm not scolding her. I'm just teaching her not to lie. Even at home, one should be honest, let alone in society. She's only doing well because she has our support. Let's see how she fares in the future without us!

Rita smirked sarcastically. Since Karen became pregnant, Vince would give in to her unconditionally, no matter how unreasonable she might sound. Not to mention the way she was pretending to be so understanding at that moment.

Rita and Karen had quarreled numerous times, yet Karen never failed to act innocently. At times, Rita could not help but be impressed by Karen's and Sadie's ability to act so nonchalantly, even when they were clearly at odds. It was something Rita could never learn to do.

However, this time, Rita did not hold back. She pounded on Sadie's m bedroom door in the hopes that her commotion would be heard downstairs.

"What are you doing? Didn't I say I heard you?" Sadie's voice came from inside the room, sounding extremely annoyed.

Rita replied impatiently, "I don't care whether you heard me or not. Come downstairs and eat before your mother starves to death."

The door immediately swung open.

After looking Rita up and down, Sadie noticed that despite being married, Rita had not changed much . She was still dressed in the same clothes as before. Sadie concluded that Sherman probably did not care much for her either, which put her at ease.

"Haven't you learned anything since marrying into the Parr family?" Sadie remarked sarcastically.