Sara headed downstairs for breakfast. She saw the whole family gathered at the table and raised her brows. They're pretending to be a family today?
"Mum, Dad, brothers, good morning!" Tara skipped downstairs and kissed Anna and Derek on the cheek. She did the same for the three brothers. Derek smiled fondly while the brothers patted her head. Anna just frowned.
Sara watched this with a look of interest. Why did the mother seem a bit off. She looked at her and discovered that.... This Anna was actually a beauty! She looked soft and cute. Like a plushie!
Anna felt a pair of eyes on her and looked up to see Sara. She smiled immediately, "Look at you! Come here." She stood up and pulled Sara to sit beside her.
The brothers all frowned when they saw Sara. Sara ignored them, instead looking at Anna.
"What?" Anna was nervous.
"I just think you look more pleasing to the eyes today." Sara looked away.
Anna was speechless but also pleased. "Let's have breakfast!"
Tara pouted and reached for the bowl of bird nest soup on the table but Anna stopped her. "That's Sara's."
Immediately, Tara's eyes reddened. "Mum didn't make any for me?"
"Well.. no." Anna felt flustered when she saw her crying. "Sara has been sick for a while now. I just wanted to make something for her."
"But I was injured too..." Tara pouted sadly. "Sister and I can share it!"
"This bowl is so small. Mummy will make one for you tonight, okay? A bigger bowl! Just for you alone!"
The more Anna spoke, the more tears gathered in Tara's eyes. Anna was flustered and could only watch her cry.
Zhen Yan couldn't take it anymore. He looked at his mother sharply. "Just let her have it Mum."
"But this is Sara's..." Anna protested.
"Mum." Zhen Yuchen joined in.
"It's fine First Brother, Second Brother." Tara pulled on their arms. "I just feel sad because I've always dreamt of having bird nest soup cooked by my mother before." Her voice got weaker towards the end and her head dropped.
"I..." Anna couldn't say anything.
"That's enough." Derek said. "Tara will take the soup."
"Thank you Daddy!" Tara immediately smiled happily. The brothers felt happy when they saw her smile and they immediately scooped the soup for her.
Sara saw Anna put her head down and sneered. "Hypocrite."
Everyone stopped.
"What did you say?" Derek frowned.
Sara looked at Tara. "You can't even spare your mother from your tricks? How do you feel after making her husband and sons feel dissatisfied towards her?"
"No, I didn't!" Tara bit her lips. "I know you feel bad..."
"Save it." Sara waved her off. "You could have pestered her to make another one for you. She had even agreed already to make one bigger than mine, but you? You pretend to be kind and magnanimous, yet you just had to have the one given to me. Do you delight in snatching so much? And snatching petty things?
"And you." She glared at Anna. "Do you only know how to cry?"
"Ah?" Anna looked up with her eyes red.
Sara glanced at her fair cheeks, her soft brown hair and her red eyes. She looked like... A hamster!
"If they bully you, can't you bully them back? Although this is the first time I'm seeing a husband and his sons bully their wife and mother just for a sister."
Derek saw his wife crying and his heart wrenched. "Darling."
"Let's go. " Sara stood up. She couldn't hear any movements behind her and turned back to glare at Anna. "Are you waiting for me to carry you?"
"Ah!" Anna hurriedly stood up and ran after the departing girl. "Daughter! Wait for mummy!"
Tara was left behind with the angry men. She didn't know how to explain herself and could only cry to attract their pity.
*************
"Why are you staring at me?" Sara glared at Anna.
Anna smiled. Her brown eyes twinkled happily. "I just feel like my daughter is so handsome!"
"Eat." Sara stuffed a bun in her mouth. She turned to eat her food, but a sniffle distracted her. She saw Anna sitting there with the bun in her mouth and tears on her face.
"What? Did I hurt you? So delicate!" Sara's mouth was sharp but her hands were wiping Anna's tears.
"I'm just happy." Anna's voice was muffled.
"Because of a bun?" Sara sneered.
"It's not just a bun! It's the bun you gave me! You're finally willing to talk to mummy..." She began crying again.
"One more tear and I'll throw you out the window." Sara threatened.
Anna obediently ate her breakfast. After their meals, Anna paid and dragged Sara out.
"Let's go shopping! Mummy will spoil you!"
Sara's eyes lit up. There was one thing she liked and that was to spend. Spend, spend, spend others money!
The two ran from store to store. By lunch time, they had already visited over thirty stores.
"This is so fun!" Anna beamed happily. She held a barbeque stick in her hand and gnawed on it. If Derek could see his wife now, he would be horrified. What happened to his elegant wife?
Sara looked at Anna proudly. This little woman seemed quite easy to teach! The two of them squatted by the road and gnawed on barbeque.
Click!
The two women turned, confused.
Click!
Another camera shuttered and they turned again.
The two men in front of them seemed to have seen a treasure and kept taking pictures.
Sara saw they were not harmful and went back to eating. Anna hesitated but decided to follow her daughter's lead. Her daughter was the best!
The photographer looked at the two beautiful women eating and couldn't help but keep clicking his camera. So beautiful! The two of them looked like cartoon characters from a movie! This was so inspiring! He made various videos of them, but the women didn't even move. Only after eating and letting out two cute burps did they stand up and leave. The tall one walked in front while the little one with brown hair stumbled behind.
"Why are you dawdling?" The tall one frowned.
"I...I...I am full! And sleepy..." The little with brown hair dropped her head.
"Why are you so delicate?" The tall girl sneered then reached out to hold her sister. The setting sun shone on their backs, creating a beautiful image.
The photographer stopped recording and looked at his assistant. "Did you also record?"
"Yes!" The young man was flushed.
"Mister Wei!" A man shouted and ran up to them.
"Director Guo!" The photographer grinned.
"Sigh. I've been looking for a spot to shoot our commercial..."
"Director, no need!" The photographer interrupted him. "I've already filmed our commercial!"
"Huh?" Director Guo was stunned.
The photographer pulled the camera to him and played the video.
"Brilliant! Brilliant!" Director Guo was sure this commercial would be a hit!
"Immediately, go back! We have to put it out immediately!"
****************
Derek looked at his sulking wife and sighed. He had been kneeling on the washboard for three hours now!
"Honey." He whined.
"What? Why are you giving me that look? Go and give it to your precious daughter!" Anna moved away.
Derek hurriedly held her hands. "I was wrong, I was wrong. I deserve to be punished." He knocked himself a few times.
Anna's heart ached and she immediately stopped him. "Don't." She helped him up.
Behind her, Derek grinned but adopted a crying face when she looked at him.
"But hubby, don't you feel a little bit suspicious?" Anna said.
"Of?"
"Tara."
Derek frowned. "Did Sara say something to you?"
"Look at you! I see kneeling for three hours wasn't enough for you! How dare you accuse my baby! You'll sleep outside tonight!"
Derek immediately knelt. "I apologize. I apologize."
Anna laughed then turned serious. "The timing is too coincidental. Everything happened so smoothly. Almost like it was directed by someone."
Derek frowned.
"We never even investigated Tara. I suggest we do so."
"You suspect it's all a lie?" Derek's face was clouded.
"It's better to be safe than sorry."