Looking at Athena who was dressed in outdated professional clothes that went beyond her age, Susan was surprised, but at the same time, she was secretly delighted.
By the looks of it, Athena was having a hard time in the past few years.
"Athena, where have you been all these years? I've been so worried!" Susan recovered from her shock and asked with feigned concern.
Athena did not expect to meet Susan this soon. She thought that she would only be meeting her at the banquet.
However, when she noticed that Susan's acting skills were still the same as before, Athena's lips curled up into a mocking smirk.
"Long time no see, Susan, but your acting skills are still on point. I'm so sorry. I don't have the money to tip you."
There was a hint of hatred in Athena's eyes. The tone of her voice was no longer as weak as it used to be.
This invoked a sense of fear in Susan's heart. However, she quickly went back to her previous demeanor and resumed to persuade Athena 'earnestly'.
"I know you hate me, but you should think about your father. He's been worried about you for all these years. He's also aged a lot."
"Since you are back, come home with me."
As she spoke, Susan took a step forward to grab Athena's hand. However, Athena evaded her grasp.
"Home? Father? I'm sorry, I have no relative here in this prosperous metropolis."
As Athena said the words "home" and "father", she felt disgusted. Her gaze turned ice-cold and sharp.
Seeing this look, Susan was flabbergasted. She stopped trying to pull Athena. She could only watch as Athena left.
Susan didn't come to her senses until she saw Athena getting into a bus.
At this time, her cell phone rang.
The call was from her younger sister, Yuliana.
"Hello?"
"Sister, why aren't you here yet?"
"Oh, almost there."
After hanging up the phone, Susan did not stay any longer. She drove directly to the bar where she had an appointment with Yuliana.
In the private room, Yuliana was already well into the fun and action. She smelled like booze. She was so drunk that she was leaning on a young lad, letting the man caress her body as he pleased.
When Susan saw this, she was so enraged that she immediately turned off the music and drove all the irrelevant people out. Only the two sisters remained.
"Susan, what are you doing?" Looking at Susan who wore a dark expression, Yuliana sobered up.
Susan looked at Yuliana with a look of exasperation. She said angrily, "Look at you. You don't look like the young lady of a prestigious family at all."
Hearing her elder sister's scolding, Yuliana pouted her petite mouth and retorted, "I'm not one anyway."
Susan and Yuliana were originally born in a small and remote village.
At that time, in order to leave the countryside, Susan studied hard and obtained the quota to go to the city to study. In the city, she had concealed her real background.
Yuliana didn't share her sister's good luck. She had been living in the countryside until six years ago, when Susan brought her to Sunset City.
Under Susan's management, Yuliana not only became a famous young lady in Sunset City, but she also became a beautiful anchor.
The most crucial thing had been the fact that she was born on the same day as Athena. When Julian came looking for her with the jade necklace, she had successfully taken Athena's place.
Recalling the past, Susan couldn't help but sigh at how lucky Athena had been back then. She didn't get eaten up by the man Susan had arranged for her. Instead, Julian had been the one who had slept with her.
"I'm telling you now, Athena is back. Be careful," Susan grumbled in a bad mood.
Susan couldn't help but feel a little resentful when she thought of how fallen and miserable-looking Athena still dared to look at her with that kind of gaze. At the same time, Susan also felt anxious.
Although she had tried to test Athena just now by attempting to bring her home, she had been rejected. However, Athena was a member of the Morgan family after all.
If anyone from the Morgan family found out about Athena's return, it would inevitably affect her plans.
"What, she's back?" Upon hearing the word 'Athena', Yuliana completely sobered up.
She was only starting her extravagant lifestyle for a short while. If Athena was back, wouldn't she need to get off the bandwagon straight away?
"Susan, what should we do?"
"Look at you, a good-for-nothing." Obviously, Susan was more composed in this.
There was a hint of viciousness in her eyes. "Since I had the means to make her leave the Morgan family for six years, I will naturally have a way to keep her from returning to the Morgan family forever."
By the time Athena got home and washed up, it was already ten in the evening.
She carefully opened Sheryl's room and saw that Sheryl was already in bed. But the child did not have a sound sleep. She was still mumbling and calling out to her mother.
Athena sat on the edge of the bed and gently patted Sheryl on the back.
As she looked at Sheryl, she knitted her brows.
Although Sheryl was a girl, her eyebrows were thick and bushy, unlike Athena's.
By the looks of it, Sheryl must have gotten them from her biological father.
That night was a night Athena wished to forget. However, she had bumped into Susan this afternoon.
This encounter had brought up all of the memories from that night.
Thinking about the past, Athena couldn't help but feel bitter.
Although she had mentally prepared herself before returning to the country, she was furious when she saw Susan.
She couldn't stop feeling hateful towards the Morgan family!
There was also resentment towards herself. If Athena hadn't become friends with Susan in the first place, she wouldn't have brought disaster upon herself, and she wouldn't need to leave her motherland for so many years.
"Drip... Drip..."
Tears landed on the quilt quietly.
"Mommy, why are you crying?" At this time, Sheryl suddenly woke up. She stared at Athena drowsily.
Before Athena could wipe her tears away, Sheryl gave Athena a hug and kissed Athena's teary eyes.
Sheryl imitated the way Athena usually comforted her as she said in a serious manner, "Mommy is a good baby."
Athena couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Mommy, do you want to share a bed with Sheryl? Get in." Sheryl lifted a corner of her blanket.
"Alright."
Athena took off her shoes and got in bed.
"Mommy, you smell so good. You're the nicest-smelling mommy in the whole world." Sheryl buried her little head in Athena's arms and sniffed her mother's scent.
Hearing what Sheryl had said, Athena felt blissful.
But at the same time, she remembered the problem that she had feared all these years.
"Sheryl, can mommy ask you a question?" Athena contemplated for a long time before saying that.
Sheryl nodded.
"What if... I'm saying what if we found daddy, do you want to live with daddy? Or do you want to live with mommy?"
The reason Athena hadn't returned until now was that she didn't want anyone to take Sheryl's custody from her, even if that person was Sheryl's father.
But putting herself in Sheryl's shoes, the child had a right to choose.
When Sheryl saw Athena's anxious expression, she pouted her small mouth and did not reply immediately.
The two of them fell into a brief silence.
"Sheryl, mommy is just..." Seeing that Sheryl was quiet, Athena parted her lips to speak.
But Sheryl beamed and revealed the wish she had kept hidden for a long time.
"I want to stay with mommy and daddy."
Hearing this, bitterness rose in Athena's heart, but she kept the smile on her face.
There was no way to live with a man she met by chance.