Seeing me dazed, my foster mother, Marlene Stanley grabbed my hand, comforting me, "Cecilia, what's wrong? From now on, you and Susana are both my daughters."
I tried to pull my hand away, but they took my actions as displeasure.
My brother stormed in from outside, not even asking a question before accusing Susana. "Did you bully Cecilia the moment you came back? Don't you dare throw your weight around! Cecilia is my sister!"
They protected me, fearing I'd be upset by Susana's return.
Onlookers praised Matthew and Marlene for their generosity, treating me, the fake daughter, as their own.
The Stanley family welcomed Susana but abandoned her in the back courtyard. The maids and servants, following their masters' lead, treated her poorly.
"Don't worry, everything is still yours, even Silas," my brother reassured me.
"Really?" I sneered, meeting his gaze.
Susana was the true daughter, and the betrothal was between the Stanley and Conway families.
The bride had to be the blood of the Stanley family, and I was not.
That evening, they hosted a banquet for Susana.
I smelled a unique rose scent on her. It was the finest fragrance in the capital, more valuable than gold.