Chapter 84
Chapter 84:
They stopped in their tracks, startled by the sight of her.
Stacey, taking in Rylie’s plain clothes, couldn’t stop herself from blurting out, “Rylie, don’t tell me you’ve ended up as a servant for the Owen family p>
Tessa’s gaze flickered to the elderly woman dressed in a servant’s uniform standing near Rylie. Stacey’s words suddenly made sense. Tessa examined the woman closely, and her demeanor softened in relief. This must be Rylie’s biological mother, she thought.
A strange sense of reassurance settled over Tessa. No matter how skilled Rylie was, there was no way she could be the Owen family’s real daughter. Perhaps her medical talents had earned her a spot at Aetheris Pharmacy, but at the end of the day, she was just following her birth mother around as a servant.
In Tessa’s eyes, Rylie’s position here looked even bleaker than what she had endured with the Kirk family. Despite the sympathy plastered across Stacey’s face, her thoughts mirrored Tessa’s completely.
She remarked, “Rylie, is it hard working here? This isn’t the Kirk house, you know. Here, you can’t do as you please. You’d better follow the rules and stay out of trouble p>
The servant by Rylie’s side seemed startled and offended by the comment, ready to jump in with a correction, but Rylie addressed it first. “You really don’t need to worry about me p>
Rylie shifted her eyes to Tessa’s legs. The signs of deformity were becoming harder to ignore. She spoke with quiet caution.
“You should stop using whatever Stacey gave you. Keep that up, and you might end up like Nicolas p>
Stacey flinched. Her voice turned meek. “I never mishandled Mom’s medicine. It was you who cut it off. Her pain never eased after that. I only asked Marsha to help her feel better p>
Rylie narrowed her eyes. Was she supposed to carry the blame again? She didn’t waste another word. Turning on her heel, she walked away. Tessa, realizing that she still needed Rylie’s treatment, swallowed her frustration. Her tone softened. “Rylie, I know how skilled you are. Aetheris Pharmacy even recognizes your ability. You wouldn’t be able to afford those high-end prescriptions otherwise. Though you’re not my biological daughter, I’ve raised you for nearly twenty years, and I do care about you. I don’t want to see your talent wasted here p>
Rylie stopped mid-step and looked back. “Wasted p>
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Tessa nodded with a rehearsed smile. “I’ll make a new announcement. You and your mother will live with us. From now on, you’ll be my private medical adviser. You’ll handle my prescriptions and give me massages. Isn’t that better than playing servant in this house p>
Rylie’s lips twitched. Tessa always managed to sound generous while being selfish.
She let out a short laugh. “The Kirk family fell apart because of foolish people like you. You keep stirring up messes no one wants p>
Stacey sprang up, defensive. “Rylie! Mom always meant well. Why do you keep turning on her p>
Octavia had kept quiet until now, but the shift in the servants’ faces caught her attention.
She reached for Tessa’s arm to keep her from saying more. But Tessa, too full of pride to listen, pressed on. Her voice aimed at the servant beside Rylie. “That girl was adopted into our family. I did everything I could to raise her, but she turned out wrong. Always wild. Never proper. And you let her and her mother stay here, like nothing’s wrong. Do you even realize the kind of trouble they might bring p>