“Premium tea is worth ten thousand dollars a pound. Vivian, take a look!”
I walked over and saw the box of tea he had tossed aside and the box of premium tea Julia Snow had supposedly sent.
“Dad, I ordered this Yunshan Oolong from overseas for you, didn’t you know?” I asked, confused.
I had given this fine tea to Ethan Reed and asked him to pass it to his father. How could it be Julia’s gift?
At that, Ethan’s father’s face suddenly stiffened.
“Ethan said it himself—Julia sent it. How dare you claim that?”
“This is what you brought. Five dollars a pound of cheap street-stall stuff. Take it back!” He threw another tin of tea at me.
“Spending so little and pretending it’s a grand gift!”
I picked up the tin of green tea, trembling all over. This must have been what Julia had given me.
“Vivian, it’s late, and as you can see, we haven’t prepared dinner.”
Ethan’s mother opened the door, clearly intent on sending me away.
Ethan’s father didn’t even speak further.
To the Reed family, I was always an outsider.
“Mom, Dad, we’re back!”
Just then, the door opened. Ethan walked in, holding Julia’s arm.
At the sight of them, his parents beamed.
“Julia, you’re here! Come in, sit down! We’ll prepare dinner for you,” his mother said warmly.
When Julia saw me, she quickly ducked behind Ethan, her eyes red.
“No, Auntie. Someone doesn’t welcome me. I should go,” Julia said timidly. At this, Ethan’s parents’ expressions hardened.
“Vivian! Are you bullying Julia?” Ethan’s father snapped coldly. “Let me tell you—she’s more worthy of this home than you are!”
“You claim you bought this Oolong? Then take it back! I don’t want it!” He hurled the tin across the table.
Ethan’s mother chimed in.
“Vivian, Julia is just a girl from a small town. How could she manage such an expensive gift? How much thought must have gone into it!”
“You bought a few dollars’ worth of tea from a street stall and dare to claim you gave it? How shameless!”
“We didn’t prepare dinner for you tonight. Leave at once!”
With that, they moved toward me, trying to drive me out. Hearing this, Julia burst into tears and stepped forward as if to stop me.
“Sister Vivian, it’s all my fault. Please don’t be upset with me.”
“I must be in the way. I’ll leave now. Just enjoy dinner with your family. Don’t worry about me.”
Julia dabbed at her tears, preparing to go.
At that moment, Ethan embraced her, then turned and glared at me.
“Don’t mind her. She’s petty and malicious—she’s just finding excuses to bully you!”
Shaking with rage, I picked up the tin of tea.
“Ethan! Tell your parents! Who bought this Yunshan Oolong?”
But Ethan’s expression turned icy.
“Stop twisting the truth, Vivian. Julia gave this to them!”
My whole body trembled with fury.
“Take your cheap tea back to the street stall and get out!” Ethan barked.
“We’re having dinner. None of it is for you,” his parents said coldly, ordering me to leave. Looking at the four of them, I finally realized I had always been an outsider.
Seeing this, Julia’s lips curled slightly.
“That’s not right. Let Vivian stay for dinner.”
She stepped toward me, tugging at my sleeve. But Ethan’s father cut her off coldly.
“Leave now, Vivian. And let me be blunt—don’t ever come back. You’re not worthy of our Ethan.”
