Chapter 3 Making Herself at Home

At her words, everyone stared at Sophia in disbelief. Given her expensive clothes and refined appearance, she surely wouldn't lack for comfort even after leaving the Smith family.

Yet she was willing to squeeze into this small house with five other people?

"Not welcome?" Sophia raised an eyebrow, her tone carrying an unmistakable note of authority.

Mary quickly responded, "No, no! We're thrilled you want to come back!"

"Good." Sophia rose and looked around. "Mind if I take a tour?"

Ray's lips trembled slightly as he nodded.

Something about this daughter felt so commanding!

Sophia wandered through the house while Mary gave her a simple tour.

"The master bedroom is your father's and mine." Mary pushed open the bedroom door.

Inside was just a queen-size bed and a double-door wooden wardrobe that looked like it belonged in the 1980s or 90s, completely devoid of any aesthetic appeal.

"This furniture was all left by the previous tenants. Since nothing was broken, we just kept using it."

That was a polite way of saying they were too poor to replace it.

Sophia didn't comment, simply glanced around before moving on.

The other two rooms were roughly the same size, with the smaller one being James and Lucas's. It had a bunk bed and a desk, barely fitting a small wardrobe.

The other room had belonged to Evelyn and Emily, with two twin beds arranged in an L-shape, their headboards against adjacent walls. A wardrobe filled most of the remaining floor space.

Just from looking at their belongings, the stark difference in the two girls' lifestyles was obvious.

Emily's leftover clothes and shoes clearly exceeded this family's budget. Seven or eight shoe boxes sat under the bed, and her clothes took up seventy percent of the closet space.

By comparison, Evelyn, only a few years older, had just a handful of decent dresses fit for public appearances.

Sophia's gaze swept over the clutter under the bed, her expression showing slight dissatisfaction, though she kept it to herself.

Returning to the living room, they sat in endless silence once again.

Finally, Ray sighed heavily and broke the quiet, "Sophia, you've seen our home now. If you have better options, don't feel obligated to stay here."

The Johnson family was middle-class—they had a car and owned their home, but supporting four children's education on two incomes meant money was always tight.

Remembering how Emily had left without a backward glance, showing no trace of reluctance, Ray's heart ached.

Those once-bright eyes seemed to have been blinded by wealth, devoid of even basic gratitude.

If Emily, who'd been raised with love and care for seventeen years, could be so heartless, how could Sophia, pampered her entire life in luxury, possibly accept such a dramatic drop in living standards?

Sensing Ray's dejection, Sophia didn't offer comfort. She'd never been good at consoling others.

Instead, she said, "I'll room with Evelyn. Can we get rid of everything in there that doesn't belong to her or me?"

James, who'd been wiping Lucas's hands, froze at her words.

A hothouse flower couldn't survive harsh weather to become a wildflower by the riverside.

She was probably just playing around—rich people got bored with their comfortable lives and wanted to experience something different.

With this thought, James went along with her request, "Sophia, if you want to move in, we naturally need to clear out space for you. After dinner, I'll pack up Emily's things and throw them out."

Evelyn looked at James in surprise.

James had always doted on Emily most of all. How could he accept her departure so quickly and be heartless enough to throw away all her belongings?

Sophia's lips curved into a smile. "Thanks, James."