Why has even my mother changed? Linara felt an overwhelming chill, and the physical pain in her body was nothing compared to the betrayal she felt from her mother. She writhed on the ground in agony, her blood staining the gleaming marble floor. "Dad, I was wrong." "Ahhh!" "I'm going to die! Dad, I'll never do it again!" Sob sob… No matter how much Linara cried or pleaded, Oberon did not stop. Her actions had completely humiliated him today, and he would not let it go easily. A b*stard dares to ruin my daughter's future. Seraphina is meant to join either the Drakon Family or the Foster Family, and I can't let her destroy that. Ruining Seraphina's future would mean ruining the Whitewood Family's future. At that moment, Aidan returned home, reeking of alcohol. Upon seeing Linara writhing on the floor, bloodied and in pain, and then glancing at his father, who was holding a whip and looking vicious, his anger flared up. He rushed forward, grabbing the whip from Oberon's hand, and sternly demanded, "Dad, what are you doing?" Oberon was startled by the sudden appearance of the person rushing toward him. "Give me the whip," Oberon commanded in a low, cold voice. "What did Linara do wrong that made you strike her so mercilessly? Even if she's not your biological daughter, she's still the daughter you watched grow up, the one you once cared for," Aidan said, his heart aching as he looked at the battered figure on the ground. He turned to point at Seraphina. "Since she came back, you've changed. She's your daughter, but are we not?" "You know nothing! Do you know what she's done? Today, my reputation, the Whitewood Family's reputation, has been completely ruined by this ungrateful child!" Oberon scolded angrily. "Even if Linara is at fault, it's because you and Mom pushed her to this point. Today is Linara's birthday, and you've only thought about celebrating it for her, but did you ever think about Linara? The old Linara was kind and so innocent. Now you've forced her into this situation." In Aidan's heart, his sister Linara was always right—she was always the most innocent and kind. Any bad things that happened were always because others caused them. "Dad, if you dislike me and Linara so much, then from today on, I'll take her and we'll live on our own. We won't be a burden to you anymore. You can live with your precious daughter," Aidan said. He bent down and helped Linara up. Seraphina observed the pitiful scene of the brother and sister and then looked at herself in comparison. She felt a twinge of guilt, almost like the villain in a story forcing the poor adopted children to leave. "If you walk out today, don't ever come back to the Whitewood Family again," Oberon seethed, throwing out his harsh words. Aidan sneered but remained unmoved, continuing to support Linara as he headed toward the door. "Wait a minute." Suddenly, Seraphina stood up and leisurely walked over to the two of them. Before she could say anything, Aidan scowled and spoke coldly, "We don't need your fake sympathy. We're leaving." Seraphina sneered. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not here to beg you to stay. I'm here to remind you that everything you're using—what you eat, what you wear, even the car outside and the villa in the city—all belong to the Whitewood Family. If you really have that much pride, then don't use any of it. And if you do, then stop pretending." "You…" Aidan's anger flared. "By the way," Seraphina continued, her voice dripping with disdain, "the clothes you're wearing, the things you're carrying, the bank cards—return all of it. You're proud, right? Then stop relying on the Whitewood Family. Go and earn your own living with your own hands."