Her Revenge From Shadow to Sunlight novel Chapter 153

Chapter 153

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Then Tiana looked at Edward. “Edward, you really do have a good eye. Alicia’s a smart cookie, you can tell just by looking at her.”

Edward let out a cold snort. “Cut the small talk–what are you two really doing here?”

“Edward, I just told you,” Tiana said, her smile still bright as she pushed the stack of boxes she’d brought toward him. “We came to check on you. You’re not getting any younger, living out here alone–of course we’re worried.” She tapped one of the boxes. “Look, we brought you some vitamins and snacks. Quit being so frugal with yourself. Money’s just paper–you can’t take it with you when you go. If you want something, buy it. If you want a nice meal, splurge. No point hoarding it. Enjoy what you’ve got while you can!”

Alicia raised an eyebrow, finding herself in unexpected agreement. Money couldn’t follow you into the afterlife, so you might as well spend it to live more comfortably while you could.

But then she glanced at the pile of boxes, and a quiet laugh escaped her. The packaging was flashy, sure, but inside? Just generic granola bars and plain crackers–hardly “vitamins and snacks” worth bragging about. Not a single quality item in the bunch.

Still, she was the guest here–the kid, really. It wasn’t her place to call it out. So Alicia stayed quiet, watching to see how Edward would respond.

‘If they so much as try to mess with Edward later, all that “mind your place” stuff goes out the window. I’ll say exactly what needs to be said, Alicia thought. For now, though, she bit her tongue.

Edward’s face was stern. “Oh, so you two suddenly care about me? Spare it. I know what you’re after–cut the crap. I’m not falling for your games. Either say what you came to say, or grab your stuff and get out.”

Silas’s expression soured. He wanted nothing more than to yank his wife out the door. ‘First the old man takes in some random kid as an apprentice, then he stops selling his paintings entirely. There’s nothing in this for us–why are we even wasting our time putting up with this?‘ He gritted his teeth.

‘Instead of getting chewed out here, I could be figuring out how to scrape up cash for our son’s study abroad, he told himself, annoyed.

Silas snapped. “You think we want to come to this dump? You’ve got a nice penthouse sitting empty, but you’d rather hole up in this middle–of–nowhere shack. Dad–did all those years of running around turn you into a glutton for punishment? Why do you like living like this?”

Edward’s temper blew. He grabbed the broom leaning behind the door and charged at Silas. Silas darted out of the way, yelping. “Dad, I’m over forty! This is ridiculous! I could snap that stupid broom in half with one hand–knock it off! Stop!”

For all his bluster, though, Silas didn’t dare touch his father. He just kept dodging, circling the yard like a rabbit.

Father chased son, neither backing down.

“Hey, easy! You’re gonna trip and hurt yourself!” Silas called over his shoulder. When he saw Edward huffing and picking up speed, he slowed down on purpose–quietly giving his old man a chance to catch up,

17:25 Wed, Oct 15 N

Chapter 153

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36

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Alicia blinked, then let a small smile slip. ‘Okay, so Edward’s oldest isn’t all bad. She thought. ‘Yeah, he’s greedy–no question. But with his dad? He’s not just here to take. Talks big, but he won’t fight back. And look at him–he’s actually worried about Edward falling.‘

Sure enough, when Edward’s foot caught on a loose stone and he stumbled, Silas’s face went pale. He darted over to steady him. “See? I told you! Your legs aren’t what they used to be–why’re you running around like this? You almost bit it! And if you do take a real spill, none of us have time to play nurse!”

While he was hauling Edward up, Edward seized the chance to whack him on the back of the head. “You little punk! Always acting like I’m one foot in the grave. Raising you was a waste!”

Silas rubbed his head, grumbling. “Dad, I’m over forty! Quit treating me like a kid!”

Edward snorted. “Even when you’re eighty, you’re still my son. I’ve got every right to knock sense into you.”

“You-!” Silas’s face flushed, genuinely ticked off now.

Just then, Tiana wandered over with a mug of tea, a knowing grin on her face. “Dad, don’t let him ruffle you. He’s just bad with words–deep down, he respects you. Drink your tea, play a game of chess with him, and I’ll go throw together dinner.”

Even though Edward was always annoyed with his son, he never gave Tiana a hard time. After all, he didn’t want to cause trouble in his son’s home.

He took the tea, gave Silas a cold grunt, and headed back inside.

Tiana shot Silas a meaningful look, signaling for him to follow his dad inside.

Silas really didn’t want to go, but Tiana kept giving him pointed glances until her eyebrows practically started dancing. When that got her nowhere, she finally smacked him on the shoulder. “I told you to go keep your dad company! What are you still doing here? Move it!”

Silas grumbled under his breath and headed inside, clearly annoyed.

Tiana turned to Alicia with a bright smile. “Alicia, come give me a hand with these veggies, will you?”

“Yeah, okay,” Alicia replied, then dragged over a little stool and settled in beside Tiana out in the yard. The two of them got to work prepping vegetables together.

While they worked, Alicia was quietly sizing up Tiana–and she could tell Tiana was doing the exact same thing right back.

Alicia studied Tiana–her precise actions, her strategically chosen clothes–and saw a person practiced in navigating social ladders. ‘She’s competent, but ambitious, Alicia deduced. The family’s constant pressure on Edward to sell his paintings revealed their financial pinch.

They were not rich, but they mingled with the wealthy–of course their ambitions had grown. Their entire lifestyle–from their habits to their child’s future–was an effort to bridge that gap.

Sending their son abroad was the latest expense, and they were leaning harder on Edward.

17:25 Wed, Oct 15 N

Chapter 153

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36

55 vouchers

Now that Tiana had asked her to help pick vegetables, Alicia knew she probably wanted to talk to her about something.

‘Is she about to ask me to talk Edward into painting more for cash? Or maybe she wants me to sell some paintings myself?‘ Alicia thought.

‘Well, no harm in hearing her out,‘ she mused.

Alicia just kept working on the veggies, staying quiet–she’d let Tiana start the conversation.

At the same time, Tiana was checking Alicia out, too.

Watching Alicia pick veggies like a pro, Tiana could tell this girl definitely knew her way around a kitchen.

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