Chapter 7
Having finished her hygiene routine. Evangeline returned to her campsite, only to have her expression darken as she discovered her tent had vanished
Everything else had also disappeared, and even the campfire had been extinguished.
There was little doubt in her mind about the culprits.
Evangeline couldn’t help but curse. That bunch of losers can’t do anything productive. They re experts at stealing, though.”
A comment popped up: [Evangeline, you’re right! All they know is scheming!]
[You’re being too soft, Evangeline. Give them a harsher tongue–lashing]
[Don’t let them off the hook. Get your things back!]
Another comment read: Besides retrieving your belongings, you need to teach them a lesson they won’t forget!
Clad in her windbreaker and cargos, Evangeline headed in the direction where Meghan and the others had set up camp, using a flashlight to guide her way.
It seemed they had chosen a different spot for camping at night than during the day.
With a somber expression, Evangeline continued her trek.
Not far away, she sported them through a cluster of tall grass.
Her tent was there as well.
The contents of her backpack were scattered on the ground, and Meghan sat at the tent entrance, applying a bottle of mosquito repellent to hersel[
She complained, “There are way too many mosquitoes in this forest. I’m covered in bites. I’ll never come to this dreadful place again!”
The bottle of repellent was Evangeline’s
Jolene looked at Meghan longingly and said, “Meghan, are you done with that? I need to use some too. I’ve been bitten all over.”
“We only have this small borde. It’s not even enough for me alone. Figure something out on your own, Meghan retorted
Jolene bit her lip, casting resentful glances at Meghan as she thought. It doesn’t even belong to her, yet she wants it all to herself
Due to the Gallagher family’s influence in the entertainment industry, however, Jolene didn’t dare to oppose Meghuan and had to suppress her grievances
“Enjoying my belongings, are you?” Evangeline remarked as she emerged from the grass, her gaze coldly fixed on Meghan.
“Ah! Meghan screamed, startled by Evangeline’s sudden appearance. She instinctively sought refuge behind Samson.
Samson frowned and questioned Evangeline with disgust, “What are you doing here! Didn’t you refuse to team up with us and tell us to stay away from you? Why are you here now?”
Evangeline retorted with a sneer, “Why do you think I’m here?”
“I’m not a mind reader. How would I know!” was Samson’s response.
Evangeline shot back sarcastically, “You’re good at playing durrih. Why weren’t you this dumb when you were stealing my things?”
Samson’s face turned pale, and he gritted his teeth, saying, “Cut the harsh words. We’re family. I was just borrowing your stuff. Don’t be so stingy!
Evangeline quipped, Borrowing You took my belongings without asking for my permission. You call that borrowing? Taking something without permission is theft.”
Samson frowned and retorted, “Why are you so stingy! I’m just borrowing your stuff. I’ll return it when I’m done. If you’re not satisfied, 111 buy your belongings from you when we get back. I’ll pay ten times the original price. Happy now)”
“In your dreams! Now give me my stuff!” Evangeline insisted.
Meghan immediately concealed the mosquito repellent and shielded the tent behind her. She cautiously told Evangeline, “These things are mine now, Don’t Try to take them away!”
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Chapter 7
Evangeline scoffed. “Not planning to return them3 Fine, I’ll«etrieve them myself”
At that, she began her advance.
Meghan had experienced Evangeline’s physical prowess firsthand, and the memory had left her psychologically scarred
Upon seeing Evangeline approach, Meghan grabbed onto Samson and cried out, “Sam, stop that lunatic! Don’t let her get near me!”
Samson, though frightened of Evangeline, couldn’t appear too cowardly in front of Meghan. He reluctantly adopted a softer tone as he spoke to Evangeline. “You can take back some of your things. But let Meghan keep the tent and the mosquito repellent”
Evangeline responded icily, “I won’t lend you anything. I’m taking back everything that belongs to me.
With a sullen expression, Samson pleaded, “Why can’t you be more accommodating Meghan is fragile. Her body can’t endure hardships. Without a tent or an air mattress, how can she spend the night?”
“And what about me if she uses the tent? Evangeline inquired.
Samson frowned and replied, “You’re different from Meghan You grew up in the slums and are accustomed to hardship. A little more suffering won’t hurt you. Spend the night on the grass,”
Meghan couldn’t help but smile and caress her delicate skin as she said, “I’m sorry. Evangeline. I was born delicate. Unlike you, who can handle hard work. So please endure a bit more and show us the resilience you acquired growing up in the slums”
Evangeline responded with a wry smile, “I have to thank all of you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know what a shameless person looks like.
Meghan, her face dark with anger, scolded, “You’re calling me shameless? How dare you when you’re the one who’s shameless here!”
Samson shook his head in disappointment and remarked, “Evangeline, you’re so uncultured. All you do is resort to violence and insults. When will you ever become more sensible?
Evangeline shot back. “Who are you to criticize me?
She looked at Meghan and Samson with indifference and a more sardonic smile. Tve endured hardships since childhood. Does that mean I should suffer for the rest of my life?
“Don’t forget that I should have been the pampered one. Meghan’s mother schemed and swapped me with Mechan. Instead of raising me well, she abandoned me in the slums and forced me to endure hardship. Meghan’s life of luxury and wealth wasn’t nightfully hers. So how does that make her born delicate? They made me suffer, and I nearly died out there. Does that mean I deserved in Was I destined to lead a miserable life of perpetual suffering! Evangeline questioned.
“Meghan’s greed and selfishness are one thing, but Samson, as my blood relative, how can you say such things to me! Are you out of your mind? Evangeline added, “Actually, no. You’re not insane. You’re just brainless! The Gallagher family are a bunch of fools. Stay away from me from now on Having brainless relatives like you makes me sick.
Evangeline’s expression was one of disgust.
She didn’t feel sad at all; she simply felt sick.
If it were possible, she would opt for genetic modification to sever all ties with the Gallagher family.
Sharing genes with them was a stroke of bad luck in her eyes.
“W–What are you saying?” Samson asked with a trembling voice. He sounded somewhat unconfident and guilty as he continued. “Meghan was just a baby when you were switched with her. She was innocent and had nothing to do with it You shouldn’t blame her! We’re siding with Meghan because of your disruptive behavior and your schemes against her after you returned. You’ve caused chaos in our family! Lately, your actions have been even more outrageous. How can we like you when you behave this way?
Evangeline replied coldly. “You all deserve every beating you get. Stop acting like the victims here. Have you forgotten how I was treated when I first came back? Your entire family is responsible for my change in attitudef”
She warned, “I don’t want to waste any more words on you. I just want my things back now. Hand them over, or I’ll take them myself”
Regret gnawed at her now as she thought. I regret not beating them up and leaving as soon as I returned to the family. I wasted so much time on them and even nearly lost my life there.
On her first day back home, everyone from the Gallagher family took turns to talk to her. They initially expressed their concern and asked her not to compete with Meghan, explaining that Meghan was their closest family.
Evangeline didn’t see anything wrong with that at first.
ل
She believed that Meghan’s mother was to blame, and that Meghan herself had no fault in the matter. Thus, she didn’t harbor any ill feelings Toward Meghan
Moreover, her parents and three brothers had spent many years living with Meghan, so it was natural for them to be close.
Their bond was something she couldn’t compare with.
Evangeline didn’t even think of comparing herself to Meghan
She simply hoped to experience a bit of the familial affection she had never known.
So, she reined in her arrogance and humbled herself, attempting to please them.
Unfortunately, no matter what she did, they viewed her actions as an attempt to vie for Meghan’s favor
Regardless of how glaringly flawed Meghan’s schemes were when directed at Evangeline, the family always sided with Meghan
Evangeline should have given up much sooner.
Yet, she persisted for a year until Meghan literally pushed her off the stage. Even in the life–threatening situation, the family showed no concern for her, and that was when she gave up entirely.
“Maybe spending too much time with those fools has lowered my IQ, leading me to put up with them for so long; she mined.
Samson reminisced about the time when Evangeline first returned home, and she used to call him “Sam” with enthusiasm.
He was an avid gamer, and Evangeline often stayed up late to play games with him.
Little did he know the lengths she went to secure a pre–release game console for him.
This particular console was a creation of one of the world’s most technologically advanced game companies, with only around 1,000 pre–release units
Despite the Gallagher family’s once substantial wealth in Hofcaster, they didn’t possess the status to acquire one.
Even if there were 1,000 consoles available, their family connections couldn’t secure them one.
But Evangeline managed the impossible and surprised Samson with one, claiming she had won it in a
I won it in a raffle
While it cost her nothing, the fact that she gifted Samson such a priceless item spoke volumes about her desire to connect with him and mend familial bonds.
However, as time passed, Meghan became increasingly distressed. She believed Samson was growing too close to Evangeline and frenied that his affection for her would wane..
To appease Meghan, Samson began distancing himself from Evangeline, eventually smashing the coveted game console. Only then did Meghan feel content.
Following that incident, Evangeline found herself in a constant clash with Meghan, which further soured Samson’s opinion of her.
In reality, Evangeline wasn’t a malevolent person; her change in demeanor was, in part, a result of the family’s favoritism toward Meghan.
Yet. Samson didn’t think it was wrong of them to favor Meghan.
“Meghan grew up alongside us. Is it wrong for us to lean more toward her?‘ he pondered.
Nevertheless, Evangeline remained his biological sister, and Samson was open to the possibility of extending her a second chance
Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Samson addressed Evangeline, saying. I understand that you’re not a bad person. We share part of the blame for your transformation, but your jealousy also played a significant role. Let’s not dwell on the past and consider giving each other a fresh start. You could turn over a new leaf and be kind again. We’ll also make an effort to treat you well, but you must get along with Meghan.”
He added, “After all, Meghan has been a part of our lives for many years, and we can’t sever family ties with her. I hope you can understand that.”
Meghan was furing inside; she had no intention of fostering a bond with Evangeline or allowing her to reintegrate into the family.
However, she held her objections in check since Samson had spoken.
Evangeline remained a Gallagher by blood, while Meghan was an outsider. Meghan worried that opposing too vehemently might lead to her rejection by the family.
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Chapter 7
Thus, she concealed her frustration and donned a gentle smile as she spoke. “Evangeline, listen to Sam. If you can start anew, I won’t hold a grudge for what happened in the past. Let’s try to get along well and ease our parents‘ worries”
Samson looked at Meghan tenderly and added, “Meghan, I’m glad you see the bigger picture. The education you received from a young age certainly has its benefits
He then turned his attention to Evangeline and addressed her solemnly, “Evangeline, how about sharing the tent with Meghan tonight? In could be an opportunity for both of you to bond.”
“Since Sam suggested in, I’ll go along with his idea. Evangeline, let’s share the tent tonight, Meghan responded generously
The audience in the live room expressed their frustration: Unbelievable! I’m speechless!]
or we’d miss out on all this juicy drama!]
Thank goodness for those hidden cameras, or we’l
[Wait, so Evangeline and Meghan had their identities swapped! But didn’t the Gallagher family claim they were both biological siblings? And Evangeline was the one who was accidentally switched at birth?]
[Seems like the family made up a lie to protect Meghan.]
[My heart aches for Evangeline. She was born into wealth, but everything was taken away, and she was even treated poorly by her family upon returning home.]
[Evangeline is still being too soft. What nonsense is Samson spouting? He’s shamelessly saying that she’s used to hardships, so she should endure more. Is he even her brother! Even a stranger wouldn’t user such vile things
[This is infuriating! My
My blood is boiling with anger. I’l
r. Ed have shut Sarnson up if I were there!]
[Poor Evangeline. I’m so sorry for her. I just want to give her a hug. This is heartbreaking:
[Meghan is shameless! How could she steal Evangeline’s life and treat her to terribly” She’s even bullying her on this show! It’s beyond absurd!]
[Meghan makes me sick? She takes Evangeline’s sent and then pretends to be generous by offering to share it. What is wrong with her?]
[I’m on edge right now. Evangeline, stop talking and take action! Go give them a piece of your mind!
SIND GIFT