Chapter 4
Mrs. Lang looked daggers at Mr. and Mrs. Thompson. "Didn't we strike a deal when we met in the hotel yesterday?
"Sammy will still be our daughter, and we agree to let her visit you from time to time. So why did Sammy say that she was going to leave us? What did you say to her?"
To Mrs. Lang, Samantha was an excellent girl, and she thought that the Thompson family had come to take
Samantha away from her.
She couldn't bear the thought of leaving Samantha and
would not allow that to happen.
Mr. Thompson was at a loss for words. Mrs. Thompson waved her hand and said, "Nothing. We didn't say anything to her. Please don't get us wrong, madam.”
As she spoke, she cast a pointed glance at Isabella from the
corners of her eyes.
Mrs. Lang followed her gaze and saw the wordless Isabella. She was instantly gripped by a wave of annoyance.
Knitting her brows impatiently, Mrs. Lang gave Isabella a scathing look and asked in a steely voice, "It's you, right? What did you say to Sammy?"
Isabella didn't reply and just stared at Mrs. Lang in silence.
Samantha choked, "It has nothing to do with Miss Thompson. She didn't say anything to me. I just think it's the right thing to do."
She looked so sad, but her eyes were clear, and her voice was firm when she continued, "Mom, the last thing I want to
do is leave you and Dad, but Miss Thompson is your biological daughter, after all. So I think I'd better move in with the Thompson family.
"I would be grateful if Miss Thompson could allow me to come back to see you and Dad when I miss you."
Mrs. Lang couldn't believe her ears and looked at Samantha
nervously.
Ethan said in a disapproving tone, "That's nonsense, Sammy. We have agreed on this matter. You will be the daughter of the Lang family forever. Anyone who has the nerve to force you to leave will be making enemies with us!"
As he spoke, his eyes flicked to Isabella, and he gave her a
warning glare.
Mrs. Lang gathered her thoughts and said, "Sammy, in our hearts, you are our only daughter. We don't want anyone
else but you!"
Mrs. Lang's eyes glinted with determination. She would rather not have given birth to Isabella so that she wouldn't be able to harm Samantha and force her to leave.
Mr. and Mrs. Thompson kept quiet but were gloating inside.
They then carried on with the charade.
Mrs. Thompson said, "Sir, madam, I know Sammy is the apple of your eye, but she is our daughter too. Maybe we should correct this mistake and switch the two girls back. We can stay in touch in the future.” "How can you go back on your word?"
Those words made Mrs. Lang's blood boil. She glowered at Mrs. Thompson and swung Samantha behind her, fearing. that Samantha would be taken away the next second.
She looked like a hen protecting her chick. Anyone would be touched by the great maternal love she was manifesting.
However, Isabella still looked indifferent.
Her eyes were pitch-dark, and she wanted to engrave everything they said and did on her mind so that she would never forget this day.
"T-That's not what I meant," Mrs. Thompson stuttered and shook her head while shooting Isabella concerned glances. She made it look as though she was doing all this for
Isabella.
Mrs. Lang took the hint and flared up. "I've got the wrong idea? If you didn't mean those words, why did you say them? "Listen carefully, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson. The daughter of the Lang family will only be Sammy. We won't let anyone
take her place!"
Mrs. Thompson made a show of looking helpless and lowered her head to conceal her triumphant expression.
Isabella's lips broke into an ironic smile, and she suddenly. cut in, "Mrs. Lang, there's no need to freak out. Samantha wouldn't leave the Lang family even if you beat her with a
stick.
"You think we were swapped by accident? It was all the
Thompsons' scheme to make their daughter grow up as the
lady of the Lang family. They would do anything to keep Samantha under the wings of the Lang family.
"Everything they said and did was just a gambit to ensure.
you don't kick Samantha out."
"Bella!"
Mrs. Thompson opened her eyes wide and looked at Isabella in disbelief. Her astonishment was not feigned because she
had never expected Isabella to see through her.
Besides Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, Samantha was startled too.
They all looked at Isabella in shock and confusion, trying to figure out whether she had discovered the truth or was. sowing discord.
But Isabella's aloof face revealed no emotions at all.
Mrs. Thompson looked heartbroken and glanced at Isabella with tears swimming in her eyes. "Bella, I'm sorry that we are not as rich as the Lang family, but Mom and Dad have tried our best to give you everything you need.
"I know it's too much for you to take, but you have to believe
that Mom and Dad sincerely hope we could have given you a
better life. How could you say something so hurtful..."
Mrs. Thompson choked and couldn't finish her words.
"Honey." Mr. Thompson held his wife's shaking shoulders.
and looked heavy-hearted too.
Samantha failed to suppress her anger and snapped her head up from Mrs. Lang's arms, her eyes red and her face
taut with anger.
"Isabella Thompson! Your parents have been through so many hardships to raise you. How could you say that to
them?
"I know you want to return to the Lang family, and I never said I would contend with you for anything. I've agreed to fix this mistake. Why do you have to be so harsh on them? "You think it's not a blow to them when they realized they
took the wrong baby back then?
"This is a tough time for both families.
"Do you have to be so selfish? Can't you think about how to
make things easier for our parents?"
Her eyes fixed on Isabella were sharp, and every word she spat out was forceful.
She appeared so righteous and caring when she defended
her Lang and Thompson parents, who seemed to have been.
hurt by Isabella without hesitation.
She was generous, tactful, kind, and sweet. Compared with
her, Isabella was so heartless and self-centered.
Sure enough, the Lang family looked at Isabella with more aversion in their eyes.
"She is indeed a girl raised by commoners, short-sighted and narrow-minded," they thought.
They believed that if they accepted Isabella to be a member
of the Lang family, she would keep picking on Samantha and
cause endless trouble for them.
Isabella didn't care what the Lang family thought of her. They were just strangers to her.
Ignoring all the gazes at her, she said airily, "When I went.
back this morning, I heard Dana Shane say that she was
once a maid working for the Lang family and got a glimpse
of how rich people lived their lives.
"She swapped me with Samantha because she wanted her daughter to grow up in the upper-crust circle."
Dana Shane was Mrs. Thompson's maiden name.
Isabella would never call her "Mom" again. She didn't
deserve to be her mother.
"Bella, how could you? How..." Mrs. Thompson looked at Isabella with a pained expression and trembled as if devastated. Then her knees gave way, and she fainted.
"Honey!" Mr. Thompson hurried to catch her.
Samantha gasped and dashed over. "Mom!"
Mrs. Lang and Ethan saw that instead of showing
apprehension, Isabella just stayed put with an apathetic
face.
Both of them felt even more disappointed.