They Wanted Me to Chaperone My Sister Abroad, So I Vanished Chapter 15

They Wanted Me to Chaperone My Sister Abroad, So I Vanished Chapter 15

Night fell, and Bella never appeared.

The guest list included distant relatives from our hometown and dozens of Dad’s critical business partners.

Dad had no choice but to trudge onto the stage alone.

When he delivered his speech, his smile looked stiff, forced, stripped of all genuine joy. This was the moment.

he’d bragged about for weeks-and now it was a public joke.

Once the meal service began, Mom, Dad, Owen, and Linda made the rounds to toast each table. Every

compliment they received felt hollow, tinged with unspoken mockery.

The whole banquet struck every guest as deeply strange: most universities had already started semesters months ago, yet the Millers were throwing a belated college party out of nowhere.

Two obvious conclusions floated through the crowd-either they’d never cared enough about their elder daughter to celebrate her success, or they’d deliberately hidden her extraordinary SAT scores.

What kind of family didn’t even know their own daughter’s SAT score?

Relatives who knew the full story chatted quietly with confused business associates, their hushed words spreading through the banquet hall.

By the time the event wrapped up, they overheard fragments of gossip echoing through the underground

parking garage.

“They mixed up a pearl with a cheap stone, spoiling the younger daughter and breaking the elder girl’s heart

completely.”

“Did you hear what the Miller relatives said? Their oldest girl’s brilliant and stunning-any other family would’ve cherished her above everything.”

“How could they throw away such a treasure to coddle that mediocre younger daughter? They must have

lost their minds.”

“Didn’t you see her during toasts? The younger one’s plain, terrible test scores, yet they fixated all their love

on her for years.”

“Word is they ignored Bella entirely, hoarded every luxury for Linda, and drove that talented girl to cut them

off.”

“She never told them her SAT ranking, skipped her own party-this golden child of theirs is gone for good,

and she’ll never come back.”

The voices ricocheted off concrete, seeping through half-open car windows like acid.

Mom and Dad’s faces burned with unprecedented shame. Linda, the subject of all their unflattering comparison, fought to hold back floods of tears.

“Mom, Dad-this isn’t my fault…”

Months of bottled-up frustration snapped all at once, and the gossip’s judgment broke her fragile

self-control.

“She said she’d come! This is her fault-not mine! Everyone’s laughing at us because of her!”

Sobs tore out of her throat as every hurt, fear, and grievance spilled forth.

“I told you not to throw this party for her! She hid her SAT scores, picked a university without asking anyone, and abandoned us-she’s capable of anything! She’s no sister of mine. I don’t want anything to do with her!”

“Crack!” A sharp, loud slap landed hard across Linda’s cheek.

Her hand flew to her face before her brain registered the sting. In the rearview mirror, a red imprint already

swelled against her pallor.

This was the first time Dad had ever laid a hand on her. No one in the household had ever struck her before.

Dad’s face turned livid with rage-but Linda realized with crushing shock, his fury was directed solely at her,

not the absent Bella.

“We spoiled you rotten, and that’s why Bella refuses to set foot in this house! You don’t want her as your sister? We don’t want a selfish daughter like you!”

“If you hadn’t bullied and overlooked Bella every single day, she never would’ve run away. She was always quiet and obedient growing up. This entire mess, the empty party, all of it’s your fault.”

“Overseas is off the table. Assets go to Owen and Bella only. We’re done funding dead-end degrees.”

Mom laid a calming hand on Dad’s arm and took a deep breath. “Your father’s right. Your behavior’s

inexcusable.”

“First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll call a local prep academy for you to repeat senior year. Retake the SAT next spring, and whatever score you earn is what you’ll live with. If you can’t get into a legitimate university,

that’s your own failure to bear.”

“You share the same parents as Bella. She ranked among the top students, and you can’t even hit the

minimum college cutoff-your lack of drive is entirely on you.”

Tears streamed down Linda’s face as she stared helplessly at Owen, who’d stayed silent through the whole fight.

Owen dodged her watery gaze, pinching the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. “…I’ll drive to Bella’s campus tomorrow and try to talk some sense into her.”

Dad squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them, his gaze cold and unyielding. “Linda, get out of the car. I don’t

want to look at you right now.”

Linda stumbled as she was pulled out onto the pavement, watching the car peel away without a second glance back.

She stood alone in the empty parking lot, sinking to her knees and screaming into ugly, racking sobs.