“Maria, wait a minute. I still have.

“I said it's okay. Thanks anyway." Maria bluntly refused again.

“I don't need your money or Bill's money. You don't have to worry about me," Maria said in a firm tone before closing her room's door.

Julie stood still outside the room, feeling very miserable.

She realized that even until now, Maria still didn't consider herself a member of the Jenkins family household.

This made her a bit confused. Why did Maria accept the arrangement in the first place? Why was she willing to marry Anthony for Vivian if she didn't want anything to do with the Jenkins family?

Deep in Julie's heart, she could only admit that she had already accepted Maria as family.

She couldn't erase in her mind Maria‘’s lonely figure when practicing karate in the yard that day, and that bowl of steaming noodles Maria made for her.

Over the years, although she had been living with Bill and Vivian, it was rare for Julie to have a sense of being at home.

It was weird that Maria was the one who made her experience this long-lost feeling.

There were several times that Julie wanted to chat casually with Maria, but the latter didn't seem to want to engage in such conversation. Maria's attitude toward her was no different from what she was showing to others.

Maria was an orphan since early childhood. She had no parents to take care of her while growing up. Didn't she long for a parental Love?

Julie asked herself if she was being too intrusive. Was she flattering herself? She had so many thoughts that didn't have an answer.

At this time, she was brought back to her senses when her phone rang. It turned out to be a call from Bill.

“Hello?”

“Julie, Vivian called me just now. Why is she saying that you want to give Maria her money? Have you forgotten why we took her in in the first place? We just adopted her so that Vivian doesn't have to marry into the Wilson family. There's no need to put too much effort on her."

"But..."

Julie frowned. She wanted to say a lot of things, but she didn't know where to start. She was surprised and annoyed by her husband's reaction.

"ALL right, all right. I know what you want to say. After she officially marries Anthony next year, she will have nothing to do with us. Anyway, you have pissed Vivian off. She must be crying in her room right now. Go to your real daughter and make up with her, okay?”

“What?