Chapter 1471


    Thssa turned down Joshua''s kindness, locking her heart away to keep from setting herself up for


    another letdown.


    Once, she had thought Bruce was her dad. She had longed for a father''s love even amid Bruce''s


    true colors as a scoundrel. But Bruce was rotten to the core, wounding her over and over again,


    leaving scars that ran deep.


    She had be utterly disenchanted with the idea of a father. She couldn''t dare to let herself be


    vulnerable to that kind of disappointment again.


    Joshua tried to lighten the mood, offering her a piece of fried chicken with a smile, "Here, have


    some of this, it''s full of protein."


    Thssa was about to respond when Rosalind interjected with a forced smile, "Thssa, look how


    much Daddy cares for you. You should eat what he''s given you. Otherwise, he''ll be so disappointed.


    At home, it''s always us serving him, and he''s never once served us. You''re getting the royal


    treatment."


    As she spoke, Rosalind shot a look across the table at Joshua. Her eyes were heavy with unspoken


    grievances, but she masked them well.


    "Exactly, Thssa, eat up," Joshua chimed in. "I didn''t know about you before, and I missed out on


    your growing up. I owe you over twenty years of a father''s love. I''m sorry, and I hope you can


    gradually ept my care."


    Joshua was no fool; he could tell Thssa held her distance, her heart sealed off, unwilling to blend


    into the Reed family.


    Her constant vignce made Joshua''s heart ache.


    Thssa was his daughter, and he wanted to make amends, but she wouldn''t ept his attempts


    at generosity.


    Ever since acknowledging Thssa as his own, Joshua had tried to provide for her financially, but


    she had turned down every offer.


    Rosalind had somehow caught wind that he''d been trying to give Thssa money for years and had


    just confronted him about it earlier.


    Thssa didn''t want to hear any more of this. Picking up her fork, she took a bite of her sd and


    said, "Thanks, but I can serve myself. I''ll just take what I fancy."


    She wanted Joshua to stop serving her, to avoid stoking Rosalind''s jealousy.


    Rosalind had been the Whitman family''s darling girl, pampered by her brother and adored by her


    parents. The sudden appearance of Thssa, a strangerying im to a share of their father''s


    affection, was bound to stir difort.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Especially with Joshua showering Thssa with attention in front of Rosalind, it was an invitation for


    resentment.


    Thssa didn''t need another adversary.


    "Alright, serve yourself," Joshua conceded. Just seeing Thssa ept the piece he offered was


    enough to make him content.


    The meal proceeded quietly, with Thssa eager to finish and leave.


    Joshua''s intention was for her to integrate into the Whitman family, to be familiar with them,


    which is why he had invited her to dinner.


    But Thssa knew she could never truly be a part of the Whitman family. All their pleasantries were


    merely for show.


    Midway through the meal, Matilda elegantly set down her utensils, dabbed her mouth with a napkin,


    and said, "Joshua, when will you introduce Rosalind to Lysander? Three years ago, Zephyr


    discussed the marriage between Rosalind and Lysander. Because of Zephyr''s suggestion, Rosalind


    has been waiting for three years."


    At these words, Thssa''s grip on her fork tightened involuntarily.