Goodbye, My Love

Harvey. Since you’ve graced my family’s banquet, you must be aware that it’s customary for guests to bring a gift for the host, right?”

Eloise gracefully withdrew her hand from the handshake, setting down what she was carrying on the guest registration table. With a calm demeanor, she replied, “These fruits and vegetables are grown in the backyard of the orphanage. They’re a token of appreciation for all the hard work you’ve put into hosting this year’s autumn festival banquet.”

Such exchanges of etiquette were quite common among the villagers, who often brought their own homegrown produce or poultry to the feasts.

Eloise didn’t see anything amiss in her gesture.

However, when Judie caught sight of the items Eloise had brought, she couldn’t hide her contempt and let out a disdainful snort, rolling her eyes dismissively.

“Such meager offerings hold no value to me. We have an abundance of such things. Since you’ve graced us with your presence, why not offer the orphanage itself as a generous gift for the banquet?”

A N G E L A ‘s L I B R A R Y

Eloise’s expression immediately turned sour, her heart sinking with disappointment. While she had been aware of Judie’s malicious intentions, she hadn’t anticipated her to be so shamelessly cruel and publicly humiliate her in this manner.

“Girl, you’re taking this too far. Why should guests bring land as gifts to a banquet, huh? That’s ridiculous!” Eloise retorted, trying to maintain her composure.

Judie sneered, her tone dripping with contempt, “You think your useless vegetables are enough? Such cheap offerings, and yet you expect a free meal at my place?”

Despite her usually good temper, Eloise’s voice quivered with anger as she spoke.

“Judie, I know what your family desires. I’ve said it before, if you want the land, you can have it. But I have one simple request – ensure that all the children in the orphanage are properly taken care of.”

Even if Judie seemed uninterested in listening, Eloise felt compelled to speak her mind.

“But instead of fulfilling that simple request, your family has been sending people to harass the orphanage and even resorting to violence against the children! Based on that alone, I will never agree to your demands!”

Judie’s impatience was evident in her expression as she inquired,

“Well, what is it that you want then? How do you want them taken care of?”

Hoping to find common ground, Eloise hurriedly suggested, “For the older children, we can arrange vocational training so they can learn valuable skills to support themselves. As for the younger ones, let’s work together to find caring families in the nearby area who are willing to adopt and provide them with a Loving home.” Property © NôvelDrama.Org.

Before Eloise could finish her sentence, Judie’s cold laughter erupted.

“You expect me to help them find jobs? Why not just propose that I raise them myself?” Judie sneered, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “A bunch of parentless bastards, do we need to complicate things? And searching for families to adopt them? Who would be willing to raise someone else’s child? Listen to me, Mrs. Harvey, there’s no need for all this trouble. Just selling them off would solve the problem!”

Eloise was in utter shock.

“What did you just say?”

Ignoring Eloise’s horrified expression, Judie continued with a malicious smile, “As for the boys, sell them off to work as Laborers.

They’ll have jobs, right? And as for the girls, those remote mountain areas are full of yokels who can’t find wives. Sell the girls as child brides, someone will surely take them, and it’ll create a few new families. It’s a perfect arrangement!”

Eloise’s face turned ashen, unable to find words to respond. She felt a mix of anger and disgust, almost fainting from the cruelty and heartlessness of Judie’s words.