Falling 53

Hearing this, Lola was completely panicked. 

She hadn’t been afraid before, but now, Sandria was Ms. Schroeder. 

“No, you can’t do this… I’m your mother, you can’t treat me like this!” 

At that moment, a bodyguard expressionlessly covered her mouth. 

All her curses and screams turned into muffled “mmmph” sounds. 

Like dragging a dead dog, they hauled Lola out of the lavishly decorated banquet hall. 

The hall finally returned to silence. 

Ashlan looked at Sandria, his eyes full of heartache and guilt. 

“Sandy, all these years, you’ve suffered.” 

Sandria shook her head, a gentle smile reappearing on her face. 

“Ash, it’s all in the past. Let’s go upstairs.” 

“Alright, your grandfather and the others can’t wait to see you, and they’ve even prepared gifts for you.” 

There were already three people sitting on the sofa on the top floor. 

In the center sat an elderly man with white hair but a vigorous spirit–the head of the Schroeder family, Bryant Schroeder. 

When Bryant saw Sandria enter, his cloudy eyes instantly lit up. 

He stood up with the help of his cane, excitedly reaching out to her, his voice carrying a barely noticeable tremor. 

“Is that you, Sandy? Come, come here and let Grandpa have a look at you.” 

Sandria saw the love and concern in Bryant’s eyes. 

It made her nose tingle inexplicably, and she quickly walked over to support him. 

“Grandpa.” 

That one word, “Grandpa,” made Bryant unable to hold back any longer; his eyes instantly reddened. 

He held Sandria’s hand tightly, turning it over and over, muttering nonstop. 

“Good, good, it’s good that you’re back, it’s good that you’re back! My good granddaughter, you’ve suffered so much 

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all these years!” 

Sandria felt the warmth in her palm–a kind of familial warmth she had never experienced before. 

Just then, a smiling voice broke the tender atmosphere. 

“Dad, don’t get too excited. Sandy’s safe return is a wonderful thing, but if you end up in the hospital because of it, wouldn’t that be a loss?” 

Hearing this, Sandria looked over. 

She saw that the speaker was a middle–aged woman sitting to Bryant’s right, dressed in an expensive cheongsam and well maintained. 

Sandria recalled the Schroeder family tree and, after a moment’s thought, matched the face. 

This must be the second aunt of the Schroeder family, Nancy Fischer. 

Nancy walked over briskly with a smile on her face, enthusiastically grabbing Sandria’s hand. 

“Sandy, I’m your second aunt. You really do take after the good genes of our Schroeder family. But that’s all right, from now on, you’re one of us. You’ll need to learn our rules and customs, but that just means you’ll be busy for a while.” 

As she spoke, she nudged a pretty young girl standing beside her. 

“Adalynn, stop playing around and greet your sister. You’re always first in piano and equestrian, so you should tea your sister more in the future. Let everyone see that the children of our Schroeder family are second to none.” 

The girl called Adalynn Schroeder had inherited the excellent features of the Schroeder family, making quite striking. 

But her eyes, long and narrow like Nancy’s, held a shrewd calculation that made her less likable. 

She glanced at Sandria, her gaze lingering on Sandria’s charming face, a flash of jealousy flickering in her eyes. 

Still, she smiled and said, “Sandy.” 

Sandria narrowed her eyes slightly. This second aunt’s family didn’t seem like good people. 

Right from the start, their words were laced with hidden barbs–both a warning and a show of dominance. 

Every word was meant to tell her to keep a low profile. 

What, are they afraid she’d come back to fight for the inheritance? 

Sandria withdrew her hand, her smile just as warm. “Second Aunt, you’re right. Now that I’m with the Schroeder fam- ily, I definitely need to learn a lot. But as for piano and equestrian, those are just amusements. I’m actually more inter- ested in business.” 

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