"I don’t want to go to the Xavier Family!" Cara Preston cried miserably. "I want to stay by Dad’s side to fulfill my filial duties and take good care of him!"

Mrs. Xavier’s expression turned grim. This was only the second time she had met this daughter of hers, Cara Preston, and she felt no real affection for her. In her heart, she felt nothing but disappointment.

She was a simple, honest woman and had no idea what to do.

Lying in the hospital bed, Zachary Preston said slowly, "You were never my daughter to begin with. There’s no need for you to stay. Go back to the Xavier Family. Having Vera here to take care of me is enough."

Cara Preston wailed, "For Dad to say that means you still haven’t forgiven me! If that’s the case, what’s the point of me being alive? I might as well be dead!"

With that, she lunged toward a nearby pillar to slam her head against it.

She was fuming inside. She had originally assumed that with Zachary Preston’s gentle nature, all she had to do was admit her mistake and say a few nice words, and he would surely let her stay. She never expected him to be so hard-hearted this time.

’If I can’t get back into the Preston Family, how am I going to get that money out?’

She cried out dramatically and made a big show of her movements, but her eyes darted around, hoping someone would grab her and stop her. In the end, whether it was Vera Xavier, Grandma, or Mrs. Xavier, they all just watched. Not a single person moved to pull her back.

What she didn’t know was that her whole act was almost identical to Rona Langdon’s. It was so nauseating to watch that no one had any desire to stop her.

A hint of sarcasm touched the corner of Vera Xavier’s eyes as she watched Cara Preston coolly. She had never seen someone try to kill themselves by running into a wall before. ’Today, I’ll really get to see something new.’

Mrs. Xavier let out a long sigh. Back in the countryside, she had heard stories about Cara Preston’s behavior—that she was a child of corrupt character. ’How could I have given birth to a child like this?’ she wondered.

Seeing everyone’s expressions, Cara Preston knew that if she didn’t commit to the act, there was no way she would be allowed to stay in the Preston Family. So, she really did smash her head against the pillar. She controlled the force so it wasn’t too hard, but even so, it was enough to make her head bleed.

Tears streamed down her face as she said, "I won’t leave the Preston Family, unless I die!"

Vera Xavier felt that a major reason she had lost to Cara Preston in her past life was that she could never be as ruthless to herself as Cara was. This kind of self-injury ploy, attempting suicide by running into a wall, was something she could never bring herself to do in her entire life.

The matter of sending her away fizzled out because of Cara Preston’s suicide attempt. With her incredibly thick skin, Cara Preston managed to stay in the Preston Family.

Vera Xavier had originally planned to find a way to drive Cara Preston out of the Preston Family, but now she had changed her mind. Since Cara Preston wanted to shamelessly cling to her place in the family, Vera would find a way to make her regret that decision for the rest of her life.

Mrs. Xavier looked at Cara Preston and sighed again. This daughter had not been raised by her side, and she couldn’t comprehend her thoughts or actions at all.

So, as she was leaving, she said to Cara Preston, "If you don’t want to acknowledge me, I have nothing more to say. But if you don’t come back to the Xavier Family with me today, then don’t ever come back. I’ll just pretend I never gave birth to you!"

Mrs. Xavier was just an ordinary, honest, and kind-hearted country woman. For her to say something like that meant she was absolutely furious.

Vera Xavier sighed softly. She escorted Mrs. Xavier to the station. Mrs. Xavier looked at her, her eyes filled with guilt. "Vera, I’m so sorry."