Chapter 4 The Way

Chapter 004

"Way? What way?" John brushed away Daphne's hand, still displeased at his daughter, but his curiosity kicked in at Daphne's possible idea.

Daphne's lips curved into a smirk which made John more irritated.

"I have no time for your nonsense ideas, Daphne!" he knew his spouse very well. That smile really meant a terrible idea.

"We can have her undergo hymenoplasty." Daphne blurted out, and John stared at her with a slight frown.

"Hymenoplasty? What does that mean?"

"It's a surgical procedure to restore a woman's hymen." Daphne smiled down at Hailey, whose eyes lit up with anticipation upon hearing her stepmother's suggestion, but also felt worried by the possibility of some complications from that kind of surgery.

One of her friends had done it before because she wanted to surprise her boyfriend. Unluckily for her, it was unsuccessful, which resulted in her excessive blood loss. Although she survived, she was traumatized by that incident. And she didn't want that kind of incident to happen to her.

"No, mom. I'm sorry, but I can't do that." Hailey shook her head in disapproval. She wouldn't want to risk her life just for something she was not willing to do.

"But Hailey, this is the only option we have." Daphne patted her head gently, trying to convince her. "I know how much you like Blake. And he will definitely become yours once you agree to this operation. We will find the best surgeon for you, darling."

"No, no. I can't, mom. Please, don't make me do it. I'm begging you, please..."

Slow footsteps drew their attention away from Hailey.

"Uncle John..." Brianna, who had just entered the living room, was taken aback by the scene that was unfolding in front of her.

She had no intention of talking about anything other than her father and the money she required in order to proceed with the surgery, and she was surprised to find the Parker family in such a situation.

"What do you want, Brianna!" John shouted at her, making her flinch. "Now is not the time for your drama! We are dealing with our own problems here. Get out of my sight! Now!"

"But uncle..." she uttered, her voice trembled in fear, but that didn't stop her from informing them about what happened to her father. "Dad needs to undergo heart surgery as soon as possible, or we'll never see him again."

John's expression didn't change. He didn't care about them anymore, or he never really cared about them from the very start. There was only one thing he desired in his life right now. Money.

For the first time in her life, Brianna saw her Aunt Daphne smile at her before she pulled John's sleeve and whispered into his ear. "She would be our last hope."

"What do you mean?" John whispered back as he stared at his niece who was sending him a pitiful look while she watched him listen to his wife.

"Your niece is still a virgin, right?" Daphne asked, and John nodded in certainty. He hadn't seen his niece go out even once. She was always with Rob, helping her on their farm. He had never witnessed any other men accompanying her except her father. "Let's use her to pretend to be Hailey, and have s*x with Blake."

"Are you out of your mind? How can she even do that?" he murmured back, but his voice was firm and annoyed at his wife's suggestion. "They have different faces. Blake would recognize her so easily!"

"If Hailey doesn't want to undergo hymenoplasty, then we'll arrange for Brianna to have plastic surgery to copy your daughter's face." and then she raked her eyes over Brianna's physique. "They look like twins anyway. The hair, the height, the skin, and the eyes. What do you think, huh?"

"Brilliant idea." John smirked, the wrath that he had been feeling towards his daughter began to dissipate, and he chuckled as he lightly touched his chin with his fingers. "Do you think she will agree with this?"

"She will. Trust me, honey." Daphne cleared her throat before facing Brianna to blurt out her proposal. She drew her attention away from her husband and focused on his niece. "Brianna, don't worry. We will help your father with his heart surgery."

"Really, Auntie? Thank you so much!" out of happiness, she walked closer to Daphne to give her a hug, but she raised her palm to stop her.

"Don't get too excited, my dear. You have to pay for every cent that we would be spending on your father's operation."

"O-of course, Auntie. I'll work harder. I'll do the gardening as well, clean the pool and will also help Claire in the kitchen." she smiled gratefully. "I'll clean the house and the---"

"No, no. I will need your help, but not here in the house." Daphne assisted Hailey to get up from the ground.

Brianna waited patiently for Daphne to discuss the thing she was talking about. Excitement could still be seen on her face.

"You're getting plastic surgery, and copy Hailey's face. Is that okay with you?" John finally interrupted, impatient of how the conversation was dragging on.

Her jaw dropped and she took a step backwards. She didn't see that coming.

"W-what?" Brianna found herself stuttering. She would never ever change her face. To think that she would look like Hailey was completely ludicrous. "But why?"

Her dad always told her that she looked exactly like her mother. Her mother who had abandoned them because of poverty. Her mother was an ambitious woman. She wanted to live a good life, so she decided to leave them. She didn't want to live with a farmer for the rest of her life.

But her dad was a good man, and he never taught her to cultivate anger towards her mother. Instead, he taught her to love her mother even more, and appreciate the beauty her mom had contributed to her.

"Because Blake wants a virgin wife. You will have s*x with him first before they get married." Daphne answered casually, and those words made Brianna shocked even more.

A lump was stuck in her throat. Her chest was heavy too, and her heart stopped for a minute.

She would make love to a man she only saw once, with a man she didn't even love.

Balling her hand into a fist, she took a deep breath before she spoke. "No! I'm sorry, but I can't do that! I will never ever change my face!" Everyone in the room was surprised by her sudden outburst, so Hailey attacked her, and smacked her across her face.

"You're a shameless woman for refusing my mom's offer! How could you, after letting you and your father live here and feeding both of you! You're lucky that we gave you a shelter to live in! And this is how you repay us? You are an ungrateful b*tch!" Hailey roared in her face.

The anger was as clear as day in Hailey's eyes as it was in Brianna's.

"Don't look at me with those ugly eyes of yours!" Hailey spat, poking her on the forehead. "We just need an answer from you, not a look like that, stupid!"

Uncle John was very vocal in telling her that her eyes were very ugly because they looked like her mother's. Her slutty mother as he always described her. And Hailey was always there listening every time he insulted her.

Brianna didn't even understand why they would say her eyes were ugly, when Hailey's eyes were exactly the same as hers.

Her jaw tightened as she stood up straight, feeling her blood boiling as she glared back at Hailey. "You gave us shelter to live in, but you're treating us like servants here! We're repaying the food you're feeding us by working so hard in this house!" Another slap landed on Brianna's face, and she burst into tears, covering her face with her hands. "Hit me all you want! Beat me, or even kill me, but you will never make me change my face!"

The determination in her voice was strong. It was time to stop them from manipulating their lives.

"Then your dad won't be cured! We will not help you, Brianna! We will let him die!" Hailey's voice boomed once again, shocking the hell out of her. "Your father will die! You will be alone in the world, dumbass!"

She looked as though Hailey had just pulled out a gun and aimed it at her head.

"I don't need your help! I won't let my father die because I can find a way!" Brianna spoke through clenched teeth and tightened fists, restraining herself from hitting Hailey back. "I can find money on my own without your help!"

After saying those words, Brianna turned on her heels and walked out of the living room, ambling her way towards the quarters in the basement, which made John, and the two women freeze on their spot.