Bella stood by the side door for a while, waiting for the rest to enter the house before she took the detour and went in through the front door.
As soon as she entered the house, the laughter inside came to an abrupt stop.
She felt like a stranger barging into someone else's happy family, completely isolated.
Though under the same roof, the scene felt like two separate spaces, with Bella isolated as if in a vacuum, unable to blend in with them.
"Bella, you're back. Huh, what are you wearing..." Anna noticed her and smiled, but in an instant, looked at her outfit with surprise.
"What's wrong with you, coming back dressed like this?" Francesca looked her up and down with dissatisfaction after hearing this, clearly unhappy.
Bella turned her head and suddenly laughed, "Is there a problem with what I'm wearing?"
Seeing her acting clueless, Francesca grew even more furious.
"You tell me, you're a miss of the Green Family, look at what you're wearing! Whose clothes are these? You didn't come home after being discharged yesterday, where did you go messing around, coming back in a man's clothes?"
Midway through her words, she remembered Bella was supposed to be discharged yesterday, yet she only came back today, wearing men's clothes.
Bella's eyes turned slightly cool, but the smile on her lips remained, "So, Mom, you knew I was discharged yesterday. When I came back yesterday and saw the dark house, I thought I got the discharge date wrong."
"Little sister, you've misunderstood. We didn't not pick you up on purpose yesterday. Please don't be mad, I'll apologize," Anna stepped forward to grab her hand, looking guilty.
The way she acted, it seemed like she was the one being wronged.
Bella's eyebrows arched in amusement, "Interesting, sister. I merely thought I got the date wrong. How did it turn into me getting mad?"
"I'm sorry, I misspoke," Anna said, looking a bit embarrassed, turning her head to Daniel nearby, her smile was a bit forced, her eyes holding suppressed grievance.
Seeing this, Daniel immediately felt displeased.
"Bella, what kind of talk is that? My sister is concerned about you. We couldn't come back because it was Grandpa Tang's birthday yesterday. Besides, even if nobody's home, don't you have a key? Do you need to be so aggressive?"
Aggressive?
Bella was amused, honestly unsure of which words she had just now were aggressive, or whom she was pressing?
"Oh, then thank your sister for her concern. It's my bad not recognizing kindness," Bella looked at her biological brother, the smile on her face deepening.
Daniel felt uncomfortable upon hearing this. He just habitually said 'my sister', but listening to Bella say 'your sister', it unsettled him.
"Enough, Bella, I'm asking about those clothes. Where did you go yesterday?" Francesca's tone was sharp, directly targeting Bella.
"What's all the yelling about, causing a ruckus right after getting back. Can't we have some peace?"
Samuel's voice boomed from the stairs.
He had only gone upstairs to change his clothes when he heard the noise downstairs, irritating him.
"You dare talk, look at your precious daughter. She didn't come home last night and returned wearing men's clothes. Can I not ask?" Francesca raised her voice, full of anger.
"If others see this, what will they think? She may not care about her reputation, but what about Anna? People might think poorly of our Green Family's upbringing. How will they see Anna?"
Samuel's face looked extremely displeased upon hearing this, turning to look at Bella, his anger intensified.
"Can't you stay out of trouble for a few days? You've just been discharged and you're causing havoc."