Chapter 113 Emotions

KIA

"However, I do hope that you are able to understand..."

Dad inhaled deeply before confirming his understanding of the question with a nod. "Yes, yes, I fully understand; yet, Dean, this is not fair to my child at all. What do you think about if we make a contribution to put this matter to rest? I am prepared to make a significant contribution to the donation campaign. All I ask is that you save my daughter the embarrassment of being expelled from this university because of her actions. I don't want to be a punchline merely because my daughter was expelled from her school due to the actions of her own sibling, but I also don't want to be a laughingstock." He stated that, even putting more emphasis on the word "sister," all the while maintaining a hostile expression toward me

I don't understand what's wrong with him. Will he proceed to maintain his defense of this whore despite the fact that she was the one who brought this on herself? Throughout the course of this entire year, Asteria has never once been polite to me. Whenever she is in my presence, she puts on an air of superiority and never shows any sign of humility. Even though I'm not trying to compare her to anyone or anything, it feels as though she was born to make me think about my own life in comparison to hers. I will no longer bother attempting to comprehend what they are saying. When will I finally be able to have some time to myself, where she is not always interrupting what I'm doing?

Even if we are not enemies, I will never be on her side.

"Mr. Saavedra, I understand the frustrations you're feeling, but you can't use money to buy your way out of this predicament," I told him. My dad could see the bravery in the dean's eyes as she smiled at him and continued to stare at him. "Mr. Saavedra, you cannot simply acquire things by exchanging money for them. There are some things that simply cannot be bought with money. The only piece of advice I have for you is to work on instilling proper manners in your daughter and showing her how to behave appropriately—"

"Are you saying that I did not discipline my daughter enough, which is the reason why she is behaving in such a manner??" Suddenly, Dad jumped in.

"Mr. Saavedra, I am emphatically not making any statements to that effect. I ask that you not get the wrong idea about what's going on. I am doing everything in my power to assist you in improving the quality of life for your daughter Asteria. It is impossible for her to continue behaving in such a manner forever." The dean answered in a calm manner.

"My daughter is completely fine and there is nothing wrong with her. She does not deviate from the standard in any way. You are only on Kianna's side since you consider her to be one of your strongest cards. That is so unjust for my child to have to go through. That is a tremendous disservice to each and every one of the students attending this university—"

"Please, darling, take a deep breath... The dean was merely attempting to assist us in any way that she could—" My stepmother got up and went to stand at the side of my biological dad. She made numerous attempts to put him in a tranquil state, but all he did was shake her hand.

"No! Can't you just see? When we walked to this room for the very first time, all she did was defend Kianna against all of our accusations. Never once has she paid attention to what we have to say. She has not made any attempt to comprehend our predicament, despite the fact that I am striving to make matters more manageable; she views the situation from an entirely different perspective. We had no reason to be here other than to make a fool of ourselves, and we ought to have recognized that from the very beginning!"

"It's nothing more than an attempt to bring us to our knees, Dad. I have no doubt that Kianna has a master plan for all of this. She was using her power to further her own ends by exerting influence over the dean." The addition of Asteria made the situation more complicated.

"Asteria, would you kindly keep your mouth shut and refrain from spreading all of these falsehoods? Don't you feel any embarrassment? You are currently standing in front of the dean of this university; nonetheless, you have chosen to continue speaking in such a manner. If you plan on continuing your education at this university, you will first need to figure out how to respect other people. You won't be able to avoid being kicked out of the house if you act like a spoiled brat."

When the dean suddenly smacked the table, everyone immediately stopped disputing. I was about to add something to what I had stated when the dean did it.

"In the event that we are unable to reach an agreement here, we should put an end to this absurdity. In order to facilitate everything and make everyone's lives simpler, I am requesting everyone's assistance. This conversation serves no useful purpose and should not continue. You are all free to go now. I simply wanted to provide you with some new information regarding the situation, Mr. and Mrs. Saavedra. However, for the time being, the decision has been made, and it has been determined that Asteria must be expelled from this university. In the event that there is anything else, you are more than welcome to discuss it with my secretary. We are grateful that you and your wife were able to make it, Mr. and Mrs. Saavedra." The dean got to his feet, putting on a show for them with a phony grin.

When I rose up and was going to approach the dean, I immediately felt a strong grip on my arm from my father. At that moment, I believed that all would soon be over. Now everything is crystal obvious to me, and I can see how infuriated he is with me. If looking into someone's eyes was lethal, I would have passed away a long time ago.

"You are entirely responsible for all of this! Your actions have accomplished nothing more than to bring dishonor and humiliation onto the family. Is this the kind of thing that you receive from your mother? You are the source of almost all of the problems that arise in the family. If you're going to act like one of the Saavedra, could you do it just this once?" My father's voice was directed directly toward my face.

I shook his hand and met his menacing glare as we exchanged greetings. When I look at how upset he was right at this moment, I can't help but smirk. "That's all there is to it? Think about it in great detail; perhaps there are some more things for which you wish to place responsibility on me. You always point the finger at someone else for your own error and expect them to take the blame—"

A hard slap landed on the left side of my cheek. Now that I think about it, he did injure me. It's no longer a mental or emotional matter... I managed to keep my composure and look directly at him despite the fact that I could sense the tears welling up in my eyes and getting ready to fall at any second. I made a conscious effort to suppress my emotions in the presence of these vile individuals.

"You wouldn't talk with your father in that manner, would you? Kianna Myst, you need to show some respect!" His screams filled the room.

"Mr. Saavedra! You are not permitted to cause harm to your kid, certainly not in this office where I work." The dean yelled, and just as she was going to come rushing towards me, I stopped her and told her not to.

"Show some respect? You have my undying respect, father. I always did. I am not one to complain about anything, not even about the way you have always treated me poorly, from the time I was a child up till the present day. The reason you can't treat me like Asteria is because... Why is it that Asteria is the one and only cause that you are willing to fight for in this world? You don't really consider me to be your daughter, do you?"

"Stop talking, Kianna Myst! You don't know the first thing about anything!"

"Oh yes I do! I am completely knowledgeable in every subject, father... Asteria is undoubtedly your biological daughter, I have no doubt about that. You lied to your mother when she was still alive, and she caught you! She adored you with every fiber of her being, but what actions did you take to break her heart? You made a special effort to accommodate them in every way! Because my mother was no longer there, I was also kicked out of the house. I am still your daughter; you should not refer to me only as Asteria! Why are you treating Asteria better than you are treating me?! Do I not have the right to be loved by my own father?!" As soon as you said that, tears immediately started rolling down my cheeks. I had the sensation that my throat was getting tighter. "I hope that I am able to make you proud at all times, dad. I am the daughter who always does what she is told, yet sometimes I feel as like my efforts are never recognized or appreciated. Dad, all I want is to be considered a member of the family... I want to experience the kind of love that you save exclusively for Asteria... On the other hand, all of that comes first. I have evolved into a different person now. It makes no difference to me now whether you treat me as if I were your own child or not."

"Kianna, you are aware that your father and I make it a point to treat both you and Asteria in an equitable manner, correct? Because Asteria is your younger sister, we have a propensity to occasionally take her side in certain situations... She is still in need of direction and instruction from all of us, including you "My stepmother spoke up in the middle of our conversation.

I didn't mind her, and I kept waiting for my dad to answer to everything I said, but I heard nothing from him. He did not respond, and it appeared that he was uninterested in what was going on. Before I opened my mouth, I gave myself a moment to gather my thoughts by taking a long, deep breath and then letting it out. "I'm sorry, Dean, but I have to retract what I said... I will not prevent Asteria from continuing her studies here at this university..."

"Really? Thank you so much, Kianna. You must be aware that this is really exciting news for the three of us, particularly for your sister. Asteria, are you following me here?" The expression of joy on my stepmother's face was clear. Asteria did little more than roll her eyes while simultaneously crossing her arms.

"Don't get ahead of yourself and start celebrating just yet. I am not done yet. Under one specific proviso, I will continue to allow her to study here:"

"Condition?! As if I were going to agree with all that you stated! Never again will I attempt to imitate your every move!"

"Then you are free to withdraw from the program at this time. Asteria, the door is currently not locked. You are under no obligation to stick with me as there is no one to force you. Anyway, dean, my condition is that she will need to do what I mentioned, and if she complains even once, then the judgment is permanent, and we will expel her from the university." I added.