"Because they are not Cinderella themselves," Mia Ginger reached out to take the shoebox from her hand, "they vainly tried to wear someone else's glass slippers, it's naturally futile."
"Sister Lilian, don't you think that's right?" Mia Ginger smiled, lips pressed, but her eyes contained a light that was unreservedly intense, almost blinding.
Lilian Jackson stared at her, momentarily speechless.
The Mia Ginger in front of her was the original one engaged to Koa Jackson since childhood, the one most legitimately entitled to have him, the genuine article without a doubt.
She foolishly used the Cinderella metaphor.
Before Lilian Jackson's smile could gather again, Koa Jackson walked in from the doorway.
Glancing at the two, he spoke in a calm voice to Mia Ginger, "How's your foot?"
"It's fine, I can walk on my own, no worries," she said, smiling at Lilian Jackson beside her, and then directly stepped past her.
Lilian Jackson watched her.
She knew both of Mia Ginger's feet were rubbed raw, and the twisted one was swollen, but Mia Ginger walked steadily, her face unchanged, as she walked towards Koa Jackson.
It seemed she didn't feel the pain at all.
She walked so smoothly that Lilian Jackson naturally had no reason to support her and could only stay where she was.
Mia Ginger didn't look back at her, directly following Koa Jackson out.
Her height without shoes was about 165 cm, wearing flat shoes, she was still a bit shorter than Koa Jackson's shoulder, yet her spine was straight, standing beside him without a trace of humility.
The hand hanging by her side slightly clenched, then relaxed, Mia turned her head and, as if unintentionally, asked Koa Jackson, "Does Sister Lilian like you?"
"Hmm?" Koa Jackson looked down at her, slightly surprised.
Mia's gaze fell to his wrist, lowering her head, "I just saw her watch, it seems to be a couple's style with yours."
"..." Koa Jackson didn't notice, momentarily speechless.
"Are you childhood sweethearts?" Mia didn't look up, continuing, "Is she a doctor?"
Though she was asking questions, one after another, there was a sharp certainty, so straightforward it was hard to counter.
Koa Jackson found it quite surprising, "How do you know?"
"Just guessing." Mia responded, but her tone suddenly softened.
A bit of an indescribable frustration and disappointment.
She had been missing for seventeen years, a full seventeen years, not part of his life, only meeting randomly on the street once, during a time she was so disheveled and intending to steal.
He was like that dazzling pair of glass slippers, coveted and loved by many around him, but was she truly the one destined by heaven to possess them?
Mia couldn't help but turn to look at him, and just then Koa Jackson also looked down at her, meeting her now slightly bewildered and clear eyes, his heart was slightly moved.
"Don't overthink," his lips seemed to hold a barely noticeable hint of a smile, more imagined than real, it flashed away, "I have been living abroad since I was ten, I only returned last year."
"So?" Mia was momentarily dazed, "Not childhood sweethearts."
"Hmm." Koa Jackson briefly responded.
"I see." Mia tilted her head to look at him, visibly relieved, her big dark eyes clear and shiny, like a trusting young deer.
In moments , she really resembled a nineteen-year-old girl.
Rather than the calm and composed, yet actually guarded and wary Mia Ginger, sensitive and cautious, always in a state of defense.
Koa Jackson thought of what he saw today, sighed softly in his heart, adding, "I didn't notice her watch."
So, naturally, he didn't know if it was a couple's style.
His watch was a gift from Gideon Jackson for his twenty-seventh birthday.
Koa Jackson casually thought, saw off Mia and others, then directly called Gideon Jackson. It turned out the watch was chosen with the help of his sister Lilian Jackson.
Koa Jackson raised his wrist to look at it, hung up the phone and returned to the living room.
Old Master Jackson, Zane Jackson, and Lydia Williams were sitting talking, mainly Lydia talking, Old Master Jackson listening, while Lilian Jackson was making tea on the side.
"As you know, Marianne has always been good friends with Zuri Ginger, perhaps Zuri likes Koa quite a lot, she couldn't help but feel unhappy, it's out of fairness for her friend, please don't mind."
Koa Jackson's mother died in a car accident when he was eight years old, a year later Lydia Williams, in her twenties, became pregnant before marriage, Old Master Jackson was infuriated but had no choice but to agree to let her in.
Lydia handled things well, being sweet-tongued and filial, naturally gaining Old Master's approval.
The Old Master glanced at her, placing the tea cup heavily on the table beside him, "Out of fairness? What's unfair about this, it's Mia's rightful engagement, now that she's back, she should naturally be my old man's granddaughter-in-law, not to be taken lightly by any Tom, Dick, or Harry!"
"Of course," Lydia responded promptly, "we all understand this, but Marianne is still young, I will definitely teach her well."
"Hmm." The Old Master grunted as a response.
Lilian Jackson added tea for him, slightly puzzled, "So Marianne came back and had a disagreement with Mia? No wonder Uncle Ginger was unwilling to let Mia change shoes just now, I really spoke out of turn, causing him displeasure."