"Dad," Serena pleaded while gazing at her father, her eyes filled with tears.
Since she was a little girl, her father had always been easy to negotiate with—always ready to fulfill her wishes.
Kenneth sighed. "Serena, I can't agree to your request this time. Martha didn't trip over the doorstep by accident. She did it deliberately to hurt Rose. That's a crime."
"Dad, it's not as serious as you make it out to be. Martha was only trying to stand up for me because she saw I was being treated unfairly. She just went about it the wrong way."
Serena knelt in front of her father, imploring desperately, "Dad, I'm begging you. I haven't asked you for anything since I was young."
Martha meant the world to Serena.
"Serena, we take you as our own. But if you can't see the seriousness of this situation, and you think Martha is better than us, then make your choice!"
Louisa averted her face, still obviously angry.
