Chapter 3 You're Not Welcome

The richest dude's granddaughter in Eldoria? Easy cash, but it was a snooze fest. Adeline just waved it off. "Nah, skip it."

After knocking out her to-do list, Adeline hit the shower, snagged a Coke from the fridge, and belly-flopped onto her bed, ready to kick off her fun night.

'In families like the Livingstons, heirs get whipped into shape from day one, with private docs managing their diet and health. What kinda gnarly illness did he have?' The more Adeline thought about it, the more pumped she got. She lived for tough gigs like this.

Eldoria was poppin' this month. The richest guy was on the hunt for his granddaughter, and some top family's heir was looking for a doc. Everyone was hustling to get in with them.

Word on the street was that a miracle doc was hiding out in Eldoria.

The doc's tales were legendary. Hardly anyone had seen them, and the stories were mostly sketchy. But still, the folks in Eldoria were hyped.

After taking the gig last night, Adeline got up at the crack of dawn, grabbed a shared bike, and pedaled over to the Caesar Hotel. She thought she was done with the Martinez Family after they ditched her yesterday, but she ran into them again.

A familiar voice piped up next to her. "What are you doing here?"

It was her foster mom, Angela Jones, dripping with disdain, not even bothering to call her by name.

Adeline glanced over and saw a bunch of people standing nearby.

There was her foster dad, Henry Martinez, some Jones family relatives, and Stella, who had just been brought back. They were all huddled around her.

Stella was helping an old dude, talking all sweet.

The old man looked super pleased with Stella, patting her hand like a classy grandpa.

Angela clearly didn't want the crew behind her to spot Adeline, so she stepped in front of her. "I'm asking you; what are you doing here?"

Angela tried to play it cool, but her voice gave away her nerves.

"Adeline, we spelled it out for you yesterday. Your real folks are out in the sticks. Why don't you go find them? What are you doing at the Caesar Hotel?" She figured Adeline had tailed them and was lurking around, waiting for them to show up.

"If you think ten grand isn't enough, I can toss you more." Angela's stern eyes locked onto Adeline, who was rocking a plain T-shirt and jeans, no makeup, and a loose backpack slung over her shoulder.

Angela thought, 'Is this how she's rolling after leaving the Martinez Family? Is she broke?'

Angela took a deep breath and lowered her voice. "I get it. You don't wanna go back to the boonies 'cause you're used to the good life, but we ain't gotta support you anymore. Here's a card with fifty grand. Take it and scram."

Adeline looked at her, trying to cut ties. With one hand on the bike handle, she casually raised an eyebrow, about to speak.

"Angela, who is this? Do you know her?" Sara Cooper, an old lady with silver hair, walked over, her eyes full of doubt and scrutiny.

Angela quickly covered, "She's just a distant relative. We bumped into each other. I thought she was just a kid and wanted to help out."

Sara nodded, satisfied, then looked at Stella. "She's a good kid too."

Stella gave Angela a sad look, wanting to say something but staying quiet, just lowering her head gently. "Mom always taught me to help others. It's the right thing to do."

"Very good." Sara was even more pleased and pointed to Henry. "You've got a good daughter."

Henry was mulling over whether to spill Adeline's identity.

But after hearing Sara's praise, Henry didn't hesitate. "Stella's learned well."

Henry walked over to Angela and said, "I'll handle this. You go inside. Don't worry about the relatives."

Angela looked at Adeline and sighed. "Try to talk some sense into Adeline. This kid's had it rough."

She seemed sympathetic, but her eyes screamed that Adeline wasn't welcome and should bounce ASAP.