The Day I Kissed An Older Man by Cher the Cherished

Sherman even spread his hands out, and Rita could clearly see disdain in his eyes. At that moment, she felt embarrassed to the
point of wanting to flee from the office. She could handle rejection but not be looked down on by others-especially by someone
like Sherman whom she had briefly held in high regard.
Rita grabbed her bag and stood up abruptly. "Thank you for reminding me, Mister Sherman. You've taught me to see things
clearly. Otherwise, I might have mistaken you as my friend after our conversation tha night. Since you're unwilling to grant me the
interview, I won't bother you anymore. I wish you and Miss Claire a lifetime of happiness."
With that, she left Sherman's office without looking back, leaving him bewildered. 'Wasn't she the one at fault? How did she
manage to make it seem like I'm the one at fault here?'
She had projected such strength in front of Sherman, but as soon as she was alone in the elevator, Rita lowered her head in
dismay. She could not even force a smile at that point. "Why? Why is everyone picking on me? Do I look like a pushover?"
Rita laughed bitterly. It was true; she was the easiest one to bully in the office. After all, she was the only newcomer in the entire
entertainment department. Still, did that mean she had no choice but to endure this kind of treatment?
Rita was starting to miss her father. While it was true she had to deal with Karen and Sadie if she were to go back home, the
longing for the sense of security her father provided pushed her longing to the peak Thus, she immediately drove back home.
Karen and Sadie be damned.
As soon as she entered the mansion, she noticed something was amiss. The halls and corridors were adorned with numerous
paintings. Her late mother had always been fond of art; she intentionally collected many pieces in hopes of building a fortune for
her daughter.
Rita had shown artistic talent since young, but unfortunately, she had no interest in pursuing that path. A painting she made of
their family of three hung prominently in the center of their home's hallway since her childhood, even though her mother had
been dead for a long time.
However, at that moment, that spot was occupied by a painting from an unknown artist.
In her urgency to find the doodle, she did not even bother to question Karen, who was leisurely drinking mulled wine prepared by
the maid on the couch. Rita searched the entire corridor and even the hallway, but still she could not find the painting anywhere.
Karen was caught off-guard by Rita's sudden return. As annoyed as she felt, she knew she still had to maintain the facade of
being a caring stepmother. Thus, she walked up to Rita and asked gently, "Rita, you're back. Have you eaten yet?"

Unfortunately, Rita ignored her. All she cared about at that moment was finding her painting.
Karen rolled her eyes silently,
thinking, 'What a rude child she is.
But it's not surprising since she

didn't have a mother growing up, unlike my precious daughter who so sweet and sensible. If only Sadie had been born into this
family from the beginning, she would've been a thousand times better than Rita.'
Rita was unaware of Karen's thoughts; all she knew was that the painting of her family was missing.
She turned and angrily demanded,
"Where did the painting that hung here go? Who gave you the right to move my painting? Huh? Do you even understand art? Do
you even know the name of the painter whose painting is hanging here right now? Could you please not meddle with things that
aren't yours? Stop pretending to know what you're doing. Can you at least do that for me?"
Karen's expression instantly darkened. She indeed had no understanding of art. The new painting seemed passable in
appearance, and it was inexpensive, so she bought it. She thought it would be a good replacement for the old, bothersome
family portrait. Who would have thought Rita would be so angry and even looked down on her just because she made some
changes around the house?