Her Returns

Later that night, the Queen Mansion was brightly lit, luxurious and grand.

Adele Boyle was lying on a chaise lounge, enjoying a face mask while a servant knelt beside her, attending to her.

She popped a plump, sweet red grape into her mouth, savoring its juicy tenderness. Life was truly perfect.

"Madam, it’s not good..." A servant rushed in in panic.

The servant, who was kneeling and doing Adele's nails, trembled in shock, causing the nail polish to go crooked.

Adele kicked her over, shouting angrily, "Idiot! You can’t even handle something this small? What good are you to me? Get out!"

She then raised her head and began scolding the newly arrived servant, "What are you doing shouting like a fool?"

The servant, trembling, pointed at the door. "Madam, she... she..."

"Tsk tsk! It’s been three years, and the servants are becoming more and more disrespectful. Is this how my aunt trained you?" Hazel’s lips curled up disdainfully as she looked at the scene before her.

Adele’s face turned pale when she saw who had arrived, and her face mask almost slipped off. "Ah! You—are you human or a ghost?"

"I'm human, not a ghost. Come closer, and you’ll know."

As Hazel stepped forward, Adele, in a panic, jumped off the sofa and scrambled to hide behind it. "Don’t come over! Don’t come closer!"

"Ah! Auntie, what are you doing? Are you not happy to see me alive?"

Adele glanced around and confirmed that the person before her was indeed the living Hazel.

What was going on? After the fire, when Hazel had disappeared, everyone thought she was dead. How was she alive and standing in front of her now?

Her eyes darted around, and in the blink of an eye, Adele’s expression shifted. She grabbed Hazel’s hand and began crying, "Hazel, we searched so hard for you. Now that you're safe and sound, your uncle and I can finally rest easy!"

Hazel pulled her hand away in disgust, wiping it with a tissue several times, still feeling it wasn’t clean enough. When she looked up, her eyes were sharp like blades, making Adele shiver.

"Really?" Hazel’s gaze swept across the room.

The Queen Mansion had been personally designed by Hazel’s parents, blending their hopes and aspirations for family harmony.

The previous mansion had been simple, modest, and elegant. Now, however, the low-key, luxurious furniture had been replaced with tacky pale gold pieces, giving off a strong nouveau riche vibe.

What kind of garbage was this? Who dared to decorate her house like this?

Thinking of her parents' death, Hazel's anger flared up, and she knocked over the juice on the table.

Adele screamed in rage, "Ah! My newly bought wool carpet, Hazel, you..."

"Ah, I’m so sorry, Aunt. Look at me, so clumsy, I’m really sorry!" Though Hazel apologized, her eyes were filled with malice. How dare she speak to her like that?

"Mom, who are you talking to..." When her gaze met Hazel's eyes, Bailey's legs went weak, and she tumbled down the stairs with a loud crash.

"Bailey, are you alright?" Adele rushed to help her.

Bailey, regaining her composure, stood up and glared at Hazel. "What are you doing in our house?"

Hazel couldn’t be bothered to reply. With swift precision, she ripped the shell necklace off Bailey's neck.

Bailey screamed, clutching her neck, which now bore a red mark. "Are you crazy?"

Hazel twirled the necklace around her finger. "I have to say, you people are really laughable. After staying here so long, you’ve really started to think of it as your own home. If you like something, I can give it to you, but stealing it is not okay!"

"You..." Bailey started to argue, but Adele interrupted her, smiling.

"Hazel, you’ve misunderstood. Bailey has been wearing this necklace because it reminds her of you. She’s been taking care of it, afraid she might lose it. She’s not stealing it, right?"

Hazel rubbed her ear impatiently, unwilling to listen to her smooth talk. She raised her hand and clapped.

Immediately, several tall and imposing bodyguards entered the room.

"You guys, go upstairs and clear out all this eyesore garbage!"

"Yes, Miss!"

Adele and Bailey exchanged a look.

"What are you doing? This is my house! Don’t touch anything, get out of here!" Bailey tried to stop the bodyguards, but one of them shoved her away, sending her flying across the room.

"Mom, didn’t you send someone to deal with that bitch..."

Adele quickly covered her mouth, hissing, "Shut up! If she finds out the truth, do you think we’ll have a good life?"

"But we can't let that bitch walk all over us either!"

Adele paced back and forth. "Go, hurry up and call your dad back here!"

A moment later, there was a loud crash from upstairs, followed by things being thrown down.

Bailey stared, her face twisting in anger. "Hazel, what do you mean? How dare you touch my things?"

Leaning against the railing, Hazel leisurely swirled her highball glass, looking calm and graceful, like a lazy little fox. "I was wondering why it felt so stuffy in here. Turns out, it’s because you’re hiding all this trash. Trash belongs in the trash bin, don’t you think?"

"You!"

Hazel wanted nothing more than to throw them all out of the house right then and there, but she had to hold back. Taking it step by step would make it all the more satisfying.

"Go back to the rooms you’re supposed to be in."

They had taken over her parents’ room, her own room, and worst of all, they had even removed her parents' memorial altar.

Hazel found her parents’ black-and-white photos in the basement, cleaned them up, and carefully returned them to their place. Positioned directly across from the stairs, as soon as Adele and the others came down, they would be greeted with the accusing eyes of her parents, unable to rest in peace.

She wanted to make sure they couldn’t find peace!

...

Price Mansion.

"Mr. Price, we still haven’t found any information on Miss Queen!"

"Mr. Price, the surveillance along the way has been hacked, and the car’s speed is much faster than we imagined. So... we couldn’t find any information about that sports car!"

Hearing the series of reports from his subordinates, Damon almost overturned the coffee table in frustration.

"A bunch of idiots! What use are you to me? Get out!"

Delilah, cautiously holding a cup of calming tea, walked over and softly said, "Damon, don’t get upset. I think Hazel must be avoiding you because she’s embarrassed. I believe she acted impulsively and did something foolish. How about... I step in and explain everything to everyone?"

This would essentially announce her future identity as Mrs. Price—what a brilliant move!

The man suddenly turned his head, his gaze deep and inscrutable, difficult to read. Delilah instinctively fell silent.

***