Hailey's gaze wandered out to the field as her heart roamed through various thoughts. She absentmindedly twirled a strand of her hair, hoping for the class to end quickly so she could return home. Was it to see Nolan? No, she objected to herself. Perhaps it was to finish up her writing. She tried to convince herself of that, but deep down, she knew she was lying to herself. She wanted to see Nolan so badly that she had pushed aside all her worries about Cassidy and Luke. "Hailey, do you want to come with me?" Tara's voice jolted her back to reality. She turned slowly to face her. "To where?" Hailey raised an eyebrow. She wasn't really curious since she knew it would probably be one of the socialite parties, but she wondered why Tara would invite her in the first place. "My bad. I mean the Raymonds' party. Their first granddaughter got engaged, so they are holding a celebration banquet, and my family got invited," Tara explained, just as Hailey had expected. Hailey nodded slowly. Ta
Still in the Lincoln Mansion. Bernard could be seen seated in his study room, looking quite disturbed. Anyone could tell he was becoming increasingly agitated, his foot tapping up and down, and his mind never staying in one place. He seemed hesitant about some decision. Finally, he mustered up some courage and picked up his cellphone to dial a contact. After the second ring, someone picked up, and Bernard's heart skipped a beat. It was the Rothschild family line. He was unsure whether to call Hailey or put it on hold. What if Nolan picked up again like last time? Fear stained his face as he remembered Nolan's cold, harsh voice, causing him to shiver slightly. Fortunately, a soft, slender voice came from the other end, and his fear began to fade away. This time it was Hailey who picked up. He relaxed in relief. "I sent a package. It contains the transfer of the shares. You should have received them," he said with a poker face. Hailey smiled on the other end and leaned back against t
"Don't you think that was quite rude?" Bernard, who had noticed the scene, walked closer. "Dad, Sister doesn't mean it that way. She must have been tired trying to look after her crippled husband," she added with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. But Hailey didn't seem to be bothered by that; she didn't bother to say a thing but rather tried to focus on the environment. The scene wasn't really different from the one in her past life. A memory scurried in front of her head. She squeezed her forehead. She seemed to have remembered something important that had happened that day. A woman, regardless of her old body, stormed out of nowhere. With rage and anger, her eyes scanned through the whole room. Hailey could easily recognize that it was her grandmother, even though she hadn't met her in this life. The old woman was obviously filled with anger as she approached the Lincolns, ignoring the other people greeting her in the gathering. "Bernard, who had entered my study room? I just fou
Remembering Cassidy's horrible expression suddenly brought a smile to Hailey's lips. Grandmother had no choice but to forget the broken porcelain vase and accept the Rothschild's birthday present. Her face lit up in excitement, and Nolan couldn't help but feel a hint of jealousy. Hailey nibbled on her dinner, smiling endlessly. "Are you that happy?" His steel blue eyes hardened, and his lips thinned in a grim line. Hailey immediately glanced up at his face. Nolan sat across from her at the Rothschild's dining table. He was a bit far from Hailey, but she could clearly hear his voice as if he were closer. "She must have remembered something exciting," Mrs. June chimed in. Nolan contorted with fury. Something exciting? Hailey had never had any exciting moments that could make her genuinely smile. Was it her time at the Bale Orphanage or her boring, pushover life in Lincoln's Mansion? Everything had been so hard and terrible. But suddenly, she felt like better days had come. Seeing No
"We are here," the chauffeur announced to Tara, peering at her face through the rearview mirror. "Shall we?" Tara turned to Hailey, who seemed engrossed in her thoughts. "Yeah, sure," Hailey nodded, shaking her head. Since Hailey had agreed to tag along with Tara, she took her personal car while the rest of her family rode in their own vehicle. The car came to a stop in front of Raymond's Mansion. The exterior of the car appeared basic and simple, but the interior was well-built and designed, perfectly complementing Tara's outfit. Tara slowly stepped out of the car while the chauffeur opened the right door for Hailey to alight. Hailey gracefully exited the vehicle, and for a moment, the world seemed to pause. Her hair, previously tied in a bun by Mika, came loose and cascaded down, reaching her waist and enhancing her beauty. Her flawless face, accompanied by her black hair, made her resemble a goddess that had descended to earth. Tara suddenly felt that Hailey was not the same
trangely, Hailey wasn't angry when they said she got married to Nolan because of his wealth, but calling her husband, Nolan, a crippled man oddly pissed her off. She couldn't stand them talking about her husband's disability in such a manner. She tightened her grip around her cocktail glass, her expression blank and cold. "Are you okay?" Tara walked back to Hailey. She must have noticed the coldness on her face. "I'm fine," she muttered through sealed lips, but Tara wasn't convinced. She had never seen that cold look on Hailey's face before, but she realized that Hailey wasn't willing to divulge any information, so she shrugged it off. "Do you want to meet my family? They are waiting for you," Tara gestured to one side of the room. A small gathering of four people was chatting on the side. Hailey easily recognized them as Tara's family: her father, mother, and two brothers. Hailey nodded quietly and got off the stool. She took one last glance a
Cassidy was at the back door with her friend, deep in deliberation over something important. Cassidy appeared uneasy, her brows jumping alertly as if on edge. "Do you think she'll take the bait?" Heather glared at Cassidy. Anxiousness painted Cassidy's face as she nervously bit her carmine red fingernails, but it was all a pretense. "Heather, she's my sister. I don't think we should do this to her," Cassidy muttered, trying to act innocent. She pretended to be uncomfortable and softly asked them to stop, but deep down, she wanted it so badly. She wanted Hailey out of the picture. To anyone observing, it would seem like Cassidy genuinely cared for Hailey and didn't want any harm to come her way. But in reality, it was quite the opposite. "Step-sister," Heather sneered, correcting Cassidy's choice of words. Cassidy quietly nodded in acknowledgement of the correction. "She's just your half-sister, Cassidy. You don't need to panic. Besides, she doesn't even like you," another friend
Are you okay?" Tara questioned Hailey with curiosity as they walked back into the banquet hall. Hailey hadn't spent more than a few minutes outside, but in Tara's eyes, it seemed like she had been gone for a whole day. "I'm fine," Hailey responded quietly and took her seat again. Tara glanced back at Hailey, her gaze indicating that she didn't believe her. Tara hesitated for a moment but decided not to press the issue. She didn't want to pressure Hailey or make her uncomfortable. Hailey appeared visibly disturbed, unable to concentrate on Thomas' words. When she finally realized Thomas was speaking to her, she snapped out of the trance she had fallen into. Thomas raised an eyebrow curiously. "Are you sure you're okay, Miss?" Hailey took a deep breath and turned to Tara instead. "Can I speak with you for a moment?" Tara, who was already curious, quickly stood up. The rest of the family watched as they walked outside together. Hailey was just slightly taller than Tara, and anyone wh