Victoria had her lunch at home on New Year's Day. She took a long nap before taking a cab to the Jameson Manor.All of Roman's relatives were gathered in the living room.Mrs. Jameson Senior sat at the center, with Colette on her left. Though she said nothing, she made it clear that she did not like Victoria. Her favorite grandson sat to her right.Roman's two younger sisters, his sister-in-law, and their children were also present. It was quite a crowd. There weren't even enough seats on the couch.Mrs. Jameson Senior put on a bossy front, and the others acted all haughty, as though it was their house. A smirk crept up Victoria's lips at the sight before her.She was sure that Ginny would be annoyed."Don't you know your manners, Victoria? Do you not know you're supposed to greet your elders when you meet them?"It was Cindy Lyle, Roman's niece. She was two years older than Victoria. She was also a student at Brighton Women's College. Cindy was Colette's sidekick.After Cind
Victoria looked at Colette, who was looking at her in anticipation. "I'll consider it."Ginny slammed her cutlery on the table. "What do you mean you'll consider it? Had it not been for me, do you think Brighton would ever accept a student like you? They're the ones who should be considering whether to accept you!"Lindsey laughed in a sardonic tone and said, "Look at the special treatment the biological daughter gets. She didn't even attend school and was accepted into Brighton effortlessly."Lindsey had begged Ginny so many times before to help get Cindy into Brighton. Ginny had turned her down many times. Because of that, Lindsey had to act all deferential to Ginny for an extended period. Thinking about it now still pissed her off to no end.Roman shot Lindsey a sharp glare. "Shut up!"He then turned to look at Victoria and said gently, "Why don't you want to go there? Brighton is one of the top women's colleges in the nation. Your mother and I would never do anything that wo
Victoria was lucky to get a cab soon after leaving the Jameson Manor. By the time she got back to Zion Estate, it was almost 9:00 pm.She showered and changed into a comfortable set of clothes. Then, she poured herself a glass of red wine and sat down on a cushion in front of the full-length window.The night view in Danube City was beautiful. As it was New Year's Day, bright lights lit up the entire city. There were even people setting off fireworks. It was a lively sight. Victoria sipped on the wine and set her glass down. Then, she tapped the WhatsApp icon on her phone and sent a message to Benjamin."Happy New Year, Mr. Harper!" She even added several smiley emojis at the end of the message.After visiting the Jamesons' today, she realized the value of Benjamin Harper's name. She reminded herself to hold on to him tightly and never let go of him.And if she were to do that, how could she possibly forget to send him festive greetings? She needed to make him feel like she
Victoria smiled. "Well, if you're so worried, why don't you personally send her to school?"Ginny scoffed. "Don't think I don't know what tricks you have in store. You'd better not think about them. Colette is my only daughter, and I'll never—"Victoria had stayed up late the previous night, so she slept without charging her phone.The call was disconnected before Ginny could complete her sentence. Victoria's phone had gone dead.Ginny heard the beeping sound on her phone. She thought that it was Victoria who had cut off the call. Her expression darkened.She wasn't even done speaking, and Victoria had ended the call. How could such a rude person be her daughter? She would never let anyone know that she had such a daughter.Victoria felt somewhat disappointed when she saw the black screen on her phone. She hadn't even insulted her back yet. Ginny had lucked out.Victoria went and charged her phone. Then, she went out with the bank cards Roman had given her.Based on what a calc
When Victoria arrived at the college, Colette was waiting for her by the doors with Cindy by her side.Cindy wasn't particularly good-looking. She was tall, awkward, and inelegant. Compared to her, Colette was like a goddess.Colette was popular with everyone in college. Most students and parents stopped to greet her when they saw her.When Colette saw her, she excused herself from the crowd and went up to her. "Victoria, my sister!""Sister?" Victoria gave her a dry smile. "Do you really want me to air out our dirty laundry in front of the entire college?"Colette's smile froze.Cindy ran over to them. "Colette is just being gracious, Victoria. Don't be such an ungrateful … Oh my God, what is that on your back? What kind of bag is that? Are you a child? That's hilarious!" Cindy pointed at Victoria's backpack and laughed.Colette also noticed Victoria's bag. When she saw the cartoon printed on it, she said, "You have a pretty unique taste in bags. It suits you."Victoria knew
No one spoke to Victoria for the rest of the day.Victoria relished in the peace.That evening, Victoria took a tour of the campus before heading home, as she had nothing else to do.As soon as she stepped out of the entrance, a car stopped in front of her. The window rolled down, revealing Colette. "Do you need a ride?"Cindy appeared as well. "Did you not hear Lettie?" she said in a commanding tone. "Get in!""No thanks." Victoria pointed in the direction of Zion Estate. "My house is only a few minutes' walk from here. Drive safe."Cindy scoffed disdainfully. "Your house? You probably rented it. How long are you going to flaunt that tiny fortune of yours?"Victoria adjusted the straps of her backpack. "It's not like I can't buy the house in cash if I like it."After all, she would be getting two hundred million dollars soon.Colette pursed her lips. Her hands were clenched tight on her knees.Meanwhile, Roman had returned home early today.When Colette arrived home, the
Beatrice's mind was blank. She said stiffly, "She … she's allergic to peanuts. We've been very careful with her food …" Then, she stopped her tears as her expression grew chilly. "Someone must have slipped something into her food on purpose. When I find out who it is, they will pay."Colette, who was hiding behind Ginny, shuddered in fright.Normally, Megan ate very little. Colette was concerned she wouldn't get the desired effect. Hence, she added plenty of powdered peanuts to her coffee.She wanted to put her out of commission so that she wouldn't be able to perform at the commencement ceremony. She wanted to steal her thunder. But she hadn't expected it to be so serious.If something happened to Megan, both the Jenkins and Homer families would investigate. It wouldn't take long for them to find her.This was all Victoria's fault. Why did she have to poke her nose into someone else's business?Colette bit her lip and hesitated for a moment before stepping up. "Megan drank som
Two men stood on the second-floor mezzanine facing the stage. They were leaning against the rails.One was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and holding a string of rosary beads. He radiated an air of tranquility and purity. The other was dressed in a suit and a tie, sporting a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles. He looked chivalrous.Both men were good-looking in their own way.They were Benjamin and Simon.Yves, eager to find pretty ladies, had gotten them to come early. As a result, they stood witness to Megan's incident.They had seen everything that had happened from where they stood.Simon pushed up his glasses and laughed. "Your nephew's wife has medical knowledge. Not bad."Benjamin's smile was slightly strained. He glanced at Simon. "My nephew's wife?" he said coldly.Simon laughed and corrected himself. "Sorry, not your nephew's wife. Your wife. I'm rooting for you.""Where's yours? I heard from Yves that she ran away and went abroad again. Aren't you going to find her?"S