Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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“Dad, Mom, I heard that Kaia seems to be keeping a man outside. I don’t know if it’s true. During this period, we can secretly send someone to follow Kaia. If this is really the case, catch her and that man in the act, and then notify Conrad to come.”
“That way, he can see with his own eyes how fickle Kaia is. Can Kaia still be arrogant then? Will Conrad continue to suppress our family for Kaia’s sake?”
Issac and Sophia’s eyes lit up.
“Is this news accurate?”
“I also heard from a friend that Kaia’s classmates are spreading it outside. I don’t think this is groundless, so I suggested having someone follow Kaia and also sending some people to contact her classmate. The truth of the matter will come to light sooner or later.”
“Now that things have come to this, this is the only way.”
August 14.
It was Tobias’s birthday. Kaia put aside all her work and went shopping with Tobias in the mall.
Tobias brought Kaia to a women’s clothing store, picked up a dress and held it up in front of Kaia, saying, “This one suits you quite well.”
Then, he picked up a pair of shoes and placed them next to Kaia’s feet.
“These shoes match this dress perfectly. Later, we’ll pick out a suitable bag, and then it’ll be perfect with some jewelry.”
Tobias spoke, imagining what Kaia would look like all dressed up.
Kaia looked at the busy Tobias and couldn’t help but say, “Today is your birthday, not mine. I’m supposed to give you a gift, so why are you buying me things instead?”
Tobias smiled, “Is there a difference? Whether it’s your birthday or mine, I will accompany you and make you the happiest person in the world on that day.”
Kaia’s heart was deeply touched, but she concealed it well on her face. “I didn’t expect our great CEO to be such a smooth talker.”
“No, you’re wrong. This isn’t smooth talk, it’s sweet talk.” Tobias looked into Kaia’s eyes, his affection so intense it seemed like flower petals could float out.
“I can’t be bothered with you.” Kaia couldn’t stand the man’s gaze, so she avoided it and went to the other side.
Tobias chuckled to himself, then picked out a few more pieces of clothing and kept holding them up against Kaia’s body.
Even as he clutched the nearby railing to steady himself, his legs continued to tremble, and he couldn’t control his body.
Seeing this, Rosie rushed over to support him, tears shimmering in her eyes. “Dad, you really need to take care of yourself. Zina might not be fully accepted by the Lambert family. They held an acknowledgment party, but it wasn’t anything grand.
“Maybe the Lamberts were forced to accept her. After all, the Lambert family is one of the top families in Jorvellan. There are things going on behind the scenes that we can never know.”
Rosie’s voice grew more agitated, practically clutching Kevin’s hand as she spilled out every wild theory she could think of.
Kevin got caught up in her words, and a sly grin slowly spread across his face. But then, something clicked in his mind, and his expression grew serious.
“Yeah, you might be right. Maybe that’s the case. But even if Zina isn’t fully accepted by the Lamberts, they’re still family by blood,” Kevin said.
Seeing the doubt return to Kevin’s eyes, Rosie quickly patted his shoulder and said mysteriously. “Dad, think about it. Zina has been to prison before.
“Do you really think the Lambert family would want a daughter with a criminal record? Whatever happens to her is totally in our hands now.”
“Exactly. Rosie, you really take after me–smart just like me.” Finally, Kevin laughed, his worries melting away.
Just then, Avery came down the stairs. Seeing the rare moment of harmony between father and daughter, she felt especially moved. “You two are really close, aren’t you? So, what should we have for lunch today? How about some abalone?”
“Yay, that sounds great!” Rosie’s eyes sparkled as she dashed over to Avery, acting cute and spoiled like a little girl.
Avery patted Rosie’s head and looked back at Kevin.
Kevin, pretending to cough a couple of times, decided to change the subject, blending right back into the warm family moment.
At the dinner table, Kevin gave Rosie a look, she immediately understood. She quickly spoke up. “Mom, I’m going out tomorrow. Could you have Libby tidy up the house? And as for Zina’s old room, since it’s not being used, maybe just clear it out.”
“Alright,” Avery replied, lost in her own thoughts, a gentle smile appearing on her face.
*****
Meanwhile, inside Lambert Villa.
Zina rolled over in bed, still feeling uneasy about something that seemed off about today. Despite replaying everything in her mind, she couldn’t figure out what she had missed. With no other choice, she finally drifted
“Okay!” Kaia pulled her hand free from Tobias’s and took his hand instead. “Come on, I’ll take you to that men’s clothing store across the street. It’s your birthday today, pick any gift you want.”
Tobias looked at Kaia holding his hand, feeling particularly good. “Why don’t you help me choose a gift? I’ll pay for it.”
Hearing this, Kaia rolled her eyes at Tobias speechlessly. “Are you implying that I can’t afford a gift?”
Tobias thought that Kaia must have had her pride hurt by him, and quickly explained, “I didn’t mean that. It’s just that the consumption level in this mall is particularly high. You’re still a student. I’d feel bad if you paid for me here.”
After Kaia pulled Tobias into the men’s clothing store, she let go of his hand. “You don’t need to worry about the money. Just buy whatever you want. I can afford it.”
Speaking of which, Tobias belatedly remembered something.
“I forgot about the time you tricked Gideon Fowler last time, three billion dollars! How could you be broke?”
Kaia resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. “What do you mean trick? I told you, it’s called intellectual superiority.”
“Okay, okay, my bad. It’s intellectual superiority.” Tobias said with a smile, then looked at the clothes in the store. “You can help me choose now.”
Kaia walked into the store, carefully picking through the items.
Originally, she wanted to choose clothes according to the man’s temperament, but then she realized that if a person was handsome, anything looked good on them.
Tobias tried on several outfits she had picked out, and each one amazed her.
“What a male version of a femme fatale,” Kaia couldn’t help but mutter softly.
“Huh? What were you saying just now?” Tobias suddenly moved closer to Kaia.
Kaia’s heart started beating faster, and to cover up her nervousness, she quickly grabbed a piece of clothing and pushed it in front of Tobias.
“I said this set will definitely look great on you, you should go try it on quickly!”
Tobias took the clothes, his face beaming, “If you think it’s good, then it must be the best. I’ll let you see it
when I’m done.”
After Kaia watched Tobias enter the fitting room, she patted her chest. “This guy is deliberately seducing me.”
Just as she finished speaking, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in her ear.
“Who’s seducing you?”
Kaia’s expression froze for a moment. She turned her head to see Penny’s face, which was full of curiosity.
off to sleep.
Little did Zina know, that uneasy feeling was about to come true much sooner than she imagined.
*****
When she bumped into Rosie at the mall, Zina immediately furrowed her brows in irritation. Not wanting to even acknowledge her, Zina decided to just walk away.
No matter which way Zina tried to go, Rosie was always one step ahead, sliding over to block her path every time.
After a few rounds of this, Zina’s patience finally snapped. She crossed her arms and gave Rosie a cold, disdainful look. “What, getting thrown out last night wasn’t enough for you? Or are you ready for a repeat performance?”
The moment Zina mentioned last night, Rosie’s face twisted with rage and humiliation. But just a few seconds later, she took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Zina Sinclair, you—”
“Wait a second. Even if you all got thrown out last night, you should at least know my last name is Lambert now, right? My name is Zina Lambert.” With that, Zina lifted her head and stared Rosie straight in the eye.
For a split second, there was hatred in Rosie’s eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.
Zina narrowed her eyes, realizing something wasn’t quite right. She suddenly had a bad feeling.
At this moment, the flames of gossip were burning fiercely in Penny’s eyes.
“Tell me, why aren’t you saying anything? Who exactly is trying to seduce you? And who was that who just went into the fitting room?”
When Penny came over just now, she only saw Tobias’s back as he entered the fitting room, and didn’t see his face.
“He…” Kaia frowned. Before she could figure out how to introduce Tobias, Penny suddenly shouted, the sound piercing her eardrums.
“Ah! I know! I know who he is! He’s the Maybach owner, isn’t he?”
She guessed right.
Just as Kaia was about to nod, Tobias opened the fitting room door and walked out.
He was handsome and dashing, like a prince out of a fairy tale, so handsome that he overshadowed everything.
“Oh my god! He is so handsome!” Penny covered her mouth, so shocked that her jaw almost dropped.
Kaia didn’t think Penny’s expression was exaggerated; after all, the man’s stunning good looks were definitely on display.
“Kaia, you are so lucky! You actually found such a handsome boyfriend!”
Kaia smiled and walked up to Tobias, “This one looks good too. Add it to the other ten–odd outfits.”
“Generous!” Tobias gave Kaia a thumbs up. “Then I’ll let you foot the bill.”
“It’s okay, it’s just a drop in the bucket.”
Kaia took out her card and walked towards the cashier.
This scene made Penny a little confused. She quickly caught up with Kaia and asked in a low voice, “Why are you paying?”
She thought, ‘Could this guy be a gold digger, letting his girlfriend pay?‘
It wasn’t that the woman couldn’t pay, but this mall was a well–known “luxury shopping district” in Morganburg, and every piece of clothing carried a sky–high price.
“It’s his birthday today,” Kaia explained.
“Oh, is that so? But those are more than a dozen outfits. It must cost a lot. Do you have enough? I can lend you some if you don’t.”
It was the first time Kaia had ever encountered someone offering to lend her money, which she found quite novel.
But from this, it could be seen that Penny genuinely considered her a friend.
“Hello, I’d like to pay.” Kaia placed over a dozen outfits on the cashier counter.
After the staff scanned the codes, they said, “The total is 20 thousand dollars.”
