Chapter 95
55 vouchers
“What’s wrong?” he asked. His voice was low and a bit nasal, sounding like he’d just woken up.
Zina blinked, coming back to herself, and asked softly, “Did I wake you up?”
“Not really, just took a quick nap,” Kellan replied.
He reached up to rub his slightly sore eyes, then turned to look out the window.
He hadn’t slept more than four hours in a long time, but this quick nap had actually left him feeling more refreshed.
“What’s up? You need something?” Kellan asked.
“Yeah, does the Carter family have any influence in Springvale?” Zina asked, biting her lip.
Her mind flashed back to the time in Springvale, when Andy had treated Kellan with obvious respect and kept his distance.
She was gambling on Kellan being willing to help her.
The room went completely silent for a moment. Zina’s heart was in her throat, and she gripped her phone a little tighter.
Luckily, Kellan didn’t keep her waiting. After just a short pause, he said, “Sure. I’ll give you a contact. Just reach out to him.”
“Huh?” Zina blinked, caught off guard.
So Kellan is just letting me use his people like that?‘ Zina thought, still a bit stunned.
As if he could sense her confusion, Kellan continued. “You’re going to be the lady of the Carter family sooner or later. You should start learning about these things.”
“The lady of the Carter family?” Zina murmured softly, her mind suddenly going blank,
After chatting with Kellan for a bit longer, Zina found an excuse to end the call. Still, for some reason, her heart just wouldn’t calm down. No matter how hard she tried, that restless feeling lingered.
She didn’t know how much time had passed before she finally let out a long, weary sigh, saying nothing else
in the end.
Just as she was about to get some rest, someone knocked on her door again. Zina’s brow furrowed instantly, irritation flickering in her eyes. Still, she forced herself to swallow the annoyance and went to open the door.
But as soon as the door swung open, there was Lydia, wearing a fawning smile.
A bad feeling welled up in Zina’s chest. She shifted to block the entrance, her expression wary as she stared at Lydia.
11:26 Sun, Sep 7
Chapter 95
“What are you doing here?” Zina asked.
:
61
55 vouchers
“I just wanted to catch up, Zina. Won’t you let me in first?” Lydia blinked, giving Zina her best innocent look.
But Zina clearly had no intention of letting her in, so Lydia could only start acting all pitiful.
“Zina, I know you probably have some misunderstandings about me, but I really came here today to try and smooth things over between us…” Lydia said, her voice soft and pleading.
“Lydia, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert aren’t here. You can drop the act now,” Zina said coldly, still blocking the doorway. She stared at Lydia with a frosty look.
Lydia’s face turned bright red. She pressed her lips together, fixing her gaze on Zina, but didn’t make a move.
Zina’s brow furrowed as she finally sensed something was off. She suddenly yanked the door open, and the figure that had been hidden behind it was revealed without warning.
Staring at Yvonne, whose face was impossible to read, Zina opened her mouth but couldn’t get any words out. She just kept her eyes on Yvonne.
A few seconds later, Yvonne finally stopped trembling and lifted her head.
Lydia gently tugged at Yvonne’s clothes. “Mom, I really do want to get along with my sister, but it feels like she just doesn’t like me…”
“Mrs. Lambert…” Zina started, wanting to explain, but the words died in her throat. She just lowered her head, waiting for whatever judgment these two had in store.
To her surprise, Yvonne didn’t say anything accusatory. Instead, she turned to Lydia and spoke in a heartfelt,
earnest tone,
“Lydia, after everything you’ve done, you should’ve known Zina would never forgive you. Why are you regretting it now? There’s no magic cure for regret in this world. Maybe you should keep your distance from her from now on.”
Lydia’s eyes widened in shock. She really hadn’t expected the conversation to turn back on her like this.
But since it was Yvonne who said it, she didn’t even have a chance to talk back.
Lydia was honestly at a loss now.
She looked at Yvonne, then at Zina, and finally dropped her head, muttering reluctantly, “I get it. Sorry, Zina, Next time I want to see you, I’ll ask you first, okay?”
Just as it looked like things were wrapping up and Lydia still hadn’t made any move to leave, Zina’s curiosity got the better of her and she spoke up.
“But since you came all the way here to see me, it’d be a bit rude to just send you away now. So why don’t you tell me what brought you here? What’s your plan?” Zina asked.
Zina’s sudden question made Lydia look up, and she found herself caught in Zina’s dark, probing gaze, as if
11:26 Sun, Sep 7
Chapter 95
“What are you doing here?” Zina asked.
:
61
55 vouchers
“I just wanted to catch up, Zina. Won’t you let me in first?” Lydia blinked, giving Zina her best innocent look.
But Zina clearly had no intention of letting her in, so Lydia could only start acting all pitiful.
“Zina, I know you probably have some misunderstandings about me, but I really came here today to try and smooth things over between us…” Lydia said, her voice soft and pleading.
“Lydia, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert aren’t here. You can drop the act now,” Zina said coldly, still blocking the doorway. She stared at Lydia with a frosty look.
Lydia’s face turned bright red. She pressed her lips together, fixing her gaze on Zina, but didn’t make a move.
Zina’s brow furrowed as she finally sensed something was off. She suddenly yanked the door open, and the figure that had been hidden behind it was revealed without warning.
Staring at Yvonne, whose face was impossible to read, Zina opened her mouth but couldn’t get any words out. She just kept her eyes on Yvonne.
A few seconds later, Yvonne finally stopped trembling and lifted her head.
Lydia gently tugged at Yvonne’s clothes. “Mom, I really do want to get along with my sister, but it feels like she just doesn’t like me…
“Mrs. Lambert…” Zina started, wanting to explain, but the words died in her throat. She just lowered her head, waiting for whatever judgment these two had in store.
To her surprise, Yvonne didn’t say anything accusatory. Instead, she turned to Lydia and spoke in a heartfelt,
earnest tone,
“Lydia, after everything you’ve done, you should’ve known Zina would never forgive you. Why are you regretting it now? There’s no magic cure for regret in this world. Maybe you should keep your distance from
her from now on.”
Lydia’s eyes widened in shock. She really hadn’t expected the conversation to turn back on her like this.
But since it was Yvonne who said it, she didn’t even have a chance to talk back.
Lydia was honestly at a loss now.
She looked at Yvonne, then at Zina, and finally dropped her head, muttering reluctantly, “I get it. Sorry, Zina. Next time I want to see you, I’ll ask you first, okay?”
Just as it looked like things were wrapping up and Lydia still hadn’t made any move to leave, Zina’s curiosity got the better of her and she spoke up.
“But since you came all the way here to see me, it’d be a bit rude to just send you away now. So why don’t you tell me what brought you here? What’s your plan?” Zina asked.
Zina’s sudden question made Lydia look up, and she found herself caught in Zina’s dark, probing gaze, as if
11:26 Sun, Sep 7
Chapter 95
61
55 vouchers
Kaia’s face turned cold. Some of the things in the room were her own, and there were many important things and privacy in the notebook.
Ruth said indifferently, “Don’t blame us for being ruthless, and don’t blame us for being unreasonable. Professor Guzman from Morganburg University is Andrea’s mentor and thinks highly of Andrea, saying that Andrea is a seed for a future scientist and will definitely make a great contribution to Wustriland.
“Yesterday, he even visited our family and told us that we must fully support Andrea and that it would be best to have a laboratory so that Andrea could concentrate on research.
“As you know, the only spare room in our house is the one you used to live in. So if you don’t move your things out today, we’ll do it ourselves.”
Kaia looked calm, without any joy or anger, and said, “I’m going over now.”
After hanging up the phone, she sent a message to Devin.
[Sorry, something came up. I’ll be there tonight.]
More than half an hour later, Kaia stood in front of the Bennett family’s villa, where she used to live, feeling calm and detached.
She wanted to wait until Pioneer Retreat was fully developed and renovated before coming back to move her things, but she didn’t expect them to be so impatient.
There was nothing to blame them for. After all, they were no longer a family. It was indeed annoying to have her things in someone else’s house.
“Kaia?” A familiar voice sounded behind her, interrupting Kaia’s thoughts.
Kaia turned to look back, and her pupils gradually dilated the next second.
She called out, “Mom?”
The middle–aged woman in front of her was not Ruth, but her adoptive mother, Willa Becker, from the countryside.
Three people came in total: her adoptive father, Solomon Becker, and her younger brother, Scott Becker.
Kaia asked excitedly, “Dad, Scott, why are you here?”
“It’s been five years, Kaia. You’ve grown up and become a beautiful young woman.” Willa’s eyes reddened, and she stepped forward, reaching out her trembling hands to embrace Kaia.
“I’m sorry, Kaia. We haven’t contacted you much in the past few years, and we haven’t even come to see you once. It’s not that we are cruel. It’s just that we were worried our background would embarrass you and
Andrea.”
As she spoke, tears fell down her face.
11:26 Sun, Sep 7
Chapter 95
all her secrets were laid bare.
:
She froze, startled, and instinctively took a few steps back, words stuck in her throat.
“I… You… Um…” she stammered.
55 vouchers
“What’s wrong? Wasn’t it you who wanted to talk to me? I was just thinking, we’re family after all. No matter what, we’re bound to keep running into each other. So if you’ve got something to say, just spit it out,” Zina said, her eyes narrowing as she smiled at Lydia.
Lydia, who just a moment ago was insisting she had something to say, now stood there frozen, unable to get a single word out for a long moment.
“Wasn’t it you who wanted to come see me?” Zina blinked, her confusion obvious. She glanced over at Yvonne, her face suddenly looking a bit aggrieved.
Yvonne’s heart skipped a beat, and her look toward Lydia changed a bit. “Yeah, wasn’t it you who wanted to
come over?
“You even told me you were worried Zina wouldn’t talk to you, so you insisted I come along and say something nice for you. Well, here we are. So why don’t you tell us, what did you come here for?”
With both of them looking at her suspiciously, Lydia could only shake her head, looking lost. “That’s not what I meant. I just got a little too excited and blanked out for a second. That’s all. I was just really happy to see you
guys…
11
“Zina, I heard your acknowledgement banquet is coming up in a few days. You haven’t picked out a dress yet, right? Why don’t we go pick one out together?” Lydia suggested, trying to steer the conversation.
“No need. I’ve already had a dress custom–made for Zina. It’ll be delivered in a few days,” Yvonne replied offhandedly.
That remark made Lydia’s face look even worse, but all she could do was nod.
“So that’s how it is… Well, I guess there’s nothing else for me to say. I’ll just go now,” Lydia said, her voice trailing off.
As she walked away, her figure looked especially forlorn, like someone abandoned and left all alone.
Yvonne turned to watch Lydia leave, pressing her lips together, a trace of helplessness flickering in her eyes.
When she looked back at Zina, there was even more uncertainty in her gaze.
“Tell me, do you think I did the right thing?” Yvonne asked softly.
Even Solomon’s wrinkled eyes turned red, and Scott turned his head aside, secretly wiping away tears.
Kaia’s eyes were also getting redder and redder, and faint tears were swirling in her eyes.
Willa added, “I wanted to come on your 20th birthday, and that day was also the day of Andrea’s engagement, but your
dad said that if we showed up on that day, it would embarrass you. So we kept dragging it on until
today…”
“Okay, Mom, stop crying. You’ll become a crybaby if you cry anymore.” Kaia took out a handkerchief and wiped Willa’s face.
“Yeah! We finally see each other again. What’s with all the crying?” Solomon sighed as he spoke, then looked at Kaia, “The Bennett family is a big, fancy family. We don’t have the status to go in, and our clothes are embarrassing. Kaia, go in and call Andrea out. We have birthday gifts for you and Andrea.”
“Okay.” After Kaia finished speaking, she turned to ring the doorbell.
That action stunned the three of them, wondering why she had to ring the doorbell to return to her own home.
“Who is it?” The butler walked over, and his attitude clearly deteriorated after seeing Kaia.
“Oh, it’s you. I wouldn’t let you in under normal circumstances. But Mrs. Bennett instructed earlier that would be here today to move things. Hurry in, move everything, and leave.”
you
The three of them heard something, and Scott quickly asked, “Kaia, what happened? Why is he talking to you in this tone? And move things? Move what?”
Kaia frowned deeply. Before she could explain, the butler said arrogantly, “You didn’t know? The Bennett family kicked her out.”
“What? Is this true?” Solomon was about to lose his balance, and his pupils trembled violently.
“Kaia, tell me quickly. This isn’t true, is it?” Willa was so anxious that she nearly burst into tears.
Kaia felt sour in her heart when she saw Willa and Solomon worried about her, and nodded, “They look down on me. They’ve officially announced that I have completely severed ties with them, and we will each go our separate ways.”
Solomon and the others were thunderstruck.
The butler continued to snort coldly, “It’s not that Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Bennett despise you. It’s that you’re hoist with your own petard. You rely on your beauty and don’t cherish your reputation, becoming a mistress, having an affair…”
With a “smack,” Kaia slapped the butler, sending him spinning.
Kaia fumed inwardly, ‘It would be one thing if Ruth and the others Bennetts said that, but even a servant, an outsider, also insulted me at will? Does he really think I’m a pushover?‘
“How dare you hit me? You little beast, how dare you hit me! I’ll make you regret this!” The butler covered his
11:26 Sun, Sep 7
Chapter 95
cheek and swung his palm towards Kaia’s face.
11:26 Sun, Sep 7
Chapter 95
