The smile on Mrs. Swanson’s face disappeared when she heard Lily’s reply. She recalled her husband’s repeated warning against this Lily Zhou as she narrowed her eyes. She was about to open her mouth when the woman beside her spoke.
“Then…we will wait.” Mrs. Brooke gave Lily a cordial smile. “We will wait until you are done with your lunch.” The duo then watched as Lily and Zhou Jingren walked inside the house without even inviting them in.
“Why would you agree to wait?” Mrs. Swanson hissed. “I knew it. You are not concerned about Adalind at all. You are just here to impress your husband.” Mrs. Swanson always went all out when it came to the needs of her daughter. However as a stepmother, Eleonor is different.
” Charlotte.” Eleonor Brooke turned towards the fuming Charlotte Swanson. “Is this really a place to show your nasty attitude?” She rolled her eyes. “You can buy a Hermes… but not class. That is pretty obvious now.” She smirked before walking towards the car.
“You bitch.” Mrs. Swanson cursed. These people were still looking down on her when in fact, her husband was richer than Adalind’s father! Her husband has even more money than that bastard and this Eleonor combined!
“What are you waiting for? Are you going to just stand out there and let your makeup melt under the sun? I’m sure you don’t want people to see what you really look beneath that flawless makeup, do you?” Elenor said, making Mrs. Swanson more furious as her face turned red. She looked at the real estate agents.
“What the hell are you looking at?” she screamed before walking towards the car. “How dare you embarrass me like that!?” she instantly exploded after slamming the door of the car shut. “You don’t have the right to treat me as if I am beneath you considering I am worth more than you! And stop thinking too highly of yourself! You might be younger than me by a few years but your husband is a serial cheater! He will soon leave you for someone younger and hotter!”
“Please Charlotte…” Eleonor Brooke held her hand in front of the woman’s face. “Your voice is giving me anxiety.”
Mrs. Swanson raised her right hand as if to slap her.
“Go ahead. Slap me.” Eleonor gave a smug smile. “Let’s show Adalind that you are still the jealous and narcissistic woman she hated while growing up.”
As expected her words were enough to stop Mrs. Swanson. “You— How dare you!?”
“You know… now that I think about it. Your daughter is like this because she had a mother like you.”
“That’s not true! Her father gave her whatever she wanted as she grew up! It’s not my fault that she is like this.”
“And yet, you enabled her.” Eleonor Brooke sneered. “Her father gave her every material thing and you enabled her. You two are to be blamed for your daughter’s life right now.”
“Stop talking as if you are righteous! Are you not someone who only married my husband for your family business that was on the brink of bankruptcy?” The change on Eleonor’s face instantly made Mrs. Swanson beamed. “You think I would let someone near my daughter without knowing their life story?” She snorted. “B*tch.”
“At least… I don’t have the audacity to cheat on my husband. I am a woman of class and culture. Unlike some slut I know of.”
“Are you calling me a slut!?”
“If the shoe fits, please feel free to wear it.” Eleonor said, nonchalance apparent in her tone.
“Hah! I always knew that you were a nasty woman. I wonder what your husband would think if he knew that you are like this!? I remember Robert loved a kind and sweet woman— “
“Oh please… Charlotte, move on. Robert likes it when I call him nasty things in bed. You know… the things that you never call him.”
“You— “
……
While the two continued arguing inside the car, Lily and Zhou Jingren started their lunch inside the house with the view of the beautiful flowers nearby. Lily had always been allergic to strong flowery smells, however, the thing about roses was that they start gradually losing their smell as the years pass.
This was because gardener’s tend to breed them by their appearance and not their wild and natural smell.
The colorful roses instantly made Lily smile. She remembered how much her grandmother loved roses. This beautiful bungalow that was mostly made of stones sat on top of a small hill that was surrounded by roses. During the night, the light that was placed near the roses would be lit, creating a beautiful otherworldly scenery.
“Can we stay here tonight?” Lily asked, her eyes still on the flowers. “My grandmother left me her books that I found in her study. I would love to take a look at them.” After arriving in Hong Kong, this was Lily’s first time coming in here because she was too busy and because she wanted to spend time dealing with her own grief from her grandmother’s passing.
After all, Lilian and Grandmother Ye’s death was only a month apart from each other.
“Of course. I will ask them to prepare the master bedroom.” Zhou Jingren said as he filled Lily’s bowl with various vegetables. The house was not new however, it was well maintained. This house was said to be one of those stone houses that was built on world war two and used as a meeting place of some rebels.
Because of its history and the age that this house was built, Lily and Zhou Jingren chose not to renovate the place. They wanted to preserve the beautiful vintage vibe and archaic beauty that the house had.
“Thank you,” Lily uttered as she smiled. Lily remembered coming into this house when she was younger. Her grandmother used to take her to the hidden stairs behind her bookshelves. The stairs led to her secret study just underneath this place.
Now that she is here… Lily would love to visit that place once again.
….
Proofreader: Dragon777
