Chapter 41
“Having a few backup options is always a good idea,” Stella shared her experience.
“Who has time for backups? I work six days a week. Just keeping up with work socials is draining enough,” Alicia sighed.
I was lounging with my eyes covered, eavesdropping on their chit-chat, and before I knew it, I had drifted off to sleep
After landing, we hopped on a seaplane to get to the island, taking in the dazzling views through the window.
“Wow, it’s beautiful!” We finally arrived at our overwater villa. Barbara was instantly ecstatic at the sight of the gorgeous blue sea and sky. “I’ve made up my mind. This is where Norman and I will honeymoon!”
“I wanna hit the water too!” Stella casually stripped down to her bikini and dove into the private outdoor pool attached to the villa.
Not to be outdone, Alicia and Barbara also jumped in. The three of them playfully splashed about in the water.
I was lounging on a deck chair, idly scrolling through my phone. I hesitated for a moment when I saw the 800 dollars transfer from Oscar, but accepted it anyway. I didn’t. need the money, but I didn’t want to bruise his ego either. That would be bad manners.
Oscar sent a smiley face emoji: Irene, I’ll pay you back the rest as soon as I can.
I replied. No rush.
Bonnie still owed me 200 dollars, but her side gig had been messed up by Neil so she probably wouldn’t be able to pay me back anytime soon. I didn’t mind.
“Rena, come join us! Let’s grab some dessert later!” Barbara waved at me from the pool.
I got up and took off my outerwear, but instead of joining them in the pool, I slid down the water slide. Then, I swam around in the pool, feeling refreshed.
Ever since graduation, the four of us hadn’t had a chance to hang out like this, mostly because I got married early and was too wrapped up in my love life to accept their
invites.
I decided to pamper myself and leave all the drama at home.
Initially, we planned to stay for three to four days. However, we extended our stay and even made an impromptu trip to Bali because we were having so much fun. Stella wanted to see a small Dutch town, so off we went to the Netherlands. Only after experiencing the fairy-tale beauty of the town, we were satisfied to book our plane tickets back home. This spontaneous, unplanned trip was very interesting. Half a month flew by just like that.
“My lady, you’re back!” Ada was somewhat excited to see me.
“Ada, gather everyone. I brought you all gifts,” I said with a smile.
Ada was pleasantly surprised and quickly summoned the other ser vants. I gave each of them a scarf and a bottle of perfume, each gift worth around 200 dollars.
“Thank you, madam!” They were thrilled and thanked me profusely.
I gave a small smile and headed upstairs. After a quick bath and a change of clothes, I asked Bailey to pick me up from Sterling Estates. I needed to make a trip to Springvale.
Rosemont and Springvale were adjacent, but it still took a few hours to get there. Bailey drove attentively while I caught some shuteye in the backseat.
As the car crossed the border of Rosemont, I said, “Pull over.”
Not far away was Bonnie’s old neighborhood. There was a large crowd gathered, shouting passionately and holding banners that read “Down with the profiteers” and “Oppose land requisition.”
Timing-wise, in my past life, Neil’s plan to redevelop the chemical plant and requisition private land happened about six months after he started pursuing Bonnie.
Sure enough, some things had shifted in this life.
I looked at the factory gate in the distance. Behind that gate was an 80,000 square meter factory, a renowned business in Rosemont that employed many workers and boosted the local economy.
No one but Neil dared to take over the factory. I looked away, “Let’s go.”
The car continued on its journey. By evening, we had arrived at my in-laws’ house.
“Irene? Why didn’t you let me know you were coming?” Faith was reading with her reading glasses on. She was surprised but very happy to see me
“I just wanted to come and see you. Is dad still at work?” I asked as the gifts I brought were taken by a ser vant. I chose to hold on to a royal blue box.
“He has a dinner engagement tonight, so he won’t be home until late. Have you had dinner? Wait a moment, I’ll ask someone to prepare something,” She got up and went to the kitchen.
I sat down on the sofa. The living room was decorated in a vintage style, a sophisticated yet luxurious 19th-century vibe which they adored.
A ser vant respectfully poured me a drink. I gave her a smile and took a sip.
After a while, Faith came back, “Why didn’t Neil come back with you?”
“He’s probably busy I’ve been traveling abroad for half a month and had so much fun with my friends that I forgot to contact Neil,” I replied with a smile.
“I think it’s not that you forgot, but that Neil doesn’t know how to cherish!” She seemed somewhat angry when talking about her son.
I didn’t understand how two wonderful people like my in-laws could have a son like Neil.
I didn’t respond to her comment. I didn’t want to badmouth Neil in front of her. Instead, I handed her the royal blue box, “I bought this abroad. You can see if you like it.”
Her eyes lit up when she opened the box and saw the high-quality voilet sapphire gold ring. The large voilet sapphire in the center of the gold ring was crystal clear and beautifully cut, clearly quite expensive.
Being an avid collector of gemstone, she immediately recognized the quality of the ring.
“Irene, is this ring for me?” She asked, eyes twin kling with joy.
“Yes. As soon as I saw this ring, I knew you would like it. So, I bought it and brought it back for you. Isn’t your birthday coming up? Consider this an early birthday gift,” I said, smartly and sincerely flattering Faith.
“You’re so thoughtful! Neil knows I love voilet sapphire, but he has never given me a gift like this!” She sighed, seemingly very dissatisfied with her son.
On my dad’s birthday, the cigar Neil gave him… its price tag wasn’t any less than this ring.
He’s a man who knew how to weigh the pros and cons. He knew that no matter if he gave his mom a gift or not, she’s gonna back him up like always. But for his
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father-in-law who can lend him a hand, he needed to put more effort into keeping a good relationship.
Because of this ring, I’ve gotten closer with Faith. We had a really good chat. Before this, I’ve never really had a chance to get close with her, let alone a chat.
