Chapter 73: he’s now raising you because you’re useful.
As soon as Victoria entered the house, she saw a woman of about twenty-eight sitting on the couch with her legs crossed watching television while her aunt Ellie Casper was cooking as if she were serving her master.
The woman sitting on the couch saw Victoria and put down the apple she was eating.
“Yo! City folk are back. The house is dirty, just sit anywhere.”
A flash of embarrassment appeared on both Jonathan and Ellie’s faces, but it was hard to say anything.
Ellie pulled Victoria over and looked from side to side and couldn’t help but ask worriedly, “You’ve lost weight, is your father doting on that woman and neglecting you?”
“That must be it then. Her mom’s been dead for so many years. Men are cold and heartless. Who remembers the wife at home when they meet a prettier one?”
The woman who spoke was Victoria’s cousin’s wife, her uncle’s daughter-in-law, Alexia Casper.
With a snarky look on her face, she glanced at the kitchen again.
“Dinner isn’t even ready yet, what’s there to talk about”
Ellie had to let go of Victoria’s hand first, “Tori, sit down, I have two more dishes to make.”
Victoria’s brow furrowed.
Alexia rolled her eyes, “Isn’t what I’m saying the truth? Your family’s estate is now owned by that woman. Your father hasn’t been back to visit your mother’s grave in years, and he’s now raising you because you’re useful.”
Victoria looked up slightly at Alexia, suppressing the fire that had been stirred in her heart.
“I don’t need you to take care of my family’s affairs.”
Alexia rolled her eyes again, “Yes it is, your family is so rich in the city, and even run a big company, I heard that a car is worth several million dollars, so you don’t need a little pauper like me to meddle in your family’s affairs!”
Jonathan tugged on Victoria’s sleeve, signaling her not to care, and even begged.
Victoria had to take a deep breath and stopped looking at Alexia.
Alexia grunted and stomped back to her bedroom on her tiny heels, slamming the door behind her with a bang and turning up the music until the next door neighbor came by to complain. But she didn’t care and just left Jonathan to explain.
Jonathan sighed and helplessly rushed off to apologize to his neighbor again.
Victoria watched the scene. Though it was clear why Jonathan and Ellie were being so accommodating to Alexia.
But she couldn’t do anything to Alexia like she did to others.NôvelDrama.Org owns this.
Clearly, Alexia was not welcoming her, but in fact Victoria had no intention of staying there tonight.
After dinner, Victoria offered to leave and her aunt and uncle rushed to pull her along.
“Tori, your room is all set up. I just changed the sheets, and it’s not safe to stay in a hotel when you still have to pay for it, so let’s stay here.”
Alexia, on the side, couldn’t help but snort a conspiratorial laugh, “It’s a small thing for her to spend two hundred dollars on a hotel room. What are you doing, thinking about that for her? Might as well care for ourselves.”
Victoria couldn’t help it and wanted to curse her back.
But Ellie’s hand was still pulling her close, guilty and upset.
Victoria smiled and soothed, “Auntie, really no need. My hotel has been…”
Before the words were finished, someone suddenly came knocking on the door.
Jonathan busied himself with the door and saw that it was Adler Ashton from the ward who had come.
Adler Ashton saw Victoria and it was like he had seen his savior.
“Great! Victoria is really back, the chief specially asked me to come here to ask about it, saying that Papa Bree, which receives valuable guests, has a wall that is empty, and wants you to paint a picture on the white wall, they are worried about buying a mural that is too rustic, and make the guests dissatisfied. You are from the Veridian City Academy of Fine Arts, and over the years Hopmeadow Downs you’re the only one who got in, they asked me to ask you if you’d like to go, offer you a hotel to stay in and an extra thousand dollars, how’s that sound?”
Victoria was relieved, just enough to use that as an excuse.
“Okay, I’ll come over. What kind of painting?”
“It would be best if it blended in with the surrounding scenery. Jonathan told me this afternoon that you were coming back and the people in charge happened to hear it. There have been a lot of big shots coming in lately and the government doesn’t dare to make a mistake, it would be great if you would help.”
Victoria looked over at Jonathan and Ellie.
“Auntie, as you’ve heard, there’s a need for a painter over there.”
Ellie couldn’t be bothered to stop her and followed Jonathan as he walked her to the door.
Victoria had the small suitcase in her hand and got into her car.
The car in front was leading the way, and she followed.
When she arrived at Papa Bree, she saw a Bentley parked outside, and the license plate number was vaguely familiar.