Chapter 268 Uncovered a Shocking Secret
In the end, they were just a few seconds too late, and Matilda had already left with Sophia.
Sophia hadn't been feeling well for a few years and had lost some weight, so finding clothes that fit wasn't too hard. After about an hour of shopping, they finally found some outfits that looked great on her.
They were in high spirits, planning to head to the Forbes Mansion together that evening, but their good mood took a nosedive when they bumped into George and Odette.
On the way back, Sophia sighed and said, "Matilda, you're not getting any younger. I don't want to meddle in your love life, but you really need to make sure you're not being taken advantage of, okay?"
"I know. We've been arguing these past few days. He might still be mad," Matilda said, trying to defend George.
Sophia replied, "As long as you're aware. Disagreements are one thing, but don't let it ruin tonight's dinner."
She patted Matilda's hand and sighed inwardly.
Maybe they really had argued, but George embarrassing Matilda, who was older than him, was just plain rude.
At the Forbes Mansion.
Adelaide had the staff prepare dinner in advance, and all the servants were busy.
Seeing Sophia sitting a bit awkwardly on the sofa, Adelaide quickly had the servants bring tea and snacks. She said, "Make yourself at home; this place will be your daughter's home in the future, so please don't hesitate to treat it as such."
Sophia was trying hard to keep her nerves in check, but some of it was bound to show.
She smiled and made small talk with Adelaide, while Katniss occasionally lightened the mood. Before long, she started to feel less nervous.
Dinner was ready in the kitchen, and as the group was about to be seated in the dining room, a servant came to invite them—only to be interrupted by the unexpected arrival of two guests: Ivy and Eudora.
Ivy was slightly plump and dressed luxuriously and elegantly, very much embodying the image of a wealthy lady.
Eudora, who followed beside Ivy, deliberately suppressed her sharpness, as if she was just there to join in the fun. She nodded and smiled at Katniss and Tristan.
"Mom, why didn't you let me know we had guests?" Ivy said as she walked over slowly, brushing past Sophia to reach Adelaide's side, offering her support.
She intentionally tried to lead Adelaide to the dining room, but Adelaide deliberately stood still.
Turning to look at Sophia, Adelaide smiled and said, "I'm getting old. Entertaining one group of guests at a time is enough for me. If too many come, I can't handle it. But since you're all here together, Sophia, don't mind. Today, you're the main guest."
This meant that Ivy and Eudora were just guests as well.
After Adelaide's repeated insistence, Sophia and Matilda took their seats to the left of the head of the table.Katniss and Tristan took their seats to the right of the head of the table, while Ivy and Eudora could choose to sit further back if they wanted or even leave if they preferred.
Ivy didn't seem to mind. She sat next to Matilda and occasionally joined the conversation about the wedding, without trying to stir up any trouble.
Seeing her arrive, Adelaide was far from pleased, feeling like she was stuck with a pesky piece of gum that just wouldn't come off!
But after thinking it over, Adelaide realized she couldn't delay the money for the wedding any longer. She couldn't wait!
She shot Royce a glance, and he turned to fetch a box.
The exquisite wooden box was very beautiful, with intricately carved flowers that looked lifelike.
"This is a bracelet passed down in the Forbes family. It's for you," Adelaide said, taking out a red silk pouch.
Ivy's hand tightened around her utensils. She had been married to Travis for so many years, and Adelaide had never given her the bracelet.
But now, Katniss hadn't even gotten married yet, and Adelaide was already bringing it out?
Adelaide was straightforward, asking Katniss to extend her hand, intending to put it on her directly. But after grabbing her hand, Adelaide felt something was off.
Adelaide's gaze landed on Tristan as she said, "You should put it on her. After all, she's the one you approve of."
As for Ivy, Travis could only give verbal approval, which meant nothing!
Tristan got up, walked around Katniss, took the bracelet, and gently put it on Katniss.
Under the dazzling light, the bracelet was crystal clear, obviously very valuable.
Ivy stared intently at the bracelet on Katniss's wrist, clearly making her feel overshadowed.
She angrily put down her utensils with a crisp sound.
Adelaide had already noticed her displeasure. Now, Ivy was even throwing her utensils. Who was she trying to show off to?
"Look, it's really beautiful. That delicate skin of yours is just perfect for that bracelet. Come on, lift your hand so I can see it better," Adelaide said, deliberately raising Katniss's hand.
Then, she turned to Sophia and asked, "Sophia, isn't it beautiful?"
"Yes, it's beautiful," Sophia said with a gratified smile.
Adelaide then turned to Tristan and asked, "What do you think? Our Forbes family ancestors had good taste, didn't they? It's been passed down for so many years and still looks great."
"Yes, it's very beautiful," Tristan agreed calmly, returning to his seat.
Then they heard Adelaide say, "Ivy, you haven't seen it before, have you? Do you want to come over and take a look? This thing, Katniss might not want to wear it every day in the future, so you won't have many chances to see it."
"Never mind if you don't want to see it. Otherwise, you'll just be envious," Adelaide said, lowering Katniss's hand and smiling with narrowed eyes. She turned to Katniss and continued, "Keep this safe, so no one gets jealous and steals it from you."Katniss hadn't realized Adelaide was so good at making snide remarks. This indirect mocking and showing off suddenly made Katniss feel that sometimes Tristan's bad temper was just like Adelaide's.
"And now, regarding the contributions from the groom's family for the wedding," Adelaide said, pulling a check from the wooden box and sliding it over to Sophia. "Take a look at this amount—does it meet your expectations?"
Sophia took a quick look at the check, then turned her gaze away and slid it across the table to Katniss. "This is Katniss's decision; she should be the one to decide."
The check was filled with nines, the highest amount a check could possibly have.
Seeing this, Katniss was hesitant. "Mrs. Forbes, according to the customs of Velvet City, this..."
"The custom in Velvet City is to do what you can. This money represents the Forbes family's sincerity towards you, take it!" Adelaide directly placed the check in Katniss's hand.
She added, "If you don't take it, it means you're not satisfied with the amount, and I'll add more."
"That works for me," Katniss said, accepting it at last and placing the check away.
At this, Adelaide was pleased, narrowing her eyes with a smile, then added something that would undoubtedly irritate Ivy. "Only those who are truly valued deserve my effort to arrange this money. Some people, without contributing a cent, simply try to wedge themselves into the Forbes family."
Feeling annoyed that Ivy had shown up to spoil the evening, Adelaide deliberately said things meant to provoke her.
Ivy's expression soured, but she bit her tongue and refrained from responding.
After the dinner, Adelaide took Sophia to the glass conservatory to admire the flowers and chat.
Eudora planned to find Katniss and Tristan, not wanting to leave them alone for even a moment. However, halfway there, she received a call from Ivy asking her to come upstairs.
Eudora had to turn back into the villa, but as she reached the corner of the second floor, Emily stopped her.
Emily pulled her into a secluded spot and said, "Miss Savoy, I have something very important to tell you!"
"What is it?" Seeing Emily's troubled expression, Eudora became interested.
"I overheard Mrs. Forbes and Katniss talking a few days ago. It seems they have some sort of agreement that started seven years ago." Emily lowered her voice, afraid of being overheard.
Even though the hallway was empty, the urge to do something sneaky made her act like a thief.
"Anything else?" Eudora pressed. Last time, Emily had overheard Adelaide and Katniss conspiring behind Tristan's back.
This time, it was further confirmed that their agreement and conspiracy had started seven years ago.
Emily racked her brain for a long time, but unfortunately, she had been at a distance and couldn't hear clearly.She responded, "I couldn't hear the details of the agreement, but I heard Katniss say it had to be made clear and couldn't be hidden from Mr. Forbes."
Eudora's eyes lit up with realization, and she promptly said, "You can head back now; I understand."
With that, she hurriedly turned and went to Ivy's room.
As soon as she entered, Ivy's frustration spilled over. "You brought me here just to watch them happily hand out money and talk about the wedding? I sat through Mrs. Forbes's jabs for nothing. What's going on?"
"Ivy, I think I've uncovered a shocking secret!" Eudora finally said after a long pause, her tone resolute.
Ivy was silent for a moment, then turned to look at her and said, "Just say it."
Eudora remarked, "Do you remember Mrs. Forbes once arranged a marriage for Tristan with a woman? It was said that the woman agreed to the marriage to pay for her mother's medical treatment, just to spite Bella."
Adelaide hadn't hidden the purpose of the marriage at the time, so Eudora and the others knew about it.
Now that Eudora had mentioned it, Ivy wasn't interested. "Didn't they divorce a year ago? Why bring her up now?"
"That woman is Katniss! And Tristan still doesn't know!" Eudora's throat tightened with excitement.
Adelaide had strongly advocated for that marriage, and Tristan had only met the woman once when they got their marriage certificate—never again after that.
Adelaide kept even the marriage certificate and related documents. Eudora subtly probed and found that Tristan knew nothing about the woman, which made them let their guard down.
Ivy's body stiffened, and she stood up abruptly. "What? Really?"
After a moment of hesitation, Eudora, uncertain of herself, said, "I heard from Katniss's brother's wife that after Katniss became Tristan's lover, she used all the money to pay for her stepmother's medical treatment. But her stepmother fell ill right after she graduated college, before she joined Synergy Global Corporation. But where did she get the money for the treatment?"
She relayed everything Emily had overheard.
It was almost certain that Katniss was Tristan's ex-wife.
"We can't act rashly on this. We need to discuss it with Travis. Let's go back!" Unable to sit still, Ivy packed up and took Eudora downstairs, asking Royce to convey a message to Adelaide before leaving in a hurry.
It was getting late. After Katniss and Sophia left, Royce informed Adelaide that Ivy and Eudora had gone. "They left in such a hurry, I thought they were up to something."
For instance, they could ridicule Sophia's humble origins or use the funds provided by the groom's family before the wedding to create complications.
Adelaide sat on the sofa, listening to Royce, and fell into deep thought. After a while, she suddenly remembered something and said, "Go, check the surveillance footage. See where Emily went tonight."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
