บท 27: Stepmother (1)
Adrienne's grandparents would be staying with them for two weeks, but she didn't bother to join the family for meals other than breakfast. The room's tension was palpable - no one dared to bring up the topic again. Except for Adrienne, the rest of the Jiang family were busy discussing the preparations for their Old Master Jiang's birthday.
Ever since she revealed that the estate was now under her name, Adrienne could feel the icy gaze set on her coming from her brother. Did he think that just because Rosemary Zhao raised him, he had the right to claim what was hers?
He was nothing more than a son from her father's mistress. If Cayden wanted to covet something, it should be what their father owned in the first place. What a shameless bastard he was if he thought Rosemary Zhao owed him anything.
Adrienne glanced at her older brother, meeting his hateful gaze. Cayden probably didn't expect she would turn her attention to him and quickly diverted his gaze elsewhere.
'Coward.' Adrienne scoffed and continued to eat her meal while watching the performance by the bunch of clowns before her.
In the past, she would be bothered by her father and his new family excluding her from their plans, ignoring her presence at the table. But now, Adrienne could see their laughable attempt to exclude her from their discussion. What made her think she wanted to be part of their show?
"What do you think, Addie? Would it be alright to host the banquet here instead?" Camilla suddenly asked, forcing everyone to turn their attention toward Adrienne.
Adrienne raised a brow, and in her heart, she coldly laughed. As expected, Camilla's desire to ruin her would never change regardless of the time she was living in. As for her father, he was willing to murder his wife and forsake his eldest daughter to pave the way to his success. In her past life, even now, he had never truly regarded her as his daughter.
After all, she knew very well that Camilla wouldn't give up easily. Nevertheless, compared to other shameless mistresses, Camilla had a deep scheming mind and possessed an arrogant streak, wanting to win every battle. Thus, when her position as the new Madam Jiang was threatened, she couldn't keep up with her own charade.
"Could Aunt Camilla repeat that question?" Adrienne smiled, sending shivers down Camilla's spine.
The older woman let out an awkward laugh and repeated her question. Camilla hadn't expected Adrienne to regard her. Adrienne used to keep her presence as low profile as possible, not wanting to get their attention during their meals. She wondered what had changed. It was getting harder for her to predict what Adrienne was thinking.
"Dear, I asked if it's alright to host a banquet here instead of renting out. Your uncle and your cousins would also like to stay here during the event."
"Why, of course, Aunt Camilla. It is Grandpa's special day. We can't give others more reasons to think the Jiang family cannot handle their household affairs. This is also the first banquet Aunt Camilla will be hosting. How can I decline to extend help knowing this?" Adrienne smiled brightly, but it gave an ominous feeling to those who saw it.
How can she not know what Camilla's motive was? She had lost the opportunity to use Adrienne's birthday to officially introduce herself as the new Madam Jiang, so naturally she would step forward and volunteer to help plan the birthday banquet for the old man.
Camilla stiffened in her seat and laughed awkwardly but couldn't reprimand or say anything against Adrienne. She could only curse her in her heart.
Meanwhile, Adrienne could feel her father glaring daggers at her, but she feigned ignorance. She was starting to get used to the fact that this man would never treat her as his daughter. To him, she was merely a pawn he kept as a leverage.
As for her relatives… well, she would never allow them to treat her like they'd done in the past. She couldn't wait to get even with them. With their assistance, Camilla and Elise made her life a living hell back then.
"However, I don't think I'll be able to attend Grandpa's party. I do hope you'll have a great day without me."
Old Master Jiang frowned. "What do you mean, Addie?"
Adrienne lowered her gaze, hiding the viciousness in her eyes. However, she looked pitiful to her elders.
"As you know, I've spent all my allowance on my mother's hospital bills. I can't afford to buy a new dress for your banquet, Grandpa." She said in a dejected voice. "But don't worry, Grandpa. I'll find a suitable gift for you even if I don't attend the banquet."
Old Madam Jiang glared at Camilla, showing her displeasure toward the other woman.
"You're already married into this family for two years, yet you neglect Addie's needs? How could the Eldest Miss of our Jiang family be absent from an important event like this? That does not reflect well of you as her stepmother. Even if Addie isn't your flesh and blood, you mustn't forget that she's the eldest miss of this family. Take a look at how skinny she is. If others were to see her right now, they would say that our Jiang family is mistreating her."
Camilla felt wronged but could only endure it while Adrienne rejoiced inwardly.
"It's my fault, Mother. Over these past weeks, I've devoted my time to running the household. I'll surely help Addie pick the dress and accessories for Father's banquet." She then turned her attention to Adrienne. "Addie, if you are free today, let's shop with Elise. Don't worry about the expense, I'll cover it for you. How can we let you miss the celebration?"
In just a few self-depreciation sentences, Camilla appeased Old Madam Jiang. Adrienne had already expected this to happen. While others would have flown in rage after being wronged like this, Camilla was able to keep her smile.
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