Saira looked down on her cousin Damian, who was a university lecturer, though she appeared polite on the surface. "No thanks, you two go ahead," she said gently.
Damian was a bit disappointed but didn't push further.
As they strolled through the garden outside the villa, Damian couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you tell them that you're the real 'stock market prodigy'?"
"I never thought we would have such a connection. As for the title of 'stock market prodigy,' I don't care about it."
"You're really not going to tell anyone?"
"Don't worry. The 'stock market prodigy' is Damian, not Zuri. By the way, Cousin Damian, could you do me a favor?" Zuri asked, blinking her eyes.
"What is it?"
"Don't let anyone know I'm trading stocks, not even my parents or sisters. You know how my father feels about women being at home, tending flowers and doing household stuff instead of navigating the business world."
Damian felt a pang of pity and confusion. "Christian may have been raised as one of us, but he's not really Uncle's child. You have the ability; why can't the company be handed over to you? After all, you are his biological daughter."
In her previous life, she had wondered the same, but in this life, she understood. She was not really their daughter, so how could they possibly entrust the vast Lin family business to her?
"Because I'm a woman, I suppose. It's like how everyone assumes the 'stock market prodigy' must be a man, not a woman."
"If you want, I can step up and tell everyone the truth."
"Cousin, you're so naive. If I cared about such things, I would have already made a name for myself."
Damian realized that she had a calm personality and didn't like being in the spotlight.
"Then you'll have to help me maintain the 'stock market prodigy' title. My future as a billionaire depends on you," Damian joked, half-seriously.
"No problem."
Inside, Saira watched them through a window, feeling both disdain and a competitive urge.
During dinner, the elders sat at one table while the younger generation sat at another. When Zuri took her seat, Damian was about to sit next to her, but Saira's gentle voice interrupted, "Cousin Damian, sit here. It's been so long since we last chatted; there's so much I want to ask you."
Damian looked apologetically at Zuri, who shrugged, indicating she didn't mind.
Zuri watched with interest as Saira actively engaged Damian in conversation, their closeness causing Christian to sulk silently.
Aaron stood up and addressed everyone, "Let's raise our glasses and celebrate the New Year."
Everyone stood and downed their drinks. Zuri tapped her fingers rhythmically on the table, silently counting. When she reached "one," Saira's eyes glazed over as if she were drunk.
Christian noticed and instinctively reached out to support her.
But Saira clung to him, puckering her lips and kissing his face, declaring loudly, "I love you, I really like you, don't leave me."
Everyone at the table was stunned.
The commotion drew the attention of the elders at the main table, who turned to see the Lin family's foster son and daughter embracing and kissing in broad daylight.
Dalia and Aaron's faces darkened.
"Oh my, how scandalous!" said Third Aunt Qin with a look of disgust.
"Shameless, utterly shameless."
Master Lin was so enraged that he nearly blacked out, throwing his wine glass to the ground in fury.
Christian was dumbfounded by Saira's sudden affection. Feeling her soft lips, his mind went blank, forgetting to push her away, standing frozen.
"Separate them at once," someone ordered.
Damian was in shock!
"Disgraceful!" Aaron roared, rushing over to pull them apart. He slapped Saira hard enough to turn her face.
Christian, snapping back to reality, saw Saira in pain on the ground and rushed to help her, only to be stopped by a younger cousin.
"Let go," Christian demanded.
His cousin whispered in his ear, "Do you want to kill Grandpa with rage?"
Grandpa was already slumped in his chair, his sons and daughters-in-law frantically trying to revive him.
Christian glanced at the elder, restraining himself.
Dalia lifted Saira, her face a mix of worry and distress. "Honey, she's just drunk. It's a misunderstanding; she always behaves like this when drunk, clinging to whoever's around. She has terrible drinking habits."
No one believed this explanation, but they stayed silent. The Lin family was too powerful, and they all depended on them.
"Yes, yes, my husband does the same when he's drunk," Second Aunt Qin chimed in.
"This girl's tolerance is awful; just a bit of alcohol and she's like this. We should keep her from drinking in the future."
"Exactly. Making a scene at home is one thing, but out in public, it could be disastrous. Especially for a girl like Saira."
"Right, right. Girls shouldn't drink."
The guests agreed, urging Aaron to not make a big deal out of it. Aaron took the hint, masking his anger with a calm facade, but inside he was seething.
Dalia had Arianwen and others help Saira upstairs, worried.
She knew Saira wasn't that bad with alcohol. How could she be drunk after just one glass today?
Aaron looked at his father. "Dad, please, don't be angry."
Lin's Third Uncle from the Qin family grinned, "Dad, you're overreacting. This is just normal etiquette abroad."
"Young people these days, they like to follow foreign customs. We old-timers just can't understand."
"Exactly."
The Qin family chimed in, backing up Dalia and Aaron.
Zuri watched the farce unfold, noticing the Qin family's hypocrisy. Outwardly polite, they were likely mocking the Lin family inside.
It wouldn't be long before this scandal spread through high society.
Once the Qin family left, Aaron could no longer contain his rage. "Drag that wretch out here. Today, I'm kicking her out of the Lin family. We never should have kept her after Zuri returned."
Dalia quickly intervened, "Honey, calm down. There's really nothing serious. If you kick Saira out now, it's like admitting something happened between her and Christian. It'll ruin her reputation, and Christian's will suffer too."
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