Vesna first went to her apartment and changed into a simple peach-coloured dress. She put on minimal makeup and let her hair fall naturally over her shoulders. Once she was done, she looked at herself in the mirror and gave a satisfied look.
"I am beautiful," she complimented herself.
No matter how many times she looked in the mirror, she couldn't help but admire the beauty she was seeing. Her original face as Morana was beautiful as well. Her features were more angular, with a sharper, almost predatory, befitting of a ruthless leader of the infamous House of Death. In contrast, Vesna's face appeared softer, more innocent. She even had a pair of dimples on her cheeks that would appear when she smiled
Satisfied with her appearance, she grabbed her bag and left. Once out of the building, she hailed a taxi. Vesna had a large collection of cars, but she rarely drove herself. It was mostly Amaya who drove her around and if Amaya was busy, she would send a driver instead.
Vesna could have asked Amaya or gotten herself a driver to take her to the Xiao Villa but that would grant her unwanted attention and a series of questions, something she wasn't to avoid. She wanted the Xiao family to think she was poor, barely scrapping by herself, a reason why she wore the most simple dress out of all. Though it was still expensive, it lacked the ostentatious flair that would have betrayed her its real price.
It took almost an hour before she reached the Xiao Villa. She paid the driver and stepped out. She had only taken a few steps inside when she was maid approached her. Vesna immediately recognized her as Sun Lilli, the woman who was tasked to look in the hospital ten years ago.
"You are here," Sun Lilli said, running her gaze over Vesna.
There was a spark of bewilderment in her eyes as she took in her appearance, realizing how much she had changed from the scrawny little girl she remembered but then she shook that thought away. So what if she looked more beautiful? It didn't change the fact she was still a nobody. Even she had more value in the Xiao family than this girl.
"Follow me," Sun Lilli gestured impatiently for her to follow after her and without waiting for her reply, she turned around.
Vesna internally rolled her eyes. Ten years and this woman hadn't changed at all. No, she had changed. Her makeup was still heavy but at least she had now learned how to match the base with her skin.
Sun Lilli led Vesna to the living room. Vesna immediately noticed that besides the Xiao family, there were some guests as well. Amusement flickered in her eyes when she saw Louis subtly glaring at her but she pretended she did not see.
Instead, her gaze flickered towards the man sitting on a separate couch, his presence commanding attention despite his apparent disinterest. His posture was relaxed, one arm draped lazily over the back of the couch, while his other hand toyed absentmindedly with the edge of his dark cane. This was the first time she had seen him with a cane, which sparked her interest.
"...marriage was decided by the elders of the family years ago," Old Madam Luo continued, "it is better for the children to decide themselves as they will be the ones spend..."
She paused, her gaze drifting to the doorway where Vesna had just entered.
"Vesna, over here!" Silvia called out, her voice brimming with warmth that anyone less perceptive might have mistaken for genuine affection.
Ziyan, who had almost drifted off, lulled by the droning monotony of Old Madam Luo's speech, immediately perked up when he heard Vesna's name. He tilted his head, looking at the newcomer through his dark glasses. Even though he could see a slightly blurred figure, he immediately immediately knew who she was. He looked surprised since this was the last place he expected to see her.
Old Madam Luo, noticing the change in her grandson, turned her attention back to Vesna with renewed curiosity.
Vesna had realized by now that she had walked into the midst of a discussion about the marriage alliance between the Xiao and Luo families. An alliance that had been set in stone the day the eldest grandson of the Luo family was born.
According to the reports, she knew that the Xiao family had been actively seeking to nullify the arrangement ever since that grandson had suffered an accident that had left him blind and crippled. An alliance with the Luo was akin to an alliance with royalty, yet the Xiao family had balked at the thought of offering up their precious daughter to someone they deemed a "waste."
So why were they here discussing it now? And why was she here instead of their precious daughter Aurelia?
The answer was pretty obvious. Since Vesna was officially part of the Xiao family now, they saw her as a convenient solution—a way to maintain the alliance without sacrificing their cherished daughter. They could uphold the agreement and keep their honour intact, all while offering someone they deemed expendable.
The hypocrisy was almost laughable. But Vesna wasn't surprised. In fact, she had already known from the beginning that this day would come. Wasn't that why she had timed her arrival to coincide perfectly with the impending marriage arrangement? Also, the reason why she had approached Ziyan in the first place.
Vesna's eyes scanned the room, her gaze lingering on each face before finally settling on Ziyan as she took her seat beside Silvia.
Silvia Xiao wasted no time in making the introduction. "Old Madam Luo, allow me to introduce Vesna. She is the eldest daughter of our Xiao family."
Vesna almost let out a derisive laugh at the introduction. The "eldest daughter," was it? How generous of them to finally acknowledge her as a part of the family when it served their purposes.
Ziyan's eyes narrowed slightly as he processed the introduction. He had heard rumours of a new daughter being welcomed into the Xiao family that they were unaware of, but it was an open secret that the said daughter was illegitimate and had no place in their family. However, he hadn't expected that daughter to be Vesna.
He tilted his head as he thought of every encounter he had with her.
Was all of this truly a coincidence?