At the Wright estate.
The Wright family members were having dinner when Zoey brought up Valerie's matter again. "Dad, have you gotten a hold of my sister yet?"
The lovely atmosphere suddenly plummeted. Rage burned in the man's eyes. "That ungrateful devil! After all I went through to bring her back, she still has not come home! She'd see life outside and this house had become too small for her."
Zoey's eyes lit up, "You mean my sister is back?!" She was so excited that everyone thought she was genuinely happy to have Valerie home.
"Hm, she was seen at the airport." Mister Wright hummed.
Seeing how excited her daughter was, Mrs. Wright got upset. How could Zoey not know what Valerie's appearance meant? For six years, after Valerie's disappearance, Zoey had enjoyed the title and benefit of being the heiress of the Wright family. But if Valerie returns, things might change slightly. After all, Valerie is the true heiress!
Six years ago, Mrs. Wright was able to successfully manipulate Valerie and her father, but six years later, will that still be the case? The woman suddenly lost her appetite and she felt a headache coming.
Still excited, Zoey grabbed her phone from the table while saying, "Let me give Harry a call. He'll be happy to know that Valerie is back!" She beamed excitedly.
Mr. Wright didn't care about what she did. Moreover, he saw nothing wrong in her calling Harry. After all, Harry Smith had long been seen as family.
Mrs. Wright, on the other hand, wasn't happy. She was about to stop her daughter from making the call, but it was already too late. Zoey was already speaking with him.
"Hey, Harry, do you have time to stop by at my home tonight?... Oh, you don't?" a downcast look crawled on her face and she sighed and added," I wanted to tell you that my sister, Valerie, is back."
Suddenly her eyes lit up, probably because Harry said something she liked, "Really?! Then that's great!"
Watching how enthusiastic her daughter was, Mrs. Wright wanted to hit her head on the table. How could Zoey be so stupid? Harry was Valerie's childhood friend and fiancé! There could still be some feelings left in his heart! What if Harry sees Valerie and decides to reconcile with her?!
She glanced at her husband. The man had no visible emotions on his face, but one couldn't tell what he was thinking.
Zoey smiled, "I understand. The company is more important. If you can't make it tonight, there's always tomorrow." Saying that, she glanced at her mother and saw how sad she was.
Zoey held her hand from under the table and squeezed it gently, then nodded softly at her, a reassuring look. Zoey wasn't oblivious to her mother's fears. However, she wasn't worried about that, because Harry would rather sleep with a dog than have anything to do with Valerie. Zoey made sure of that years ago.
Her only reason for inviting Harry was to reopen Valerie's old wounds.
Zoey read Valerie like an open book. Valerie was an emotional wreck. The most effective way to get Valerie to ruin herself was to poke her weaknesses, which are her late mother and Harry.
Zoey was sure that Valerie would melt down again at the sight of Harry and, from there, she would push her with a few words and, like a fool, Valerie would ruin herself again.
Zoey roared with laughter. Everyone thought that Harry had said something funny, but only Zoey knew she was laughing because she could envision Valerie's downfall for the second time.
About an hour later.
Zoey and her mother were in her room, talking when a knock sounded on the door and a maid entered, looking frantic. "M— Miss Zoey, Valerie is here."
Hearing that, Zoey smiled and ordered, "Make things difficult for her while she waits."
The maid, Maya, paused for a moment, thinking. It seemed that Miss Zoey already knew that Valerie was still alive. Since Miss Zoey doesn't look scared, she should also compose herself, otherwise, she causes trouble for herself.
With that in mind, Maya puffed out her chest and stood straight. "Yes. Miss Zoey." She said, and walked out.
After the maid left, Mrs. Wright stared at her daughter in stunned silence. This was the daughter she knew. Seeing how she'd been pretending to love Valerie for a few days now, she thought things had changed.
Seeing her mother giving her weird looks, Zoey couldn't help asking, "Why are you looking at me like that, Mom? Did you perhaps think that my heart suddenly fell in love with that slut?"
"What would you have me think?" her mother asked. "For three days now, you've never stopped talking about Valerie."
Zoey smiled and replied, "If I didn't do that, how would she witness my wedding with Harry? How would she watch me take over her parents' company?" A sharp look crossed Zoey's eyes as she envisioned Valerie dying.
Meanwhile, downstairs.
The ambiance in the living room was filled with warmth and love, one that Valerie had almost forgotten what it felt like.
The old Nanny, Aunt Martha, stood in front of Valerie, holding her hands as she cracked a smile. She looked feeble and tired.
"You're finally back, Miss Valerie. Now, I can die with my heart at ease, knowing that I didn't forsake Madam Valentina."
Valerie smiled helplessly. Aunt Martha was her mother's Nanny and also hers. She was the only one who stood by her in the Wright family. On the night Valerie escaped death, Aunt Martha fought tooth and nail to be with Valerie, but she was too old, so the woman assigned Grace, her only child, to stay with Valerie.
Valerie was grateful to this woman. If not for her, she would have long died. "Aunt Martha, have a seat first." Valarie ushered her to the couch and helped her sit down. "Why are you still working here? You should have retired by now," Valerie said.
The old woman shook her head, "If I retired, who would protect yours and your mother's property?"
Valerie sighed. The greedy mother and daughter would definitely have stolen everything.
"Mom, now that Miss Valerie is back, I'll apply for your retirement. I'm sure Mister Wright won't mind." Grace spoke from the side. She had been worried about her mother still working as a maid at her old age, but now, she's relieved. Valerie paid her handsomely over the years, which she saved. Now, her mother can live a lavish lifestyle with servants at her beck and call.
The old woman smiled and nodded, "We'll do that." She saw Maya walking down the stairs and called her over, "Maya, get Miss Valerie ginger tea, warm milk for her daughter and – "
Before the old woman could finish, Maya cut her off rudely. "What happened to your legs, old hag? Are they finally paralyzed? Who do you think you are to order me around? So what if Valerie is back? Is she the one calling the shots in the family? Six years ago, she was worthless and now that she's back after six years, she still doesn't amount to anything!" Maya scoffed with derision and continued to insult Aunt Martha. "Like the saying goes, age does not guarantee intelligence. You still don't know where your priority lies, even at your age. Old-for-nothing!" she spat.
When Maya first saw Valerie, she was shocked and scared that what she did six years ago would resurface, but now that she thought about it, Valerie didn't even bring a car, and she was even wearing a second-hand outfit. What a shame!
At the sight of Maya, Valerie's eyes narrowed and wrath burned in her eyes. Six years ago, Maya owed her a life debt.
Valerie was pregnant with twins, but Maya's actions had caused her to lose one of the babies. And for that, she would make Maya pay!