Some students immediately handed their phones to Noah. "Mr. Brown, look—there are photos and recordings. James is caught saying that if Selina doesn't hand over her mother's belongings to Natalia, he'll beat her to death!"
"Exactly! Natalia, your parents ended up in the police station, and here you are trying to flirt with men. Don't you have any shame?"
Natalia was furious, tears streaming down her face like a delicate flower. "Mr. Brown, this isn't true! My father is Selina's biological father; he's always cared deeply for her. My mother feels guilty toward her, so how could they—"
Before she could finish, Noah cut her off sharply.
"So, the Clark Family has one face for the public and another behind closed doors! I thought your family might have learned from their mistakes, but you've only doubled down!"
"I came back to this country for Victoria, and you have the audacity to seize and steal her inheritance?"
"And who do you think you are? You're nothing but an illegitimate child. Taking someone else's place wasn't enough—you're even scheming to steal from the rightful wife's estate?"
"Get lost. From now on, I'll pretend I don't even know you. Don't show your face to me again; it's revolting."
With that, Noah turned and walked away.
The surrounding students burst into applause.
"Noah is so decisive!"
"That's exactly how you deal with fake nice girls like her. I still don't understand what Mr. Carter sees in Natalia."
"How humiliating for her. Why hasn't Natalia transferred schools yet?"
Natalia's face turned ghostly pale, and she swayed as though she might faint at any moment.
Unable to endure the whispers and judgmental stares any longer, she covered her face and ran off, crying.
The moment she got home, she opened the news on her phone and nearly passed out from rage.
The public image she had worked so hard to rebuild had been completely destroyed—by her own mother!
Ding ding…
Her phone buzzed.
Seeing Ryan's name on the caller ID, Natalia hurriedly picked up, still sobbing. "Ryan…"
"Natalia, Grandpa saw the news. He doesn't want to see you for the time being," Ryan said, his voice tense.
"Bryant Auntie—what was she thinking? If you needed jewelry, you could've asked me. Breaking into Aunt Adams's home to steal her belongings… Grandpa is furious."
Ryan offered a few hurried words of consolation before hanging up.
Natalia couldn't hold back her frustration anymore. Screaming, she hurled her phone to the ground.
"Ahhh!"
The only reason she had wanted Victoria's belongings was to make a splash at the Carter Family's banquet!
Now, she wasn't even allowed to attend the event!
Her head spun with rage, and she collapsed to the floor, throwing a tantrum and shouting at the top of her lungs, "That wretch! That wretch! Why did Selina come back? Why didn't that b*tch just die somewhere out there?"
Passing servants shivered at the sight of her unhinged appearance, instinctively keeping their distance.
Second floor, Sapphire Valley Villa.
Selina had no idea what was happening with Natalia. She lay on her bed, scrolling through her phone.
On the screen was a faded photo of a woman.
Her trip to the old house in BW Town to investigate her mother's connection to the Carter Family had yielded little, and even her mother's photo albums had been lost.
Oh right… Logan had said he came looking for her. But he never explained why.
Well, since he didn't bring it up again, it probably wasn't important.
As her thoughts drifted, she dozed off without realizing it.
When she woke up, it was already the next morning.
Selina leaped out of bed, shocked at how much she had slept.
Her stomach growled with hunger, and she went downstairs to grab something to eat.
To her surprise, Logan was sitting in the living room, carefully working on something.
From the angle upstairs, it looked like he was restoring a painting or calligraphy piece. That made sense—Logan was highly skilled in calligraphy, so repairing old works wasn't beyond his expertise.
Selina didn't think much of it and headed to the dining room. After eating, she returned to find Logan still there.
Not wanting to disturb him, she quietly turned to go back upstairs.
But then she heard Logan call her name.
"Selina."
Selina froze for a moment, her gaze landing on a photo album.
Her mind buzzed, and before she could process, her body moved faster than her thoughts. She hurried over. "Is this... my mother's photo album?!"
Wasn't it supposed to have been burned by Katie? How was it in Logan's hands?
"Katie didn't burn it. I had Jack retrieve it from the Clark Family," Logan said calmly.
Selina quickly opened the album, and her eyes instantly reddened.
It was full of her mother's photos—her mother, looking gentle and radiant, smiling warmly at the camera.
That's when she noticed traces of restoration on the photos.
...So, Logan had been repairing the photos earlier?
"Katie damaged the album beyond recognition. No matter how skilled the techniques, it couldn't be restored to its original state," Logan explained, nodding slightly. "I tried many methods and got it to this point."
Selina blinked, feeling a sudden sense of disorientation.
Judging by his tone, Logan must have sent Jack to search for the album the moment they returned yesterday. Once he had it, he'd worked on restoring it until now.
Wasn't Logan's time supposed to be incredibly valuable? Yet, he had spent an entire day on her mother's photo album?
Why was he being so kind to her? All the while, she had only intended to use Logan to secure her inheritance. Comparing their actions, she felt like a terrible person.
Selina's eyes grew moist. "Thank you, Mr. Reid. If you ever need my help in the future, I'll go through fire and water for you without—"
"Actually, there is a small favor I need from you," Logan interrupted casually.
Selina swallowed her words mid-sentence, startled. "...Huh?"
Logan smiled gently. "Mrs. Reid, you should remember the original reason I married you."
Selina's mind immediately went back. At the time, he had been under pressure to get married, so their marriage was likely to put his family's concerns to rest.
Wait. What did he mean by this? Was he asking her to meet his family?
"It seems Mrs. Reid has already guessed," Logan said lightly. "my mom's mom wants to meet my new wife. Mrs. Reid, I've checked—your schedule is free today. Let's go."
The trace of emotion Selina had felt earlier quickly evaporated. Her expression went blank. "..."
Logan was the youngest son of Grandpa Carter, meaning his mother must have been Grandpa Carter's mysterious, long-deceased wife. So, his maternal grandmother must also be someone quite enigmatic.
Wouldn't it be inappropriate to meet her so suddenly?
Instinctively, Selina tried to refuse. "I actually have—"
"Mrs. Reid just mentioned being willing to go through fire and water to thank me," Logan interrupted in an unhurried tone.
Selina's breath caught in her throat, neither going up nor down.
...Well, she had said that.
Unable to backtrack, she forced a smile. "Then... let's get in the car."
In the car, Selina fidgeted with anxiety. It was her first time meeting her husband's family—how was she supposed to act?
"Logan, what's your maternal grandmother's last name? How should I address her?"
She still didn't know the identity of Grandpa Carter's mysterious wife, yet here she was about to meet her youngest son's grandmother. Life was truly full of surprises.
Logan narrowed his eyes slightly. Mrs. Reid seemed to have completely misunderstood his connection to the Carter Family...
A glint appeared in his eyes. "Just call her Grandma."
"Okay," Selina replied. She sat quietly for a moment but soon grew restless again. "Does your grandmother live with anyone else? What should I call them? What kind of women do they like? Should I act like a sweet, innocent angel, or should I go for graceful, elegant sophistication?"
Logan: "..."