‘If Solana had entered earlier, I wouldn’t have been tortured for so long!‘ Averie cursed inwardly.
Gloria’s face changed. Believing everything Averie said, she questioned, “Solana, what’s going on here?”
Solana didn’t hesitate, answering fluently, “Because you left in Lucas’s car. There are rarely any taxis around the villa. I waited a long time to get one, and there was a traffic jam.
“That’s why I was late. Besides, the security cameras recorded when I entered the hotel. If you don’t believe me, check the footage.” Her explanation had no flaws.
Averie looked utterly hopeless, cursing inwardly, ‘How could Solana be so lucky? I thought finding my birth parents would bring good luck. It’s all Solana’s fault. She stole my luck. I won’t let her off easily!‘
Ignoring Averie’s changing expressions, Solana said sincerely, “I can stay here for now, but can you give me my dad’s number?
“Since it’s inevitable that they’ll find out eventually, I’d like to reach out to them first, hoping they can be mentally prepared beforehand.”
She glanced at Gloria and continued, “What if they’re not prepared at all, and after raising Averie for so many years, they don’t want to let her go? That wouldn’t be good, would it, Mrs. Webb?”
The mere thought of her hard–won daughter getting entangled with that revolting couple left Gloria completely unsettled.
“Averie, just give it to her.” Then, she said to Solana, “Explain clearly to them; we’ll compensate financially, but they should know when to stop.”
Averie bit her lip hard as she thought, ‘If Solana gets in touch with her parents right now, my lies would be exposed instantly. Dad is already unhappy about my loss of innocence.
‘If he finds out that I borrowed from loan sharks to buy luxury goods, how will he look at me then? No way!‘
She suddenly burst into tears, hugging Gloria and sobbing. “Mom, I’m still so scared. I’m really, really scared! Won’t they come looking for me at home? I’m so scared…”
Gloria was completely thrown off by her crying; she couldn’t care less about anything else and promptly kicked Solana
out.
Solana sneered. ‘Averie sure knows how to put on a show. Since that’s the case, I might as well stay a few more days.‘
It reminded her of something at that moment, something that she could never forgive Averie for in her previous life.
In this life, she would let Averie taste it too.
As she was pondering, Hana hurried up from below, her hands clutching something wrapped in a black plastic bag- something even Hana herself wasn’t allowed to see.
Solana reached out and said, “Give it to me.”
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14:38 Wed, 30 Jul G •
Chapter 14
Hana was taken aback slightly.
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Solana stared at her and said, “Mrs. Webb told me to wait by the door for you. This must be something for Averie, right?
Give it to me.”
Hana was still hesitant.
Solana’s voice turned cold. “Is it still unclear to you? They didn’t hide Averie’s fall from me, but kept it from you, so what’s the issue with me taking the stuff?”
Hana finally gave in and reluctantly handed over the stuff to Solana.
Solana opened the black plastic bag, and sure enough, the stuff wrapped inside was the kind of drug she was expecting.
She glanced back at the closed door, a smirk escaping her red lips. ‘Averie, for all the things you did in the previous life, you’ll have to pay back one by one in this life. Nothing can slip through the net.‘
It took Averie a whole week resting in bed to recover.
Apart from Aaron and the others who remain unfound, Robert had finally managed to wipe out all the evidence, more or less. He even took the opportunity to rename “Serenity Hotel” to “Prosperity Hotel,” hoping that Averie’s arrival would bring the Webb family prosperity.
Solana scoffed inwardly, ‘Do you even deserve it?‘
That day, there was laughter in the Webb family’s living room again after a long time.
Averie wore a white princess–sleeve dress and sat next to Gloria, all cute and sweet. “Mommy, this dress is so pretty. You have such good taste.”
Gloria was coaxed into chuckling by her sweet words until wrinkles almost appeared.
Robert, in rare high spirits, said, “Averie, I’m hosting a gathering at Prosperity Hotel in three days, and I will officially introduce you to everyone then.”
Thinking about becoming a true Miss Webb, Averie nearly burst into laughter.
Turning to Gloria, Robert added, “I wonder what good news Gordon has gotten lately. When I called him earlier, he was practically laughing through the phone.
“He congratulated me after hearing about Averie and even said he wanted Averie and Mateo to get to know each other.”
Gloria smiled widely. “Oh wow! That’s great news. Mateo is tall and handsome; I love him.”
Confused, Averie asked, “Who is Mateo?”
Robert replied, “He’s the son of Gordon, the boss of Hickum Construction. Remember to look your best that day so you can impress him.”
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Chapter 14
In Embridge, Hickum Construction was just as famous as Roberton Properties; of course, Averie’d heard of it.
Upon learning that her parents wanted her to meet the prince of Hickum Construction, Averie felt elated instantly. Indeed, birds of a feather flock together, and apparently, the higher the financial status, the better the company one kept.
Unlike before, when she only knew a few nouveau riche classmates or those who could only climb through hard work, it was different now.
A princess should match with a prince.
The family of three was laughing and chatting away.
Solana subconsciously clenched her hands. She remembered clearly that her dad was run over by Averie’s car that day in her previous life.
And at that time, she was locked up in her room by Robert.
She would never forget how Gloria panicked and opened the door to take her out, ready to frame her for the crime.
Thinking about those past events, she hated this family to the core. They were enjoying the bliss of a family reunion while causing my family to fall apart.‘
“What about Solana?” Averie glanced at Solana and pretended to be generous. “I don’t mind if Solana comes along. After all, she probably won’t have the chance to attend such a party in the future.”
Although she said that, Averie thought Robert probably wouldn’t take Solana to such an event.
Sure enough, Gloria said directly, “It’s unnecessary to take her.”
Averie was secretly delighted.
Meanwhile, Solana was calculating how to attend the party, as she needed to prevent Averie from killing her dad.
Suddenly, Robert looked at her and asked, “What did you do to upset Mateo in Ofada last time?”
Solana was stunned, thinking he was going to give her trouble.
But to her surprise, he added, “Mateo knows you’re not my daughter, but he specifically asked for you, saying there are still some accounts to settle with you.”
Averie was initially displeased, but upon hearing that Mateo wanted to settle accounts with Solana, she became extremely excited.
Solana was quite surprised, though. In her previous life, out of fear of upsetting Robert and Gloria, she always obeyed Mateo, yet he treated her like air.
Later, after Averie arrived, he completely forgot about her, even finding her presence unbearable. This time around, she rebelled for once in her life, and that guy actually took notice of her.
Solana breathed a sigh of relief secretly. She didn’t care what accounts Mateo wanted to settle; all she cared about was whether she could attend that party.
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