Book 1: She Becomes Glamorous After the Engagement Annulment

Chapter 54

Chapter 160: Embellishing The Story

Roxanne asked, “What’s going on, Mr. Smith? Doesn’t she have to work?”

Henry stood in front of the camera to the live-stream. With a frown and a plaintive look on his face, he replied, “No, she’s unemployed. When she was with us, she mooched off her aunt and me. I heard that she also hasn’t been working ever since the Anderson's took her back with them. It’s already ten in the morning, yet she’s still asleep. Neither does she take care of her child, but leaves them to survive on their own instead. Sigh!”

Melissa said, “Nora sleeps in because she’s in poor health! She lost a lot of blood during labor back then, so she doesn’t have much energy and has to sleep more than what ordinary people do! Also, ever since she moved to the Anderson's, Nora has never asked us for living expenses! She has a source of income!”

Wendy sighed. “That’s because you don’t know that her income comes from the small company that her mother owned before she died, Melissa. There are thousands of dollars in dividends every month from the company.”

Melissa was about to speak when Henry held his hands behind his back and said fiercely, “I’m just here for my child today. I’m not trying to take her from you! It’s just that I’m ultimately still her father. How can the Anderson's just take her here after they found her, and forbid her from contacting me? We’re family! Blood is thicker than water!”

His eyes reddened as he spoke.

Henry was actually decent-looking. He had a squarish face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, making him look like an upright man. His behavior instantly sparked intense discussion among netizens.

People were leaving comments at high speed in Roxanne’s live-stream:

‘She’s refusing to acknowledge her father? What kind of reasoning is that?’

‘That Cinderella must find her father too tacky after she became a princess!’

‘The Andersons are too much. They look like decent human beings, but how can they stop them from acknowledging each other?! They’re father and daughter, after all!’

‘Ms. Smith is still asleep even at this time? She sounds like such an unreliable person… What’s the point of bringing such a woman back home?’

‘Wow, is this what the wealthy look like? That house looks so high-end!’

_

All sorts of discussions filled the live-stream.

No one knew who it was, but someone had put money into the live-stream and increased the traffic, causing Roxanne’s live-stream to instantly have more than a million viewers.

Everyone loved gossip. Moreover, this was about the secrets of the rich. Once one entered the live-stream, they would want to know what exactly was going on.

_

In the university.

Tina, who was surfing the Internet on her cell phone, accidentally saw a post on Angela’s social media. She immediately broke into a smile and entered the live-stream

Tina raised her eyebrows when she saw the exciting content inside.

Tsk.

How lively.

She had originally kept Angela with her just to give Nora trouble, but she didn’t expect to receive such a surprise!

Abandoning one’s father—now, that was an awful offense to be known for among the wealthy.

After all, one was indebted to their parents for raising them, no matter what.

Besides, most of the general public sympathized with the underdog, causing the comments to be filled with condemning voices directed at Ms. Smith!

Tina smiled. Suddenly, she picked up her cell phone and paid to promote the live-stream on social media so that it would trend. At the same time, she also got a group of trolls to leave comments in the live-stream.

‘The Andersons? Aren’t they the family behind Harmonia Pharmacy?’

‘Harmonia Pharmacy? The one selling traditional medicine? Their medicines are pretty good. I’ve always thought that people in the field of medicine are kind-hearted, but unexpectedly, they’re actually involved in gossip like this?’

‘Ms. Smith’s aunt, too. She speaks in a nice way, but why does she feel so annoying? Why does she keep stopping them from getting Ms. Smith to come downstairs? It’s as if she’s deliberately stopping the father and daughter from being reunited.’

‘That’s why I say that the richer one is, the stingier they are!’

‘Boycott Harmonia Pharmacy! I’m never buying medicines from them ever again!’

_

The comments were full of condemnation.

In the live-stream, Henry was still accusing Nora of various unfilial behaviors. His words made most of the parents watching the live-stream tear up.

“I just want to acknowledge my daughter again and ensure that she’s doing well. You can’t just spoil her like that and let her stay at home all day! She needs to be self-reliant! I didn’t painstakingly raise her to let her sink into such depravity…”

Melissa found Henry shameless to the extreme. She yelled angrily, “Nora has been locked up at home by you ever since she was a child, and has never been out of the house. Which part of that was painstaking for you?!”

Henry sighed. “Yes, that’s right. She’s not in good health, so schools didn’t want to accept her. On top of that, she has low self-esteem because she’s so fat, so she also refuses to go to school. I was the one who taught her and raised her into an adult at home.”

Melissa retorted, “You raised her into an adult? It’s a blessing that you didn’t starve her to death!”

Henry’s eyes flickered the moment she said that.

Wendy, however, started to cry. She said, “That’s too much, Melissa! Nora has been fat ever since she was a child. We fed her as much as she wanted, so why would she go hungry? If she had gone hungry, would she have become that fat?”

Melissa, “!!”

Her obesity was because of hormonal injections, of course!

After being injected with hormones, even plain water would make one gain weight.

How could these two people distort the truth like that?!

Wendy lowered her head again and held her hand over her mouth as she sobbed. “The only time I didn’t keep an eye on Nora was when she went out and fooled around, causing her to become pregnant before marriage. She even insisted on giving birth to the child after that. Her father and I didn’t want her to, so she fell out with us.”

Roxanne asked, “Why didn’t the two of you want her to?”

A fake Wendy replied, “The child’s father is a ruffian. He didn’t even dare to come to us to ask for her hand in marriage. Moreover, Nora was only 19 years old at that time, so of course, we did everything with her interests in mind! It’s also because of this that she distanced herself from us. She insisted on giving birth and moving abroad. We continued to support her financially. It’s because we know that she doesn’t like living with us that we even sent her money for her living expenses every month. But Mrs. Anderson, anyone who has family, and anyone who has a daughter, would know that we made the right decision! How can you use that to sow discord between the father and daughter?”

Another intense discussion broke out in the comments:

‘What the f*ck! So, it’s because of this that they fell out!’

‘A ruffian? Getting pregnant when you aren’t even married yet? Seems that Ms. Smith is a real piece of work. She hasn’t even appeared yet, but I already dislike her!’

‘If I were her parents, I would definitely want to beat her to death! Her father and stepmother have done well enough. Not only did they send her abroad, but they even raised her child for her!’

‘Gosh, how can such an insensible daughter exist?’

Melissa held her chest in fury. The elderly Mrs. Anderson, who was sitting on the sofa in the room, was livid when she heard the arguing outside.

Wealthy families were very particular about handling matters in a low-key manner.

Yet, Henry had actually brought such a huge crowd with him and set up a live-stream?

He was trying to thoroughly embarrass the Anderson's!

How was this a reconciliatory live-stream? They were obviously trying to force them to give in again!

Mrs. Anderson slammed her walking stick against the floor a few times in anger. It was at this point that Nora came downstairs from the upper floor.

She yawned and said lazily, “Don’t be angry, Grandma.”

Chapter 161: DNA Paternity Test!!

Mrs. Anderson’s irritation calmed down when she saw how calm and collected Nora was.

She asked, “Do you have a way of dealing with them, Nora?”

Nora nodded. She sat calmly beside her, picked up her cell phone, and checked the time.

Lily should have already received the hair samples by now and was likely doing the DNA comparisons at the moment.

She sent a text message to Lily and told her to send the results immediately after they were out. After sending the message, she exited the chat app and opened Roxanne’s live-stream.

The corners of her lips curled upward at once and she started to read the comments in the live-stream with relish.

She laughed as she read. It was as if she wasn’t the one being called shameless, materialistic, and a leech.

Mrs. Anderson, “?”

The elderly lady watched the girl sitting in front of her. She was ridiculously calm and collected as if she didn’t take the hurtful words on the Internet seriously at all!

Or perhaps it was because that family had hurt her so much since she was a child that she didn’t care anymore?

While Mrs. Anderson was thinking about it, she suddenly heard Nora’s cell phone ring—Lily had called.

“Anti, the DNA test results are out! The results are pretty surprising!”

Surprising?

Could it be that she was Henry’s daughter while Angela wasn’t?

Nora raised her eyebrows. Lily said, “I’ve emailed you the results.”

“Okay.”

Nora opened her email inbox after she hung up.

She raised her brows when she saw the two DNA paternity test reports.

Tsk.

They were in for a good show later!

She waved her phone at Mrs. Anderson and said leisurely, “I’ll go over for a sec, Grandma.”

Afraid that she would be attacked, Mrs. Anderson also got up shakily with her walking stick as support and followed behind Nora.

As soon as the two of them went out, they saw Henry and Wendy holding each other’s hands like a pair of star-crossed lovers. There were tears in their eyes.

Wendy said, “Back then, Nora’s mother never mentioned anything about your family, so we didn’t know. After she died, Nora needed someone to take care of her. That’s why I married Henry…”

Henry, who had a look of resignation on his face, looked at Wendy and said to Simon, “Simon, I know all of you are treating me this way because you’re unhappy that I remarried, but a man like me really can’t take care of a baby well by himself… Especially when Nora is so frail and sickly. We still remember that one time when Nora fell ill. Late at night, I piggybacked her and walked for so long in the rain before I finally managed to stop a car and take her to the hospital. Wendy also put aside her own child and went to the hospital. In the end, my second daughter was so hungry at home that she tried to cook something to eat and ended up scalding her thigh…”

Wendy started to cry again. “Yes, I felt especially sad and guilty at that time that I cried for a really long while.”

Nora paused in her footsteps.

She let out an icy scoff.

Henry’s lies simply came so easily. He had gotten the protagonists the other way round, though?

Back then, it was obviously that family of three who went out on a holiday trip and locked her up at home.

Although she was only five at that time, she had already become very calm and steady.

When she went to the kitchen to cook some noodles, as the pot was too heavy, her grip was too unsteady and she had dropped it on the floor. She had scalded herself all over that time, and there was still a scar on her inner thigh even now.

That couple sure had a rapport. Would they still be so loving once they knew the DNA test results, though?

She curled her lips and walked out the door.

Roxanne spotted her the instant she came out. She shoved the microphone in her face and said, “Ms. Smith? Are you Ms. Smith? Did you just wake up? Do you have anything to say to your father and stepmother?”

“…”

In the study on the second floor of the Andersons’ villa.

Pete leaned against the window and looked at the commotion downstairs anxiously.

They were bullying Mommy! It was a shame that he couldn’t reveal his face. How he wished he could go downstairs and kick that couple right on their faces!

For the very first time, Pete wished avidly that he could grow up. Once he grew up, he would be able to protect the people he wanted to protect.

He took a video of the commotion downstairs and sent it to Cherry.

In the Hunts’ family home.

Cherry, who was playing with her Barbies with Justin, heard her cell phone beep. When she picked it up and took a look, she immediately became furious.

After bullying her elder brother, that grandpa of hers was now bullying Mommy! He was too much!

The little girl went to the bedroom with her cell phone and sent Pete a voice message: “That’s the grandpa who threw you away, Pete! Open the window and pour a cup of hot water on him! Pour it all over his face!”

Pete, “??”

At the door, Justin, who was constantly paying attention to her, frowned upon hearing what she said.

He sent a text message to Lawrence and told him to check what was happening to Nora.

Soon, Lawrence sent him the link to a live-stream.

Justin tapped on the link and entered the live-stream. When he saw the contents, he flew into a rage and ordered, “Investigate this! Find out how that live-stream became so popular! Who paid to make it trend?!”

Lawrence replied, “Yes, sir!”

_

At the same time in the hospital.

Ian had already regained consciousness. However, for safety purposes, the doctor had recommended that he be hospitalized, so he had been staying in the VIP ward all this time.

There were a few pillows behind Ian. He leaned against them comfortably as he held his cell phone and waited quietly for Cherry’s live-stream in the evening.

As he had slept too much while he was in a coma, he couldn’t get to sleep at the moment and was very bored.

As Cherry hadn’t started any live-streams, he kept opening the live-streaming app. In the end, he randomly entered a live-streamer’s outdoors live-stream, intending to watch it casually.

There were already more than a million viewers watching the hottest live-stream at the moment.

As soon as he entered the live-stream, he saw Simon and Melissa. Ian’s grip on the phone instantly tightened.

Ever since Yvette had abandoned him, he had never met any of the Anderson's again.

Simon looked a lot older after so many years. He was no longer the ignorant boy who had run rampant and only knew how to hide behind his eldest sister.

Ian looked at the comments while thinking about it.

There were constantly new viewers entering the live-stream and asking in the comments what was happening. Some kind viewers helped to explain the situation, so Ian quickly understood what was happening.

As it turned out, Yvette’s husband had gone over to take his daughter back?

Ian was an astute and farsighted man who understood human nature very well. Through the comments, he had already understood the ins and outs of what was happening a long time ago.

His jaw tensed when he saw Henry.

So, he was the man whom Yvette had married in the end?

He really wasn’t very impressive at all!

For the sake of money, he had actually come all the way to his daughter’s doorstep and was driving her into a corner like this… If Yvette knew, she would turn in her grave!

The light in Ian’s eyes dimmed when he thought of that.

He felt a sharp pain in his heart again.

If… If he had a daughter with Yvette, he would definitely love and cherish her more than life itself, and would never allow anyone to hurt her.

Chapter 162: She Looks Almost Exactly The Same As Yvette!

Ian lowered his gaze and looked at the comments again.

When he was young, Yvette’s betrayal had caused his entire world to collapse. Later, when Yvette gave birth, he had decided not to ever meet her again for the rest of his life.

He had ignored and paid the matter no heed even when he heard that the Anderson's had brought her daughter back home.

He didn’t expect to actually see in the live-stream the person whom he had been deliberately avoiding.

He was originally planning to just exit the live-stream after taking a look, but he could no longer do so anymore.

Someone was bullying Yvette’s daughter. How could he just sit back and ignore it?

His brows drew together tightly.

_

At the entrance to the Andersons’ villa.

Roxanne and the cameraman were staring at Nora in astonishment.

When Henry was talking about his daughter, he had described her as fat, lazy, and someone who got herself pregnant before marriage. Therefore, they had thought that Ms. Smith must be either a hideous fatty or someone who looked mean and vicious. Unexpectedly, she was instead such a clean-looking young woman.

The girl was tall and slender. Her almond-shaped eyes originally should have made her look docile and well-behaved, but on her, they instead made her look a little cold and distant.

For a while, the cameraman neglected to shift the camera to her.

As soon as Roxanne spoke, a large number of negative comments bombarded the live-stream.

‘The woman in question has finally appeared? Quick, show us what she looks like!’

‘I’m curious, too! What exactly does the woman who abandoned her father look like?’

‘She must be really ugly!’

‘I can already imagine how she looks—messy hair, dark circles, and weird clothes! Although you can’t judge a book by its cover, sometimes the inside is so bad that their appearance can’t get any much better!’

_

Amid the crowd’s persecuting voices, the cameraman finally seemed to realize something, and he raised the camera and aimed it right at Nora’s face!

The next moment, a stunning little face, even more beautiful than a celebrity’s, appeared in front of over a million viewers watching the live-stream!

For a while, the comments quietened somewhat.

Everyone let out sighs of admiration:

‘Has a goddess herself descended into the mortal realm?’

‘What the f*ck? Isn’t her makeup-less face too gorgeous? Her complexion must be fake, right? If it weren’t because the skin condition of the person standing next to her is so obvious, I would really have suspected that she has turned on a max-level filter!’

‘Is that Ms. Smith? Oh my god! If I had a daughter like her, I would definitely spoil her to bits!’

‘Aaaaahhh, I’ve been conquered by the little missy’s looks!’

Amid the sighs of admiration were also malicious comments:

‘What’s the use of being so pretty? She’s still a callous and heartless person despite her beauty!’

‘Exactly! Can you live on just looks? No, you can’t!’

‘How can that little missy be so vicious? How can she fall out with her father just because he didn’t allow her to give birth to a ruffian’s kid… Besides, she’s so good-looking. Why can’t she just find some kind of job? Any would do! Why must she leech off her parents and refuse to work?’

_

In the hospital, Ian was shocked into a daze.

He stared at the screen in astonishment, at the clear and vivid visage that he could hardly remember even in his dreams.

In the past, he had heard people say that time could heal all wounds.

He hadn’t believed it at that time.

But later, he did.

After a separation of more than twenty years, he really had nearly already forgotten how Yvette looked.

However, in this instant, that young woman was as if Yvette had come back to life. He felt as if he had been brought back twenty years in time, and was looking at how she had looked back when they had gone their separate ways!

Even the strong and tenacious spirit she carried was somewhat similar to the one that Yvette had. It was just that hers felt colder as if she didn’t possess any emotions, whereas Yvette’s felt mostly bold and sassy.

Ian stared at the video avidly. He didn’t even dare to blink, lest the person in front of him disappeared while he wasn’t paying attention.

As expected, her daughter… really looked like her!

There was no hint of that man at all.

For some reason, Ian actually suddenly felt a little comforted.

At the Anderson's.

Nora wasn’t aware of the changes in the comments. She was currently looking at Roxanne.

Seemingly because she saw that she wasn’t saying anything, Roxanne asked again, “Ms. Smith, you look very cultured and well-educated. Now that things have reached this point, do you really have nothing you’d like to say to your father and stepmother?”

Nora raised her eyebrows. The next moment, the audience watched as she replied detachedly, “I do have one thing I want to say.”

Roxanne breathed a sigh of relief. She said, “I just knew you’d still have feelings for your parents. After all, one mustn’t just ignore their parents’ kindness for bringing them up. May I know what you’d like to say to your father?”

Nora’s lips curled into a smile as she said, “Stay the hell away from me.”

“…”

The six words made Roxanne choke, and the ranting and raving in the comments worsened even further.

Roxanne’s lip corners spasmed as she said, “There’s no greater kindness than the love and care that one receives from their parents when they’re growing up, Ms. Smith. You also have a child yourself. Do you also want your child to abandon you when you’re old?”

Nora thought about it carefully. Then, she answered, “They can do whatever they want.”

Roxanne, “?”

Nora seemed half-amused. She hadn’t washed up yet, and she looked a little dopey from having just woken up. Her hair was also a little messy. She didn’t look sufficiently exquisite, but it made her give off even more of a careless and sloppy feeling. She added unhurriedly, “I’m not relying on them to provide for me in old age.”

Upstairs, Pete, “…”

Far away in the Hunts’ family home, Cherry, “…”

Sob! They had been rejected by Mommy!

Roxanne frowned and said, “It’s not about the money. It’s about spiritual companionship!”

Nora, “?”

She looked at Henry and Wendy. “Oh? So, what you’re lacking is just your spiritual needs?”

Henry hurriedly said, “Of course but the children are still young, so they should try and strive for success now. I can’t always take up the children’s time, either. Also, your stepmother and I are getting old, so we aren’t in good health anymore. We’re thinking of having health checkups done, but you and your sister have used up all the money.”

Nora laughed. “In the end, aren’t you still just demanding money anyway?”

Henry immediately retorted, “This isn’t a demand for money! This is something you should be giving me in the first place!”

Practically right after he said that, they heard activity at the entrance again. A moment later, a few policemen walked in. The policeman at the forefront wore a police uniform. His posture was straight, and he looked tough and handsome. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s. He fixed his gaze on Nora when he entered, his eyes full of scrutiny.

Then, he asked unhurriedly, “Did someone make a police report?”

“Yes! I did!” Melissa said as she stepped forward. She pointed at Roxanne and Henry, and said, “These people are trespassing on private property without consent.Please drive them out, sir!”

The policeman leading the team took a look at the situation. After it seemed like he had understood what was going on, he said, “Please leave! If not, we will have to make use of the police’s authority!”

Roxanne’s brows knitted together—she hadn’t expected the Anderson's to take such an aggressive approach.

She looked at Henry and suggested, “Why don’t we come again next time instead…?”

Henry, however, knew that if it would probably still go nowhere the next time if he didn’t settle it once and for all today. Thus, he immediately shouted, “Sir, I’d like to make a police report, too! That unfilial daughter of mine refuses to provide for the two of us!”