Book 2 : She Becomes Glamorous After the Engagement

Chapter 25

Chapter 685: Birthday Present pt.1

When Mrs. Livingstone saw the person, she was a little stunned and asked, “What’s wrong?”

That person leaned over and whispered something in Mrs. Livingstone’s ear. Mrs. Livingstone suddenly stood up and looked at that person. “What did you say? The Stewarts aren’t cooperating with us anymore?”

The person smiled bitterly. “It’s not just the Stewarts. The Levins, the Sonnets, and the Lowes have all conveyed their intentions to cancel the collaboration. I heard that it’s…”

The person glanced at the old lady. “It was Mr. Hunt.”

The Livingstones were dishonest in their business. Their prices were high and their quality was bad, but there were still so many people fawning on them. Wasn’t it because they wanted to establish ties with the Hunt's?

Now that Mrs. Livingstone had openly angered Justin, even if Justin did not say a word, that group of people would still revoke their cooperation!

Mrs. Livingstone was completely stunned. She suddenly looked at Mrs. Hunt and realized how much she had been wrong.

She said in disbelief, “H-how dare he?!”

Justin had been very respectful to Mrs. Hunt since he was young. He also handled the Livingstones’ matters very carefully, so Mrs. Livingstone had the confidence to oppose Nora publicly.

She did not expect Justin to do this for Nora.

She swallowed and fell in front of Mrs. Hunt. “Mrs. Hunt, auntie, you can’t ignore us! If you don’t care about us, the Livingstones will go bankrupt!”

Mrs. Hunt stared at her. “Don’t be anxious. I’ll talk to Justin later.”

She had openly provoked Ian earlier, and it had made Justin unhappy.

She had watched him grow up and knew Justin very well. He did not expose the truth the moment she opened her mouth. Instead, he allowed her to slander Nora like a clown. Then, he revealed the truth just to embarrass her and teach her a lesson.

As his grandmother, Mrs. Hunt was certain that Justin was a good child who valued relationships. Otherwise, he would not be so loyal to Nora.

He would not do anything to Nora, but he would fall out with his own grandmother!

Justin was now in charge of the Hunt's. If his heart left her, how could she live so comfortably in the future?!

Mrs. Hunt wanted to wait until Justin was no longer angry. Then, she would mention these things to Justin and ease the relationship between the two families.

However, as soon as she said this, Mrs. Livingstone immediately shouted, “Auntie, Thomas is your grandnephew. We’re all part of your maiden family. We’re all your backing! Isn’t our situation a joke to others now? Go look for Mr. Hunt now! He definitely won’t reject your request!”

When Mrs. Hunt heard this, she instantly pursed her lips.

When they were outside, Mrs. Livingstone did not listen to her and insisted on going against Nora. At that time, she had still felt that this niece-in-law of hers was just angry and did not think of her.

But now, she was demanding her to do things so righteously.

Mrs. Hunt felt her heart being blocked. The family she loved so dearly had always been using her!

The old lady covered her chest and waved at Mrs. Livingstone. “Go out!”

Mrs. Livingstone was stunned. She looked at Mrs. Hunt and saw that her expression was ugly as if she could not breathe. She was instantly frightened and did not dare to speak again.

However, before leaving the room, she could not help but turn back to look at her. Seeing that her fingers were trembling as she picked up the teacup and prepared to take a sip, Mrs. Livingstone threatened, “Mrs. Hunt, maiden family is a woman’s dignity. If the Livingstones fall, you won’t have any dignity left!”

_

Bang!

Mrs. Hunt suddenly threw the teacup in her hand to the ground and pointed at the door. “Scram!”

Only then did Mrs. Livingstone jump up and leave.

After she left, Mrs. Hunt sat there gasping for breath. The butler beside her quickly took out a Calming Pill and handed it to her.

Mrs. Hunt’s chest heaved violently, and she felt like her heart was about to explode. However, after taking the medicine, she suddenly felt relieved.

She lay down slowly with the help of the butler.

After a long time, she slowly opened her muddy eyes and sighed.

The butler asked, “Mrs. Hunt, what do you need?”

“Nothing…”

Mrs. Hunt opened her mouth and suddenly looked at the small box with the medicine. For some reason, she suddenly paused and said in a daze, “This medicine was made by Nora, right.”

The butler nodded. “Yes, Miss Smith made it herself. There are only two boxes in the entire city. You have one here.”

There was also a box at the Anderson's.

The old lady paused and suddenly sighed heavily.

Her resentment towards Nora suddenly faded.

When she thought about what had happened previously, she did not even understand what she had done.

How did she push her grandson away?

She slowly closed her eyes.

Downstairs, Ian entered the VIP room to rest.

When the time came, Pete, Cherry, and Xander held hands as they went upstairs.

Cherry stood in the middle. On her left was Pete, and on her right was Xander.

Pete was wearing a gentleman’s suit and his behavior was very appropriate.

Xander was wearing the same outfit, but he was twisting his body from side to side. He had lived in the basement since he was young, and he had never worn clothes that were of the right size. He felt like his tiny self was being trapped in this tiny suit!

He did not twist too much from left to right. And the little fella was good-looking and looked exactly like Justin when he was young, so he looked especially likable.

Everyone below looked at him.

Pete seemed to have sensed something and turned to look at Xander. The corners of his mouth immediately twitched, and he coughed to remind him, “Don’t twist around. It’s embarrassing!"

Xander took a long time before saying, “…My pants are too tight.”

Pete: “…”

As a boy, he understood this kind of pain very well. Sometimes, his clothes would tighten before they were sorted out. He coughed and suddenly pushed Cherry to walk in front. He followed in front of Xander and whispered, “Hurry up and tidy it.”

“Okay.”

Before Cherry knew what was going on, the two children behind her had already dealt with the problem.

When they went downstairs, the three children looked around and found it fun.

The others were also full of praise for the three children.

However, Mrs. Livingstone’s sharp voice was mixed in. “Speaking of three children, Pete is the most outstanding. After all, he grew up beside his father since he was young. He looks like a little aristocrat. Cherry and Xander are far from him!”

Chapter 686: Birthday Present pt.2

Even if it was to curry favors, everyone praised the three children. Amidst the praise, Mrs. Livingstone’s words were especially striking.

Everyone looked at her in unison.

Mrs. Livingstone coughed. Anyway, she had already offended Justin, so she might as well go all out. “Why are you all looking at me? Look at the three children! Pete grew up with Justin and received elite education since he was young. What about Cherry? She grew up with Miss Smith, and everyone should have heard about Miss Smith’s past, right? She grew up in a small place in California. What kind of knowledge and horizons can she have? Cherry’s upbringing is definitely not as good as Pete’s.”

At this point, she looked at Cherry. “Cherry, it’s not that I’m criticizing you, but you have to study hard. Girls who play games every day are bad. However, this isn’t your fault. You can’t blame yourself for having suitable environment to grow up in.”

Although Nora was the eldest daughter of the Smith's, she grew up in a small place in California.

Everyone knew about this, but Nora was Anti and also the disciple of Dr. Zabe. Who could guarantee that they would never need her help?

Therefore, no one mentioned her past.

However, with Mrs. Livingstone saying this, everyone could not help but size Cherry up.

The little girl stood there gracefully. She was wearing a white princess dress and a cute diamond hair clip on her head. She looked adorable no matter how one looked at her.

Cherry blinked her dark eyes and her expression darkened.

She suddenly thought of the time when her brother had forced her to study every day.

At that time, her brother would always look at her and sigh. He even said that she should not embarrass mommy.

She felt that she was soft, cute, and charming. How could she embarrass her mother?

But now, she understood.

So this group of people thought that she and her mother had been living in a bad environment since she was young?

This was too infuriating!

The little fella immediately stepped forward and raised her head to speak. “Grandma, have you been living well since you were young?” Mrs. Livingstone was a daughter of a wealthy family. She immediately raised her chin. “Of course.”

Cherry instantly shrunk her neck. “Then I don’t want to grow up in a good environment. I don’t want to be like you and force my nose in other people’s matters.”

With that, she suddenly covered her mouth. “Oh, I want to stay away from this woman. I’ll be infected by you! Why are you pointing fingers at others?! Mommy says this isn’t good!”

Not being judgemental was the best virtue.

Amongst the wealthy families and young ladies, this had always been the rule. However, where there were many women, there were many disputes and gossips.

The circle of wealthy madams in New York was too boring. Therefore, everyone often gossiped. It was not very good.

At this moment, Cherry’s words made everyone present respect her.

No matter what, just Cherry’s words showed that her upbringing was not bad!

Mrs. Livingstone was so angry that her entire body trembled, but she still sneered and said, “Cherry, I’m your relative. That’s why I care about you. Why would I care about other people’s matters? If you despise me for disciplining you, then I’ll apologize to you! Sigh, kids these days are so sensitive. I can’t even say anything as an elder!” She was labeling Cherry as being disrespectful to her elders!

Pete narrowed his eyes and stepped forward. He suddenly smiled and said, “Mrs. Livingstone, what kind of family do you come from? Why didn’t I know that we’re relatives?”

Mrs. Livingstone immediately said, “Your great-grandmother is my aunt. I’m definitely your relative!”

Pete seemed to be stunned. He was very gentlemanly as he seriously asked, “Is that so? Then everyone here today is my family, right?”

Those who could attend the banquet were all from families deeply rooted in New York. Were they not related at all?

Pete was being sarcastic. Where did she come from?!

These words were like a slap to Mrs. Livingstone’s face, making her even angrier.

However, on second thought, their relationship with the Hunt's was really supported by Mrs. Hunt alone. She instantly blushed and stopped talking.

Coincidentally, Ian and Justin came downstairs.

Mrs. Livingstone instantly shut her mouth.

Ian and Justin had already arrived in front of the children and began to give them presents.

Ian’s gift to Pete and Xander was his own shares in the company. Five percent was given to the two children just like that!

Chapter 687: Birthday Present pt.3

The two boys had received very precious and valuable gifts. The moment the shares were presented, they immediately aroused the envy and admiration of everyone around them!

The Smith Corporation had a market value of hundreds of billions of dollars. It was impossible for one to spend all the money that came from even just five percent of the company’s shares!

In that case, what was Ian going to give Cherry?

While everyone was thinking about it, they saw Ian turn to Cherry. In addition to also giving her the same amount of shares, he took out an exquisite box and opened it. Inside the box was a diamond the size of a pigeon’s egg.

Ian handed it to her. “This is the Heart of the Ocean. I got it at an auction a few years ago. I’m giving this to you today, Cherry. Do you like it?”

Cherry’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, I do, I do!”

Ian smiled with satisfaction.

The crowd was dumbfounded for an instant. Then, a huge uproar went through them.

That jewel was simply too rare. So many families had tried their darnedest to fight for it but little did they expect that it would end up in the hands of a five-year-old.

Everyone’s eyes were filled with admiration. “I’m so envious of Cherry!”

As soon as they said that, someone sighed and remarked, “What a pity. There were originally two such diamonds, so that is just one of them. There’s another one just like it, but its whereabouts are unknown even now.”

“Having one is enough! It’s only because the Smith's have such a big business that they can win the jewel in the auction. Apart from the Hunt's, who else is rich enough to do that?!”

While everyone was paying Cherry compliments, there were also some who didn’t agree with the way Mrs. Livingstone had lectured the child just now. They immediately said mockingly, “No matter how Cherry’s life was in the past, from the very day she returned to New York, she has been living in a nest of gold and silver! The girl still has a whole load of blessings ahead of her! Besides, Mr. Hunt is especially doting toward his daughter. She is most definitely the undisputed little princess of New York!”

The veiled insults made Mrs. Livingstone so angry that she immediately retorted, “Even so, it won’t get rid of the fact that she lived in poverty when she was younger! A child’s personality solidifies by the time they turn five!”

Some people also said with dissatisfaction, “You can’t say that she lived in poverty, right? I heard that their family is pretty well-to-do.”

Although the Smith's in California were not as wealthy as the Smith's in New York, they were still rather well-off. With an annual income of over five million dollars, how would they really be that poor?

Mrs. Livingstone pursed her lips. “Tsk, if they aren’t poor, then why don’t I see her relatives coming over to give her gifts?”

Everyone was speechless.

Most of the people who came with gifts had presented them on the spot.

Ian, who was an especially close family member, had caused a huge sensation when presenting his gifts, but it was true they didn’t see any gifts from anyone from where Nora used to live.

While thinking about it, Mrs. Livingstone suddenly spotted Lisa in the crowd.

Lisa was Nora’s cousin when she was living in California. Although her father, Henry, mistreated her, Nora had always been on good terms with her aunt. Lisa had also been willing to play with her when they were children.

Since her children were celebrating their birthdays, Nora had also sent an invitation to her aunt.

However, the place was simply too far away.

Besides, Henry had simply gone too far overboard, so her aunt was too embarrassed to visit her. Thus, she had sent Lisa, who was studying at the New York University of Medicine, to come over as a representative of their family.

Lisa had bought Lego sets for the children and was carrying them at the moment.

Mrs. Livingstone, who had been paying attention to Nora, knew that Lisa was Nora’s cousin. She launched into mockery mode at once and said, “Oh my, it’s not like no one came at all, isn’t it? Ms. Black, you must be Ms. Smith’s cousin, right? Your mother is her aunt from that family, right?”

Lisa flushed. She nodded and awkwardly hid the gifts in her hands behind her.

She was really embarrassing Nora!

In front of all the expensive gifts from others, her Lego sets were really not presentable.

However, the more she hid, the more Mrs. Livingstone asked, “What gifts did you bring for the three children?”

Lisa: “…”

She took a step back in silence.

Mrs. Livingstone, however, had already spotted the Lego sets behind her. After all, Lego boxes were simply too big. It was hard for people not to spot them.

She immediately smiled and exclaimed, “Oh my, are those Lego sets?!”

Then, she took another glance and said, “How much do they cost? Why do they look like bootlegs to me.”

Lisa panicked at once. “No way! These are genuine products from the official store. They cost more than $300!”

Mrs. Livingstone smiled. “Oh, they cost more than $300? Then they must be authentic, after all. That’s so expensive!”

As soon as she said that, Lisa realized that she had been tricked. She immediately flushed with embarrassment.

Everyone around them was looking over and staring at her.

Lisa was at a complete loss.

At this point, Louis suddenly appeared behind Lisa and put his arm around her shoulders, his head of blond hair awfully blinding. He grinned and said, “Lisa, did you buy the gifts I asked you to buy on my behalf?”

Then, he looked at the Lego sets in Lisa’s hands. “Hey, that’s the one! Cherry and Pete love that the most! They asked me to buy these for them! You’re simply so reliable!”

He bent over, picked up the Lego sets, and handed them to Cherry and Pete. “Happy birthday, little guys!”

Cherry hurriedly looked up and said, “Thank you, Uncle Louis!”

Louis said, “Tsk, Uncle Louis has lots of money. Why must you insist on something like this? I don’t even have anywhere to spend all that money now!”

His words were a slap to Mrs. Livingstone’s face.

If Lisa was the one giving them a gift worth $300, then perhaps it might really be because she was poor. But if it was Louis… As a Smith, how could he possibly be poor?!

Everyone knew that he had earned millions of dollars recently!

Mrs. Livingstone frowned and clenched her fists. Then, she sneered, “Nice acting, Mr. Smith!”

Then, she asked cheerfully, “Then what is Ms. Black giving them? Surely you didn’t come empty-handed, right?”

Louis panicked when he heard this.

Given his miserly nature, how could he possibly buy them gifts? He had been planning to give the children his stray cats and dogs.

But he couldn’t possibly take the cats and dogs out now and say that they were from Lisa, right?

He had wanted to give cats and dogs because the children liked animals.

But if they came from Lisa, then it would again highlight that Nora used to live with a poor family. Louis was furious. If he had known, he would have spent a few hundred thousand dollars and bought them an expensive gift! As such, he could only smile sheepishly and say, “Why does she have to give them gifts? She’s younger than Nora, and is still studying at the moment! Are there any younger sisters who give their elder sister’s children gifts when they are still studying?”

While that was certainly true, in this situation, Mrs. Livingstone, unfortunately, gained the upper hand at once. She said, “So, the family Ms. Smith used to live with really didn’t give them any gifts, right?!”

Everyone started to speculate. Did Ms. Smith really live in poor conditions back then?

Mrs. Livingstone continued to discredit Nora. “I have heard that her stepfather treated her very badly in the past. When she was a child, she never even went to school… I heard that all her clothes were also junkyard stuff. It’s understandable that a family like that wouldn’t come over and bring any gifts.”

Almost as soon as she said that, someone suddenly walked in at the door.

It was the butler. He was leading a distinguished man dressed in a black suit into the room. The man was very tall and looked quite old but still very gentlemanly. He looked straight at Cherry and said with a smile, “Cherry, I’ve come to give you your birthday gift.”

Cherry’s eyes lit up when she saw him. “Grandpa John! Was my grandaunt unable to come? What a shame!”

John, a butler, smiled and replied, “Yes, unfortunately, she wasn’t able to make it! However, she won’t scrimp on the gifts. I have brought them here.”

When Mrs. Livingstone heard him, she immediately curled her lips disdainfully.

It was normal that they would have relatives abroad.

That so-called “Grandpa John” didn’t look like someone from a huge conglomerate, though. At best, he was just a butler. Never would she have thought that she was actually right on the mark.

Mrs. Livingstone immediately smiled and said, “Your grandaunt? Cherry, you have a grandaunt overseas? What does she do for a living? Quick, open the present and let us have a look!”