Chapter 9---Zachary's Humiliation
1189 Words
The next day.
Early in the morning.
Alice Casey was still on the toilet when her phone rang. It was Natalie Finley.
Natalie sounded extremely excited. "Alice, have you seen today's news?"
"...I was just about to check," she replied.
"Your Zachary Hawkins and your Raymond Landry are both trending!"
"Since when is Zachary Hawkins *mine*?" Alice snapped.
"Does that mean Raymond Landry is?" Natalie teased.
"Natalie!" Alice was utterly exasperated.
Natalie burst into exaggerated laughter. "Anyway, just check the news. I think it's… pretty entertaining."
And with that, she hung up.
Alice didn't need to look to know what the media would say.
Most likely, it would be commentary on Raymond Landry and Zachary Hawkins.
Sure enough.
Alice scanned the top trending topics across major websites.
#Charity Gala Raises Over 100 Million, Raymond Landry Spends Millions in One Move#
#Love Not Worth It? Zachary Hawkins Refuses to Spend Big on Alice Casey#
#Mr. Raymond Landry's Extravagance Unchanged, Gifts 30-Million Gemstone On the Spot#
For the first time, Raymond Landry wasn't trending for tabloid gossip. This time, he even made headlines in finance and mainstream news—reactions were mixed.
And for Zachary Hawkins, it was also a first—his first time being mocked and criticized.
When Zachary saw the headlines, his face turned pitch black.
He had always been praised before. Now, the media was picking on him—calling him stingy, saying he didn't love Alice enough, claiming he wasn't as perfect as the world believed. They even dragged in the financial state of the Hawkins family, suggesting their cash flow was in crisis.
And they weren't wrong. There *was* a problem. That's exactly why the marriage to the Casey family was so urgent—to secure unconditional financing from them. But at this critical moment, that reckless spendthrift Raymond Landry had nearly ruined everything.
What infuriated him even more was that the Hawkins Group's stock opened plunging into deep green and hit the daily limit. To stabilize the market, the company had to pour in massive funds to prop up the share price—only deepening the financial crisis.
Zachary trembled with rage, yet forced himself to stay calm.
Right now, the most important thing was to marry Alice.
The Casey family ranked second in wealth among Nyxaria's four great families, just behind the Landrys. If he could secure the Caseys, combining their wealth with the Hawkins fortune would crush the Landrys. What could Raymond Landry do then?
Of course, once he had the Caseys under control, he'd finally have the capital to enter the ranks of Imperial City's noble families.
At this thought, a sinister smile curled at the corner of Zachary's lips.
The humiliation he suffered today—he would repay it tenfold.
…
At the Casey residence.
Alice watched the trending news with mild amusement.
Natalie called again. "Did you see it?"
"I did," Alice replied. "Why are you so excited?"
"I'm excited *for* you!" Natalie said, as if it were obvious. "I used to think your taste was terrible—I even considered talking you out of it. But now I suddenly realize you've got sharp eyes. How did you spot the bright side in a total scumbag like Raymond Landry?"
Alice wasn't sure whether that was a compliment.
"We're not like you think," she said.
"Oh? Then how are you?" Natalie asked, intrigued.
"You'll find out soon enough."
"Now you're keeping secrets from me? Alice Casey, you've changed!"
"Yeah," Alice thought. "I have changed."
Changed—into someone who repays every grain of sand with a mountain of vengeance.
"By the way," Natalie suddenly remembered, "Nathan Jensen is back."
"Is he?" Alice responded casually.
She vaguely recalled it was around this time.
Details were fuzzy.
"He came back last night, quietly—scared the hell out of me. But the thing is…" Natalie hesitated.
Now Alice was curious.
"Anyway, he's definitely up to no good. He's coming to steal my family's fortune!" Natalie declared firmly. "I won't let him get away with it."
Alice wanted to tell her:
It's not her half-brother who's after her inheritance—it's the man she's been in love with all along.
But she knew Natalie needed time to believe that.
"If you don't want Nathan taking your family's wealth, why not go to work at the company and take control yourself? Then nothing can go wrong."
"Uh…" Natalie didn't answer.
Clearly, she was too playful to even consider going to work.
She mumbled, "Isn't Nick there? He can hold things together for me!"
Natalie used to be just like her.
Just as naive.
"Anyway, think about my advice. Gotta go—my grandmother's calling."
There was an incoming call.
"What could that old woman possibly want?" Natalie grumbled.
Indeed, it wouldn't be anything good.
Which is why she needed time—to deal with these people properly.
Alice ended the call with Natalie and answered Eleanor Casey's.
"Grandma…"
"Who were you talking to? Took you forever to answer! Just like your father—no respect, no manners!" The voice was clearly sour.
Alice held the phone, suppressing her irritation.
Because of her extreme preference for sons over daughters, her grandmother had never liked her. She doted only on Andrew Casey, the eldest son of her elder brother. For years, Alice and her father had avoided confrontation with the old woman.
But this time—reborn into this life—
She had no intention of enduring such humiliation. Not even a little.
"What does Grandma need?" she asked.
"Come back to the ancestral home!" The line went dead.
Alice's expression darkened.
It was time to teach her grandmother a lesson.
Otherwise, she'd keep acting like the Empress Dowager herself.
She put down the phone, quickly washed up, and headed downstairs to leave.
"Alice, you haven't even had breakfast. Where are you going?" Nora Casey hurried to stop her daughter.
"To Grandma's."
"Why are you going there?" Nora asked, clearly surprised.
She had always feared her mother-in-law deep down.
Ever since marrying into the Casey family, she had never received a kind word from Eleanor Casey—because Nora came from a humble background, and Eleanor looked down on her. Only because her late father-in-law had favored Nora had the marriage been approved.
Afterward, Nora avoided Eleanor whenever possible.
Now hearing her daughter was going there, she naturally didn't want her to go.
"Grandma said she has something to discuss with me."
"What kind of matter?"
"She didn't say."
Nora had never dared to openly oppose Eleanor, so she wouldn't stop her daughter now. She thought for a moment. "I'll go with you."
"You're worried Grandma will bully me?"
"When has she *not* bullied you?" Nora retorted.
"You won't be able to help anyway," Alice bluntly pointed out.
She knew perfectly well—her mother hated family conflict and would never defy her mother-in-law.
"At least she won't be yelling at you alone," Nora said. That was the most protection she could offer.
Alice smiled.
Her mother was truly kind-hearted.
"Let's go."
Let's go—let me show you how to deal with your wicked mother-in-law!
- Writer
