Chapter 9
That night, Neera did not sleep well because of what happened at the baths. She looked lethargic by the next morning.
Harvey ordered room service for breakfast. He noticed that his mother was not feeling well, so he said, "Mommy, you should nap a little more after breakfast.
"You look tired. Were you working late last night?" Sammy said, feeling very concerned. He wondered if his mother was overworking herself because he lied to her about running out of money.
Penny offered, "Do you want a massage?"
Neera pinched the bridge of her nose to perk herself up and smiled at her children. "I'm fine. I probably didn't sleep well because I slept too much in the afternoon. I'll sleep earlier tonight, and I'll be fine. I'm heading out for a bit after breakfast. Stay in the hotel and wait for me, okay?"
The triplets nodded in unison.
"Are you going to the Garcia family residence?" Harvey asked as he handed his mother a glass of milk.
Neera took the glass and drank a little before replying, "Yes. I should get that settled as soon as possible. There are many other more important things to do."
Harvey nodded. "Take care, Mommy. I'll keep an eye on Sammy and Penny."
Neera gently pinched Harvey's cheek and said, "I'll leave them to you, big bro!"
After breakfast, Neera took a cab to the Garcia family residence. The ride took her half an hour.
When she got out of the cab and stood in front of the mansion, she could not help but recall what her father did to her six years ago.
She remembered how helpless she felt when standing at the front gate, and how her birth father had not shown her any mercy.
Now, she no longer possessed any feelings for the family. Only numbness was left.
She rang the doorbell, and someone quickly came over to open the door.
That was Richard, the family butler.
He did not seem to recognize Neera. "Good morning. You are..."
Neera was willing to be courteous to him. "I'm Neera Garcia. I'm here to look for Alfonso Garcia."
Richard seemed surprised to hear that. He quickly stepped aside and said, "Please come in."
Neera nodded and stepped through the gate.
As soon as she stepped into the living room, she saw Alfonso, Susan, and Roxanne. They were sitting on the sofa and chatting happily.
Richard informed them of Neera's arrival, and they turned to look at her.
They could not believe that the beautiful young woman standing in front of them was Neera.
Is she... really Neera? That's impossible!
As far as they remembered, Neera was a slum girl without any sense of fashion. Her entire being exuded cheapness.
The young woman in front of them was dressed in an elegant and mature manner. Her exquisite facial features are extremely eye-catching. There was a hint of coldness in those animated eyes, and her luscious red lips were curled up in a mocking smirk.
Her character exuded a certain untamed wildness.
"You are... Neera!" Roxanne was the first to come to her senses.
Her mouth was wide open as though she could not believe Neera's transformation.
Neera... She can't be that beautiful!
Susan and Alfonso were visibly surprised too. They did not say anything for a long time.
Neera frowned, unhappy that her time was being wasted. She went straight to the point. "You called me here to sign some papers, right? Where is it? I'm very busy!"
There was no warmth in her voice at all.
Alfonso finally came to his senses. He frowned and said, "What's the rush? We haven't met in so many years. Can't you greet your family first?"
Neera chuckled as though she had heard a funny joke. "Are we that close? I don't remember having a family here."
Alfonso's expression sank instantly. "Neera, is that what you've learned from your aunt? That's not how you should speak to your elders!"
"Yes! If you don't like it, shut up!" Neera said impatiently. "Are we signing the papers or not?"
Alfonso was furious.
Susan tried to mediate. She patted Alfonso's back and said, "Don't be mad at your daughter. If she wants to talk about serious business, let's do that..."
She smiled pretentiously at Neera and said, "Please have a seat, Neera."
"Nah. Be quick, please. My time is very precious," Neera said disdainfully, unwilling to show Susan any courtesy.
The middle-aged woman might look kind and gentle, but she had a wicked heart.
Six years ago, when Neera first returned to the Garcia household, she was dressed in cheap and old-fashioned clothes.
Susan pretended to be kind and brought her to a shopping mall to buy new clothes.
Neera had been grateful for Susan's gesture. She thought that Susan genuinely welcomed her return.
It turned out not to be the case.
The clothes that Susan bought for her were either tacky or a poor fit.
Whenever she went out, people laughed at her poor taste.
It was only after being driven out of the Garcia household that Neera understood Susan's malicious intentions.
That was why she could not hold back her disgust toward that woman.
Susan was initially surprised by Neera's brusqueness, but she maintained her composure.
You're nothing but an outcast of the family! I'm only putting up with you because I can take advantage of you!
Alfonso snorted coldly and told Richard to retrieve the documents in the study.
Richard quickly returned with the documents.
Alfonso took the documents and said, "The shares are from your mother, but I've been taking care of it on your behalf. I'm willing to hand them to you, but you have to agree to a condition first!"
Neera had already expected that things would not go so smoothly. She asked coldly, "What is it?"
Alfonso said, "You have to be married. Six years ago, your promiscuity resulted in your wedding with Zachary being called off, and we suffered serious monetary losses. You need to pay back what you cost us and agree to this marriage."
Neera chuckled audibly when she heard that. Her guess was correct.
The shares were only an excuse to lure her back to the country so her parents could marry her off again.
Knowing her parents' character, she did not expect too highly of her fiancé-to-be.
"With who?" she asked.
"Jean Beauvort of the Beauvort family!" Alfonso said haughtily as though he was being generous. "You're lucky to be able to marry into the most influential family of Kingsview."