Chapter 9
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Phoebe’s ears turned slightly pink. She pretended to be embarrassed, gently covering Rowena’s mouth. “Rowena, don’t say things like that. If it really doesn’t work, I can share a room with you.”
“No,” Vance said firmly, frowning. “You’re not here to play nanny. You’re not squeezing into a room with a child.”
Phoebe looked up at him, her pale neck tilted back, eyes slightly red and full of gentle emotion. “I don’t mind… really.”
For a second, Vance was caught off guard. In that moment, she looked just like the girl she used to be all those years ago.
He reached out and patted her head instinctively. “It’s just a room. Stay there.”
‘Worst case,‘ he thought, ‘if Estela ever comes back, I’ll let her stay with me. Hah. She’d be lucky.’
And with that, the matter was settled.
“Yay!”
Rowena grabbed their hands and spun between them with glee.
‘If only Mom never came back. That would be perfect,‘ she thought.
But after a moment of excitement, she deflated a little.
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‘That naggy woman probably wouldn’t stay gone for long. She is bound to show up and ruin everything again.’
‘After I blocked her yesterday, Mom has probably tried to call a hundred times!‘
Rowena pulled out her phone and smugly opened her blocked list.
She scrolled to the call log. Other than a few attempts right after being blocked, the screen showed zero new missed calls.
Her eyes widened, and an unfamiliar wave of unease settled over her. ‘Not a single call?‘
Phoebe noticed her staring blankly at Estela’s name and gently squeezed her hand. “Come on, Rowena–let’s go eat dinner. I’ll help you with your puzzle later tonight.”
“Phoebe is the best!”
In an instant, that strange unease vanished. Rowena locked her screen and tossed the worry aside.
‘So what if Mom didn’t call? Who cares! I don’t need her. I’ve got Phoebe–she’s all I need!‘ she thought.
*****
At 8 p.m., a light rain began to fall over Trurgh, pattering softly on the city.
The National Heritage Ceremony was wrapping up. Delia had to leave early due to a last–minute issue at her studio.
Estela saw her off, then continued browsing the exhibit alone.
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Along the way, she exchanged contacts with several up–and- coming designers. It turned out to be an unexpectedly fruitful night.
She hadn’t anticipated it–after all these years away from the industry, the thrill of design still stirred something deep within her.
Conversations with creatives from all over the country
brought a spark of life back to her soul–something that had long felt numb and forgotten.
‘Maybe, just maybe, it isn’t too late to start again,‘ she thought.
Because of vehicle restrictions, she waited outside for her ride after the event.
A sleek black SUV rolled up beside her. The window lowered slowly.
“Ms. Warren, the rain’s picking up. Need a lift?”
Estela looked up and met the kind gaze of a man.
It was Mervin Patel–one of the people she had exchanged contact info with earlier.
He was a master woodcarver and a recognized inheritor of intangible cultural heritage. His craftsmanship was nothing short of extraordinary.
Estela smiled faintly, just about to politely decline the offer when a sharp, mocking female voice suddenly rang out behind her, “Well, well, Estela. No wonder you’re not at home playing the dutiful daughter–in–law. Turns out you’ve got a
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wandering heart! Sneaking around behind my brother’s back to meet men now, are we?”
Estela frowned and turned around to face the speaker. “It’s not what you think.”
Thelma let out a cold, scornful laugh.
Her gaze swept over Estela before landing on the man in the car, her tone dripping with implication. “So this is what you meant by being ‘busy‘? Since leaving my brother, your standards have really gone downhill.”
She’d heard all the rumors–how Estela had drugged Vance back in the day, scheming her way into his bed.
Vance, trying to preserve Estela’s reputation, had covered it all up and married her because of the pregnancy, while Phoebe had been forced to suffer in silence.
And now? Just a few years later, Estela was back to flirting around the moment she got some freedom. A woman like that–cheap, shameless–just looking at her made Thelma sick.
Her expression twisted with disgust. “Don’t forget who you are, Estela. What do you think Rowena and Josh would say if they
you behaving like this? Do you really think they’d still u Mom? Haven’t you done enough to hurt Vance peady? Stop embarrassing the Leon family. If you want to run around with other men, then go ahead and finalize the divorce!”
Estela’s lashes trembled, and a dull ache spread through her
chest.
All these years in the Leon family, she’d carried the weight of
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Charter 9
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accusations–called manipulative, immoral, a social climber- and was forced to sever every tie with her past.
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