Chapter 169

hapter 169 Chapter 169 ◌ུ 52%*

Elysia had just finished a painting and was about to wash her hands for dinner when the doorbell of Iskoria Villa rang. Since Faelan was busy in the kitchen, she quickly wiped her hands and rushed to open the door.

As soon as she opened it, she froze. “Zane, what are you doing here?”

“I was just passing by and thought I’d stop by to see Grandpa. Aren’t you happy to see me?” Zane asked with a playful smile.

“Oh, welcome! How could I be unhappy?” Elysia quickly stepped aside, gesturing for Zane to come in. “Have you had dinner yet?

*

Zane said, “Not yet.”

Elysia smiled. “Perfect. Faelan made a feast.”

Faelan, hearing the noise, came out of the kitchen with a tray in hand. When he saw Zane, he looked a bit surprised. “Mr.

Hartley? What brings you here?”

Faelan sounded a little surprised when he realized the usually elusive Zane had been coming around a lot recently. He turned to look at Elysia and found that every time she was around, Zane was sure to show up.

As a guess crossed his mind, Faelan couldn’t help but smile. He thought, ‘It seems Mr. Hartley isn’t entirely clueless–he acts in time. If he keeps doing this, he will soon get Elysia‘

Thinking this, Faelan flashed a grin and said, “Mr. Hartley, please have a seat.” He then went back to the kitchen to bring out two more dishes before heading to the studio to call Vincent for dinner.

However, when Vincent saw Zane, he frowned slightly. He then pulled out a chair and sat down. “How come you have time to visit?*

“I was just passing by and thought I’d stop by to check on you,” Zane replied as he poured Vincent a cup of tea.

Vincent didn’t say much. He knew Zane too well–he was obviously here for Elysia, and if he could win her over soon, it would settle one of his long–held wishes.

After dinner at Iskoria Villa, Zane drove Elysia back to the Rosewood residence before heading back to Royal Bay.

The next morning, Elysia had just returned from her morning run when she spotted a figure acting suspiciously near the Rosewood residence. As she walked closer, the figure became more familiar.

It seemed that the person had sensed someone was approaching, and when she turned around, their gazes met. Emma panicked and almost ran, but before she could lift her foot, she was stopped by Elysia. “What are you doing here?”

Hearing this, Emma knew there was no way out. She forced herself to calm down and turned around, putting on a casual look.

“L... I was just taking a walk.

Elysia frowned and thought, ‘Does she think she could fool me? What kind of walk could someone take from a suburban villa all the way here? With that look, she was clearly up to something. It was obvious she had no good intentions.”

“Do you think I’m as foolish as you? I’ll give you one minute, and you better tell me the truth. Otherwise...” Elysia glanced at Emma’s uninjured hand, her tone playful but chilling. “Otherwise, you can say goodbye to this hand.”

Emma took two steps back in fear. She had come here to find out if Elysia had been kicked out, but after looking around, she couldn’t find any sign of that being the case.

1/2 15:08 Sat, 15 Feb 0 Chapter 169 Just as she was about to approach a servant to ask, Elysia appeared behind her. The way Elysia looked didn’t seem like someone who had been driven out.

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However, Emma didn’t believe it. She thought, “With her falling out with the Ludwig family, how could Scott forgive her?”

Seeing that Emma remained silent, Elysia crossed her arms and took a few steps closer to her. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to speak?

Sensing the pressure radiating from Elysia, Emma steeled herself. After all, they had already burned their bridges, and there was no turning back. Gathering her courage, she met Elysia’s gaze. “Haven’t you been kicked out of the house?”

Elysia couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “What nonsense are you saying? Why would I be kicked out?”

“How could you not? You offended the Ludwig family. Didn’t Scott punish you?” Emma asked.

Elysia almost forgot about the situation with the Ludwig family. She had planned to issue a warning, but to her surprise, they hadn’t made any move. Although she didn’t know why, the fact that they hadn’t stirred up trouble was something she was content with.

However, she couldn’t let Emma know this. A little discomfort was her goal here. “So what if I offended the Ludwig family? Dad loves me so much that he can’t even bring himself to scold me. How could he ever punish me?”

Seeing Emma’s expression shift dramatically, Elysia smirked. She had achieved her goal. She leaned in a little closer and whispered, “I suggest you leave quickly. If Dad sees you here, he might scold you again.”

After saying that, a sly smile played at the corners of Elysia’s lips, and she turned, striding away.

Emma couldn’t help but tremble. She thought, ‘It’s unfair!‘

Her heart burned with bitterness. All she did was embarrass Scott at the birthday banquet, and he kicked her out of the house without a second thought. However, Elysia had caused such a huge mess, and yet Scott couldn’t even bring himself to scold her.

She wondered, ‘Is it just because I’m adopted?‘

Emma clenched her fists as she turned back to look at the villa, her eyes burning with hatred. She hated every single person inside that house, but right now, there was nothing she could do. She had to leave.

Elysia was right. If Scott saw Emma here, he would definitely be mad. After all, ever since she had been kicked out of the Rosewood family, Scott had never shown her a kind face.

Emma couldn’t afford to anger him again, not if she wanted to avoid further consequences.

Elysia felt a sense of satisfaction as she thought about how she had added to Emma’s frustration. She believed that Emma deserved it.

She wiped the sweat off her forehead with a smile. When Mary saw her, she hurried over with concern in her voice. “Ms.

Rosewood, any good news? You seem so happy.”

“Nothing,” Elysia replied, her gaze shifting to Bella, who was trimming the flowers in the garden. Ever since Emma had been kicked out, Bella had grown increasingly quiet. Elysia felt glad because it spared them both from awkward encounters.

She thought, ‘If Bella knew that I was the one who had kicked her precious daughter out of the family, she’d probably go mad:

Elysia thought with a slight smile. She then headed inside toward the house.

As she walked up to her bedroom on the second floor, preparing to take a hot shower, her phone suddenly rang. Seeing the 2/8 15:08 Sat, 15 Feb Chapter 169 familiar name on the screen, she picked it up.

“Elysia, guess where I am right now?” came Neo’s cheerful voice on the other end.

Elysia rolled her eyes. “If you don’t want me to hang up, just get to the point.”

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Neo said, “Fine. I’ll see you at Cheerup Restaurant in Sivro at ten o’clock tomorrow. Oh, I’ve invited my apprentice too.”

“Your apprentice?” Elysia raised an eyebrow, momentarily puzzled about who he was talking about.

Neo quickly explained, “Robert, remember? He’s also your apprentice.” Then, as if a thought struck him, he added, “If you don’t want him to know who you are, you can wear a mask.”

Elysia paused for a moment. She thought, ‘A mask? I don’t need one. I have a gift for Robert anyway.’

AD