One year on Isabella’s birthday, Eleanor custom-made a hairpin from the gemstones of a ruby necklace she brought with her as dowry. Mrs. Ada made a fuss about it, and in the end, Eleanor ended up buying a ruby necklace for Aria with her own money.
Eleanor often cried due to Mrs. Ada and her granddaughter’s unreasonable demands and insatiable desires. David, being overly filial, didn’t side with Eleanor.
Later, Eleanor divorced David, and Charlotte married into the family.
Charlotte was a shrewd woman. She persuaded Mrs. Ada to send Aria abroad to study. Although Mrs. Ada had limited experience, she agreed to let her granddaughter study abroad, but she insisted on accompanying her, worried about leaving her alone in a foreign country.
After Charlotte arranged their departure, Mrs. Ada and Aria happily went overseas. After their departure, Charlotte managed the household alone.
Now, with Mrs. Ada and Aria back, Isabella expected that life might become difficult.
Isabella felt there would be some drama. She was more than willing to sit back, drink tea, and eat snacks while watching the show. However, dealing with these overactive grandmother and granddaughter pairs would likely bring her trouble, which gave her a headache just thinking about it.
She believed it would be better to keep her distance from them in the future.
After a restless night, the day quickly dawned.
Ava habitually called for Isabella to wake up.
Sitting on the princess bed, rubbing her sleepy eyes, Isabella leaned against Ava, pretending to be coquettish. “Ava, have you made green bean soup? I haven’t had your homemade green bean soup for a long time.”
“Are you still daring to drink green bean soup? That woman almost poisoned you with it last time,” Ava said indignantly.
Isabella remembered Charlotte trying to poison her and instinctively frowned.
“Just because it might rain, doesn’t mean you won’t leave the house. I’m not that timid.”
“Alright, I’ll make some for you later.” Ava lovingly reached out, tapping her forehead. Then she reminded her, “Hurry and freshen up. Your father and Mrs. Ada are already up, and they’ll make you suffer if you keep them waiting.”
She got out of bed, took a quick shower, dried her hair, changed into casual clothes, and walked out of the room.
The Harris family was unusually gathered in the main hall downstairs.
Mrs. Ada and David sat on the central sofa, while Charlotte sat with Victoria and Emily on the other side. Aria was busy presenting gifts.
She gave David a gold tie clip. David smiled and accepted it, praising Aria’s good taste.
Emily craned her neck for a look. Though branded, the tie clip was far from expensive. She involuntarily curled her lips.
Aria gifted Charlotte a French perfume. It was passable but with a strong fragrance, possibly unsuitable for her. She was unlikely to use it.
However, Charlotte, being diplomatic, praised Aria’s gift lavishly in front of Mrs. Ada and David, regardless of her true feelings.
When it was Victoria and Emily’s turn, Aria gave each of them a box of chocolates.
Victoria remained composed and accepted them with a smile.
Emily, however, had no intention of giving face. She directly tossed the chocolates to Lily. “Take these, they’re brought back from England, so they’re expensive.”
Lily, unaware of the underlying dynamics, happily thanked Emily and Aria as she took the chocolates.
Aria watched Lily open the box in front of her, putting a black chocolate in her mouth. Her face froze, feeling awkward and embarrassed.
Mrs. Ada’s expression turned sour, and she coldly said, “Aria, since people don’t appreciate what you give them, don’t bother giving gifts in the future.”
“Grandma, you’re quite the joker. If my cousin gave me a diamond necklace, how could I possibly look down on it?” Emily said sarcastically.
Mrs. Ada was enraged, her face turning livid as she forcefully slammed the table.
Charlotte quickly stepped in, attempting to defuse the situation. “Emily, joking is one thing, but please stop causing trouble.”
Emily snorted disdainfully, stood up, and walked upstairs.
As she left, Mrs. Ada’s faint roar could be heard, “Is this the exemplary noblewoman the Harris family raised? Absolutely no manners at all!”
David and Charlotte hurriedly tried to calm Mrs. Ada down.
Isabella descended the stairs, feeling she might have arrived at an inopportune moment. As expected, with no other outlet for her anger, Mrs. Ada vented towards her, “What time did you get up now? You show no sign of a proper lady. Who taught you these bad habits?”
Isabella remained silent. She couldn’t be bothered to waste words defending herself.
Aria, on the other hand, found a way out for herself. She took the opportunity to hold Isabella’s hand and handed her the remaining box of chocolates. “Isabella, this is a gift I brought for you from England.”
“Thank you, cousin, for remembering me,” Isabella happily accepted.
However, as she weighed the box of chocolates in her hand, she couldn’t help but think that Emily’s judgment of Aria might have some truth to it. Over the years, she had lived lavishly on the Harris family’s money. During her years abroad, she wore branded clothing and brought back only a few inexpensive items to give them as gifts.
Isabella smiled faintly, casually glancing at Aria, and seemingly indifferent, she remarked, “Your dress, cousin, looks really nice.”
It was the first time Aria received praise since returning to the country, and she blossomed, unable to resist showing off. “Really? Grandma also said this long dress suits me well. It’s a limited edition. There’s only one of this style and color. Even if there are similar ones, they’re just imitations.”
Aria, straightforward as she was, kept talking non-stop.
Mrs. Ada’s expression subtly changed. The gifts they brought back from England weren’t worth much, but Aria’s dress was worth tens of thousands. This discrepancy did not sit well with her.
She instinctively glanced at David, and indeed, the smile had vanished from his face.
Mrs. Ada frowned, wrinkles forming on her forehead, her shrewd eyes fixed on Isabella.
Meanwhile, Isabella was chatting and laughing with Aria, both giggling loudly, seemingly carefree.
The tense lines on Mrs. Ada’s forehead eased slightly. She thought she might have been overthinking it. Isabella had long been softened by Charlotte. It was impossible for her to be so cunning.
Mrs. Ada’s gaze shifted back to David. She spoke up, “David, Aria has returned after studying abroad for so many years. Her future development will still depend on you as her uncle, to worry about her well-being.”