Everyone there was waiting excitedly for me to make a fool of myself.
Yvette's smile, in particular, had almost reached ear to ear as she waited expectantly.
I recalled Sophia's instructions and didn't bother to pay any more attention to Hendrick. Soon, everyone would know just who I was going to marry anyway.
Yvette and I rode the same car back.
She turned the brooch around in her hands and looked at me smugly.
"So what if Ricky marries you? He doesn't like you, so even if you marry him, you'll still be nothing more than an unwanted stray."
Without Hendrick around, Yvette was finally revealing her true colors.
She took out her compact to touch up her makeup. The reflection in the mirror revealed a smug, triumphant-looking woman.
In my past life, our father had gotten her to marry a rising star in the business world. Though this man from Sodersburg had started out from scratch, he eventually became an investment mogul, and his net worth skyrocketed.
Yvette's life had turned out so much better than mine with an arranged marriage.
Now that I had another chance at life, I wasn't going to let Dad intervene in her marriage. I wanted to see just how she was going to end up.
Yvette gave me an annoyed push when she realized I was ignoring her.
"Don't think for a second that you can appear calm by just staying quiet."
I chuckled helplessly. "In that case, I hope you get the marriage that you wished for and that you and Hendrick have little babies soon."
Hearing this, Yvette flushed red, and her face became twisted. She sat there frozen, wanting to go off at me but not knowing how to do it exactly.
I asked our driver to pull over, then opened the door and got out, leaving her inside the car with her eyes bulging and her mouth agape.
On the day of Sophia's 70th birthday, my father and I went to give our well-wishes.
In order to avoid being the center of gossip of those who also came for the celebration, I went to the gardens by myself.
Yvette hadn't been invited, but I somehow ran into her there.
There were rumors that Hendrick had been constantly giving her presents these few days. It had started off with a one-of-a-kind necklace that he had won at an auction. Then the next day, it was a limited-edition luxury bag, and the following day, it was a sports car.
Now, she was dressed head to toe in luxury brand and looked even more eye-catching than Sophia at her own birthday celebration.
When Yvette saw me, she sauntered over arrogantly.
"How can you dress like that for Mrs. Jefferson Senior's birthday, Whitney? A master designer custom-made this for me, and it's one of a kind. This is how you should show your respect toward Mrs. Jefferson Senior."
I snorted inwardly as I stared at her. It was hilarious how she was strutting around so arrogantly without even caring about the star of this birthday banquet. I couldn't wait to see how she was going to clean up this mess of hers.
Seeing as I didn't respond, Yvette continued in her haughty tone, "Also, Hendrick has promised to have a world-class designer custom-make my gown for your wedding. As for your wedding dress, he said you can just buy whatever's available."
I was getting rather annoyed, so I stood up to leave. Just as I did so, I noticed a necklace with a carved gemstone around her neck, and my heart sank.
That necklace was identical to the one my mother had left me before she died.
My maternal grandmother had passed the necklace on to my mother, and before my mother passed it on to me, she had added a carved multicolored gemstone and had it inlaid onto the necklace while also engraving my name on the back.
After my mother passed away, I had cherished it immensely and couldn't even bear to wear it.
I walked closer to Yvette and reached for the necklace, wanting to get a better look.
Yvette, however, suddenly leaned backward and jumped into the lake.
She yelled loudly as she splashed around, "Whitney, I know Ricky doesn't love you, but why do you need to take it out on me and push me in?"
Before I could say anything, an icy voice sounded behind me.
"Whitney, what did you do?"
Suddenly, I found myself pushed into the lake as well. I could only watch as Hendrick hurriedly jumped in behind me and carried Yvette out, then took his coat off and draped it around her.
I swam up and got out of the lake, dripping wet. When Hendrick saw me, he slapped me hard across the face and roared, "Have you gone insane?"
I stared at him, then at Yvette before asking her sternly, "Where did that necklace around your neck come from?"
A flash of guilt crossed her face, but her tone became more confident when she realized Hendrick would stand up for her.
"It's a gift from Ricky."
I stepped forward, staring at her closely.
"You're lying. My mother had someone handcraft that necklace especially for me. It's the only one of its kind. Take it off right now!"
Yvette's hands flew to the necklace to shield it from me. "Why should I? This is a present from Ricky! You're my sister, and you want to steal this from me? I never expected you to slander me just to prevent me from marrying him!"
She began to cry, and her whimpers and sniffles were grating to the ears.
I couldn't be bothered to waste my breath on her, so I just reached out to grab the necklace. But before I could, Hendrick stood protectively in front of her and roughly pushed me to the ground.
"Whitney! If you dare bully Yvette again, then don't blame me if I don't show you any mercy!" he roared.
