Chapter 4
The next morning, Rosalyn was woken up by the noise coming from the living room. She glanced at her phone. It was eight in the morning.
Lauren was already up, complaining to Charles in the living room, her voice so loud that everyone in the house could hear her.
She yelled, "Rosalyn is spoiled by her parents. She has no respect for us at all. She sent her husband to sleep in the guest room on her wedding night and yelled at me.
"Damn, I'm teaching her a lesson later."
"Mom, stop," Charles said impatiently. "We can't afford to piss her off right now. We still need the Sutton family's help.
"Once I win her over and get what we want from the Sutton family, we'll deal with her."
"Win her over? How are you going to do that? She's not listening to us. She won't give us 300 thousand. She doesn't care about the Jenkins family at all," Lauren snapped.
Rosalyn lay in bed, listening to the conversation outside and sneering.
She thought, 'Some people never change. Charles and Lauren are the same. They never blame themselves. All they care about is how to trick me and keep me under their control.'
She got up, freshened up, changed into new clothes, and did light makeup.
In the mirror, she looked sharp and composed. There was no fear or weakness left from her previous life.
As she finished getting ready, the doorbell rang. Lauren's enthusiastic voice followed. "Oh, Vera, it's so good to see you. Come on in."
Vera was here.
Rosalyn straightened her clothes and strolled out of the bedroom.
Vera was holding a delicate gift box in the living room, dressed in a white dress. She looked pretty, showing off her signature innocent look.
When she saw Rosalyn come out, her eyes sparkled, and she rushed over with a big smile. "Rosalyn, congrats. Girl, I'm so happy for you."
Vera tried to hug Rosalyn, but Rosalyn sidestepped, giving her a subtle smile. "Thanks, Vera. Take a seat."
Vera's arms hung awkwardly in the air, surprise flickering in her eyes.
Vera thought, 'Rosalyn and I used to be close, always hugging each other whenever we met. Why is she avoiding me now?'
Still, she quickly masked her surprise, smiling as she handed Rosalyn the gift box. "Rosalyn, this is a gift for you. It's a pair of matching couple bracelets. May you and Charles enjoy a lifetime of happiness."
As she said this, she deliberately glanced at Charles, a barely noticeable hint of flirtation flashing in her eyes.
In Rosalyn's previous life, she had been overwhelmed with joy when she received this gift, convinced that Vera truly cared about her.
Later, she discovered that Vera and Charles had picked out those matching bracelets together. And she was the biggest fool in the whole story.
Rosalyn took the gift box and casually set it on the coffee table without opening it. She said casually, "Thanks."
Vera was more surprised by Rosalyn's chilly attitude, but she quickly put on a wronged expression.
She looked at Rosalyn and said, "Rosalyn, what's going on? Are you upset? Did Charles do something to you? Tell me. I'll defend you."
As she spoke, she reached for Rosalyn's hand, acting like a loyal best friend willing to go through anything for her.
Charles immediately chimed in, sighing. "Vera, you're finally here. Can you talk to Rosalyn?
"I asked her to help my brother out with a down payment for a house, and she got all upset. She kicked me out to the guest room on our wedding night."
He was hoping Vera would sway Rosalyn. In Rosalyn's previous life, whenever they had a fight, she would always soften as soon as Vera stepped in.
Vera acted like a caring best friend, holding Rosalyn's hand and saying seriously, "Rosalyn, you really shouldn't have done this.
"Charles's brother is basically your family now. He's getting married and needs a house. As a part of this family, you should help him.
"Your family is loaded. 300 thousand is nothing for you guys. Is it really worth fighting with Charles over that? Come on, marriage is about having each other's backs. You can't break Charles's heart like that."
The exact same lines as before.
Back then, Rosalyn bought Vera's bullshit and went home begging her family for cash. However, now, seeing Vera play the innocent again, Rosalyn felt sick to her stomach.
She pulled her hand back, picked up the glass of water from the table, and took a slow sip.
Then she looked up at Vera with a faint smile. "Vera, you really don't need to meddle in a married couple's affairs."
As soon as Rosalyn said that, the living room fell silent.
Vera's smile froze, and she stared at Rosalyn in shock. "Rosalyn, what do you mean? Come on, we're besties. I'm not meddling."
"Besties?" Rosalyn sneered, her icy gaze making Vera shiver.
She said, "A real bestie wouldn't try to talk her friend into draining her own family's money to help her in-laws. And she definitely wouldn't flirt with her friend's husband the day after the wedding."
Rosalyn's words hit Vera like a slap across the face.
Vera turned pale, her eyes darting around in panic. She shot a nervous look at Charles and stammered, "Rosalyn, what are you talking about? When did I ever flirt with Charles? How can you say that?"
Lauren immediately backed up Vera. "Yeah. Rosalyn, have you lost your mind? Vera came here to visit you, and you slander her for no reason. That's disrespectful."
"Slander her?" Rosalyn raised an eyebrow, glancing at Vera's phone. "Vera, you messaged Charles last night at ten.
"You said, 'I was so jealous Rosalyn got to be with you tonight. I really missed you.' That was from you, wasn't it?"
Rosalyn's words landed like a bomb, and everyone was stunned. Vera's face turned pale, and she started shaking uncontrollably.
She couldn't believe Rosalyn actually knew about this.