Chapter 155
"What?"
"You're not pregnant, so why are you drinking the soup? Isn't it inappropriate to take things meant for the mother-to-be?"
"It's such a large pot. Can you even finish it?"
"Of course I can."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Isabella Langley dropped the act. "Since it was stewed for me, it's best if others don't touch it. Don't you agree?"
"Fine," Victoria Roscente fumed, slamming her bowl down with a cold nod. "Keep it and drink it slowly yourself!"
She turned and stormed off.
Isabella raised a triumphant eyebrow.
She glanced at the two bowls of soup on the table, curling her lip in disdain.
Without taking a single sip, she went straight back to her room.
"Why didn't you drink the chicken soup?!"
Isabella had just woken up and yawned. "I suddenly didn't feel like it. Is that a problem?"
"You—"
"Auntie Victoria, please knock before entering my room. Your sudden appearances startle the baby."
Victoria Roscente was speechless.
That evening, Isabella sat in the living room watching TV.
Victoria suggested she take a walk in the garden, saying it was good for the fetus.
Isabella ignored her completely.
"Auntie Victoria, since you have so much free time, why not go buy me some wontons? The ones from Old Luigi's on the west side. They have the best flavor."
Victoria looked out the window. It was already dark.
Driving to the west side would take fifty minutes, nearly two hours round trip.
The wonton shop would be closed by now.
Even if it were open, the wontons would be a soggy mess by the time they got back.
"They're probably closed by now. If you want wontons, have Martha make some at home…"
Isabella spoke slowly. "Homemade ones can't compare to the ones from that shop. They close at eleven. There's still time to go and queue."
Victoria was, of course, unwilling.
Queue for wontons in the middle of the night?
How could she even suggest such a thing!
"The baby wants them, not me."
"If you won't go, that's fine. I can't sleep if I don't get them. If I don't sleep, your grandson will be uncomfortable."
"The doctor said my emotions shouldn't be agitated. I shouldn't be stressed…"
Victoria said, "Have the driver go, or order a delivery."
It wouldn't cost much.
Isabella blinked. "But the baby says it only wants the ones Grandma buys. What should we do?"
Victoria Roscente was speechless.
"Sigh, never mind. This is just how unloved children are," Isabella said, her face full of disappointment. "Hmm… My stomach seems to hurt again…"
"Fine!" Victoria gritted her teeth, her facial muscles twitching. "Grandma will go buy them!"
She angrily called for the driver. "To the west side."
Isabella smiled. "Martha, could you wash a plate of cherries for me?"
"Martha—I heard you're a great cook. I want wontons. Right now."
Martha frowned. "But Madam has already gone to buy some…"
"How long will it take for her to get back? I want some now!"
"Then I'll call and ask Madam to come back."
Isabella sneered. "No need. I want both the homemade ones and the ones from the shop."
Martha was speechless.
Heavens!
Victoria's trip was fraught with difficulty.
It started pouring rain on the way.
The wonton shop was deep in an alley, requiring a walk in, and there was a queue!
She finally managed to buy them and return, only to find the living room dark.
She asked Martha and learned Isabella had already eaten, said she was tired half an hour ago, and went upstairs to sleep.
Furious, Victoria threw the takeout container!
"That little bitch!" She'd deal with her sooner or later!
Wontons scattered everywhere, soup splashed, creating a mess.
Martha thought to herself?
Really, I'm exhausted.
…
The next day, Isabella said she had no appetite and wanted something flavorful.
Victoria prepared bird's nest soup, stewed fish maw, and made pork knuckle soup with beans, hoping to nourish her.
Isabella took one sip and spat it out.
"What kind of soup is this? It's so greasy. Is this for a pregnant woman? I said I wanted something flavorful. Is this flavorful? It tastes like pig stink!"
Victoria watched the soup she'd stewed all morning being rejected, her brow twitching. "This is pork knuckle soup with beans. It's good for the baby."
"Good for the baby, but unimportant for the mother? There's such a thick layer of oil on top. It makes me nauseous just looking at it. How can I drink it?"
Victoria took a deep breath. "What do you want then?"
"How can you be so stupid? Do I need to teach you such a simple thing? Can't you skim the fat off? How did someone with your intelligence survive this long…"
She showed no mercy, her words venomous and harsh.
No one had ever spoken to Victoria like that before. She instantly flew into a rage, standing up abruptly. "Who are you calling stupid? Isabella Langley, don't go too far!"
If she had paid closer attention, she would have noticed that Isabella's tone and the things she said were almost identical to what Victoria herself had previously said to Isabella.
That's right, Isabella was getting revenge.
She was carrying seventy-two million dollars in her belly.
Even if she couldn't marry into the wealthy family, she could use the child to get a sum of money.
Surely they'd give her at least one million, right?
With that much money, whether she married Ethan Roscente or not didn't matter.
He didn't care for her anyway.
Since she wasn't marrying into wealth, there was no need to please her future mother-in-law.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Isabella said, "Are you yelling at me? I just asked you to skim off some fat, not do anything else. If you're so unwilling, you can leave. I never begged you to stay."
"If anything happens to the child in my belly… don't you regret it."
"!"
Victoria silently repeated "hold back" several times before calming down.
She started skimming the fat from the soup surface as Isabella demanded.
After working for over half an hour, Isabella only took a few sips.
Victoria was so angry she almost had a relapse of her vertigo…
The Roscente household was in chaos, but Sophia Sullivan's life was peaceful.
In mid-June, she visited Professor Eleanor Watson's home again.
The plants were easy to care for; just some watering and weeding.
She mainly wanted to check if the professor's leg had improved.
"You know," Professor Watson said, "I really think you chose the wrong major. You should have gone to medical school. I guarantee you'd learn faster and better than those medical students!"
Sophia checked the area that had been swollen last time. Finding the swelling had gone down and it was basically back to normal, she felt relieved.
"Alright, I'll take your suggestion seriously and consider it properly." Sophia nodded with feigned solemnity.
Professor Watson patted her lightly, chiding, "I was joking! Don't take it seriously."
Changing majors mid-stream? She was absolutely capable of doing something like that.
Just like Alexander Laurent all those years ago, stubbornly switching from biology to physics. Amidst a storm of skepticism and ridicule from the outside world, he still excelled.
No, he did even better!
Perhaps that's what genius is. No matter what they do, if they want to, they can definitely succeed.
"Where are the results from your most recent hospital check-up? Let me see."
prolonged illness makes a doctor of a patient. Although Sophia wasn't sick herself, having a sick person close to her for a long time meant she eventually learned to read CT scans and understand blood test reports.
"…Not bad. Although some indicators are still a bit high, most are normal now. It seems you've really been listening, resting properly during this time."
The housekeeper, who was selecting vegetables nearby, laughed. "That's right! On the days our Professor Watson forgets to take her medicine, you call to remind her. She can't forget even if she wants to."
"Ahem! Jade, say less. Save some face for me…"
Seeing Professor Watson's expression of having her secrets exposed, Sophia couldn't help but laugh. "Since this method works, we'll keep doing it from now on."
Professor Watson didn't respond, clearing her throat lightly and quickly changing the subject. "By the way, let me introduce you to someone."
"Who?"
"Sebastian, you can come out now."