Chapter 99
She saw Isabella Langley off at the school gate.
Victoria Roscente offered a few more reminders.
"Be careful."
"Watch the baby."
Only then did she tell the driver to head back.
The car drove smoothly.
Victoria sat in the back seat.
Her gaze fell on the scarf beside her.
A garish, vulgar shade of magenta.
The more she looked at it, the more it irritated her.
She tossed it carelessly under the seat.
She recoiled her hand quickly.
As if she had touched something filthy.
She couldn't help but frown, thinking of Isabella's petty demeanor.
Plain-looking, timid in her actions.
'Naive' was putting it kindly.
'Unpresentable' was more accurate.
Her eyes swept over the scarf again.
Inferior yarn, crude stitching.
No fancy packaging could hide its cheapness.
Typical of someone from a modest background.
Limited vision.
She recalled the gifts Sophia Sullivan used to give.
Silk scarves, jewelry, handbags.
Each one exquisite and tasteful.
Clearly chosen with care...
Victoria snapped back to reality.
Why was she thinking of that jinx?
...
"Madam, we're home."
Amelia Roscente greeted her as soon as she entered.
Her eyes lit up seeing the beautifully wrapped box in her mother's hand.
But inside was a magenta scarf.
The stitching was crooked.
The color was utterly tacky.
"Mom, what is this ugly thing? You're not actually going to wear it, are you?"
Amelia picked up the scarf with two fingers.
Her face was full of disdain.
The taste was a disaster.
The magenta was dowdy.
The craftsmanship was appallingly rough.
Victoria said irritably, "That girlfriend of your brother's sent it. Said she knitted it herself, 'full of heart.' I think she's just too cheap to spend money. Foisting this trash on me."
If it weren't for the pregnancy, this garbage would never have entered the Roscente home.
Every item she owned was a brand name.
Custom pieces, designer labels.
This scarf wasn't even fit for their dog.
"What?!" Amelia's eyes widened. "She's pregnant with my brother's child?!"
Sophia Sullivan had shown no signs for years.
This Isabella Langley certainly had some skills.
Got herself knocked up so quickly.
So desperate to climb the social ladder.
Victoria said, "I just found out today. If she hadn't called, I'd still be in the dark."
Amelia raised an eyebrow. "She contacted you directly? Not my brother?"
Victoria nodded. "Why?"
Amelia's expression turned knowing. "Think about it. Why would she go behind my brother's back to you?"
Victoria paused.
"He must not want the baby. So she came to you for support."
Trying to use her pregnancy to secure a position.
This drama was all too common among the wealthy families in Kyoto.
What woman didn't want to marry into riches?
Amelia's eyes gleamed. "Mom, you're not actually going to let her into the family, are you?"
Victoria frowned. "Of course not! We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl. Besides, she's plain, her taste is awful, completely unpresentable. I heard she just graduated from some ordinary tech institute. How could the Roscente family accept a daughter-in-law like that?"
In her eyes, her son was flawless.
His wife should at least have a master's from a prestigious university.
An overseas background was even better.
Isabella didn't measure up in any way.
If it weren't for the child, she wouldn't have even agreed to meet.
Want to marry into the Roscente family?
Dream on!
Amelia shrugged, having expected this.
She threw the scarf into the trash.
She meticulously wiped her hands with a wet wipe.
Afraid of catching the poor person's stench.
"Good. Who does Isabella Langley think she is? She's not fit to be my sister-in-law. She's not even as good as Sophia Sullivan."
Just an empty title of 'school beauty.'
No family background, no capabilities.
She had no idea what her brother saw in her.
He must be blind!
"Ugh, I'm so sick of my brother's mess. Don't tell me about it. I'm going out!"
Amelia grabbed her gifts and imported fruits.
She hurried out the door.
She was going to see Professor Eleanor Watson.
To plead for a graduate spot one more time.
If the professor agreed to expand enrollment, she had hope!
Victoria followed her to the door with reminders. "The roads are slippery, drive carefully…"
Arriving at Professor Watson's house, memories of her last rejection surfaced.
Amelia pressed her lips together, feeling timid.
But her future was at stake.
She took a deep breath and got out of the car with her gifts.
This time, she didn't bring too much.
The emphasis was on sincerity.
She had practiced what to say repeatedly beforehand.
The most appropriate angle for a smile.
She walked along the quiet path to the professor's house.
But she didn't see the professor herself.
A familiar figure was tending to the plants in the yard.
"...Sophia Sullivan?!"
Eleanor Watson enjoyed gardening.
She had a dedicated small garden in the front yard.
Lately, she'd been busy, and the weather was cold.
Afraid the plants would freeze, she had specifically asked Sophia to look after them.
Only Sophia was suited for this task.
She was careful and experienced.
Professor Watson had simply given her a key.
Sophia had been coming often over the past month.
Amelia saw her gloves were covered in mud.
The soil, damp from recent rain, had been turned over.
Clearly, she had been working for a while.
This time, she wasn't foolish enough to think Sophia was here doing manual labor.
But...
Her relationship with the professor was obviously unusual!
Amelia immediately spoke with a sour tone. "I underestimated you. Quite resourceful, using this method to curry favor with the professor. Is this how you scored high on the interview?"
She'd heard many students would do anything to ingratiate themselves with their advisors.
In name, it was a teacher-student relationship.
But in secret, it was no different from being a personal assistant.
At everyone's beck and call.
Worse than a dog.