In an instant, their gazes met mid-air.
Seeing Cecilia Vaughn, dressed in an ordinary white dress, yet still exquisitely beautiful and ethereal, Fiona Vaughn dug her manicured nails deeply into her palm.
After being tormented in prison for three years, Fiona had thought Cecilia would have become completely unrecognizable, but surprisingly, she remained as cold and graceful as ever!
In fact, she even exuded a sense of solitary resilience that surpassed her from three years ago!
...
Chloe Alden was even more impatient than Fiona. Earlier, upon hearing what Mona Summers had said, she was almost boiling with anger!
Being the mayor's daughter, Chloe Alden was used to arrogance, and she stormed angrily towards Cecilia Vaughn and Mona Summers!
"Mona, you better make it clear to me, who exactly is the jinx?"
Mona Summers looked down on those who relied on some family power to act lawlessly, and she sneered directly at Chloe Alden.
"Whoever asks must be the one."
Chloe Alden was choked for half a second, and anger immediately flashed across her face.
She glanced at Mona Summers, then condescendingly glared at Cecilia Vaughn with disdain.
"Mona, I certainly can't compare to this Eldest Miss Vaughn beside you, who went to prison for three years at just eighteen. Looking at her makes me feel unlucky!"
"Look how stunning Eldest Miss Vaughn is. Back then she went to jail for seducing men. I wonder how many men fulfilled her in those three years in prison?"
"Fiona, don't you agree?"
Hearing Chloe Alden sarcastically insinuate that Cecilia Vaughn was impure, Fiona Vaughn nearly burst into laughter!
But she forced herself to hold back.
Fiona Vaughn bit her rosy lips, as if embarrassed, and tugged a little at Chloe Alden's sleeve.
"Chloe, don't say that. No matter what, Cecilia is still my sister. She just made a mistake…"
Fiona Vaughn spoke hesitatingly, as if tacitly admitting that Cecilia Vaughn indeed had affairs with numerous men.
...
What a way to say "made a mistake"!
Being slandered by Chloe Alden about her past imprisonment, and seeing Fiona Vaughn's white lotus-like act of helping, Cecilia Vaughn's face suddenly darkened!
Three years had passed, and Fiona Vaughn's hidden prickly nature hadn't changed a bit!
And Mona Summers, more infuriated than Cecilia herself, stood up directly!
"Chloe Alden, nothing but filth comes from a dog's mouth. Watch your words! Cecilia is countless times purer than someone like you!"
"Who are you calling a dog?!"
...
She actually called me a dog!
Chloe Alden was so furious that she jumped in anger, and she turned her head to beckon to the restaurant manager.
"Manager Sinclair, since when did lowly people also dine at Cinderella's Restaurant?!"
"Those jail-bird women, and the shrew beside her, are a real eyesore. Manager Sinclair, why haven't you thrown them out yet?!"
The floor manager had long noticed the commotion here, but initially had no intention of getting involved in the mess.
Everyone knew that Chloe Alden was the mayor's daughter in Stellerton, arrogant to the extreme, and had caused trouble before. She was extremely hard to serve.
Now being publicly named, the manager reluctantly came over.
He looked troubled, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Well... Miss Alden, the two guests at table A076 have a reservation, and they've also paid a deposit in advance…"
"Kicking them out now wouldn't be appropriate, would it?…"
Seeing the manager's cowardly demeanor, Chloe Alden felt even more infuriated.
"I said kick them out, so just do it. Isn't it just a deposit? I'll pay double!"
Hearing this, the manager glanced at Cecilia Vaughn, somewhat tempted.
"Miss, perhaps it would be better if you and your friend choose another restaurant? The deposit can be refunded to you."
...
Cecilia Vaughn saw Chloe Alden's arrogant demeanor and remained calm.
After all these years, Chloe Alden still had the nouveau riche behavior, thinking money could solve anything.
"Manager Sinclair, is it? I wasn't aware your restaurant had a rule about paying double to eject someone."
"If you're going to kick us out, then specify which rule of your restaurant we violated. If there's no evidence, I don't mind filing a complaint with the Consumer Protection Association."
Looks like she's not someone to be trifled with!
Manager Sinclair sweat more and more, feeling overwhelmed.
...
Just as tensions escalated, a soft and sweet voice began to speak.
"Alright, Chloe, don't make things difficult for Manager Sinclair."
"It's just a minor friction. Let's all take a step back."
The one speaking was Fiona Vaughn. She looped her arm with Chloe Alden, soothing the spoiled princess's emotions.
Chloe Alden pouted.
"Fiona, you're just too kind. Fine, I'll listen to you then."
Fiona Vaughn kind?
Hearing this assessment, a hint of mockery flashed through Cecilia Vaughn's eyes.
...
Manager Sinclair immediately looked relieved, gratefully nodding at Fiona Vaughn before backing away.
Fiona Vaughn withdrew her hand, showing a graceful smile to Cecilia Vaughn.
"Sister, long time no see."
"I haven't seen you in over three years. I really, really missed you. I'm so glad to see you here today."
Missed her?!
Probably… wished she had died in prison instead.
Cecilia Vaughn felt a slight suffocation in her chest. When she looked up again, her expression was a calm smile.
"No need to call me sister. I only have Evan as my brother. Fiona Vaughn, seeing you doesn't make me happy."
...
Chloe Alden immediately spoke up for Fiona Vaughn.
"Cecilia Vaughn, you're ungrateful! Fiona, why bother warming a cold shoulder!"
"Never mind, never mind," Fiona Vaughn said pitifully, pulling at Chloe Alden's hand, her eyes appearing slightly red: "Sister has always looked down on me."
In her words, it seemingly implied that Cecilia had bullied her all her life.
Faced with the weak and vulnerable Fiona Vaughn, even Chloe Alden, being of the same gender, couldn't help but feel a surge of protectiveness.
"For Fiona's sake, I won't bother with these two lowly people."
Suddenly, Chloe Alden's eyes lit up, and she casually picked up a menu from the table.
Being a high-end restaurant, Cinderella's offered diverse menus to cater to different tastes and aesthetics: a simplified version in full Chinese and the original French menu.
The menu on Cecilia Vaughn and Mona Summers' table was the translated Chinese version.
...
Chloe Alden, as if discovering a new continent, exclaimed exaggeratedly.
"Oh, I knew it, look at these two bumpkins, in such a high-class Vessaria restaurant, yet they're using the Chinese menu!"
"You were born from the same father, but Cecilia Vaughn, you're truly lowly, unable to even order in French!"
"Unlike our Fiona here, who participated in a TV drama about a French translator last year, her French is impeccable!"
Listening to Chloe Alden belittle Cecilia Vaughn, Fiona Vaughn's lips curled slightly under her sunglasses, yet she spoke with a shy and embarrassed tone.
"Chloe, stop it. Sister went to prison right after high school graduation, it's normal if she doesn't understand French…"
...
Facing the duo's mockery, always bringing up her time in prison, Cecilia Vaughn's expression turned even more indifferent.
She raised an eyebrow at Fiona Vaughn.
"French, impeccable?"
Meeting those cold eyes, Fiona Vaughn inexplicably felt a tightness in her heart.