Female Novel
Chapter 477
Meanwhile, in the living room of the Luther residence, Bailey raised her brow and smiled at Felicity.“I've got something good for you.”
With that, she pulled out the antique statue from her shopping bag and placed it on the table.
As a fervent art collector, Felicity was appalled to see that Bailey had kept such a delicate statue in aflimsy bag. “Don't ever do that again! That's very disrespectful! You ought to treat art pieces with morecare.”
Bailey, however, only found the situation highly amusing.
I show my love for art through actions, not words. I wouldn't have picked it out from that heap of trash ifI hadn't cared about it.
“Go on. Check it out. I assure you it's a treasure.”
Despite her skepticism, Felicity took the magnifying glass from her butler and began inspecting thestatue.
After a while, her expression slid into a frown. “Well, I don't see any difference between this and otherceramic statues. That said, it's still a beautiful piece of art, and we ought to treasure it.”
Bailey shook her head. “Take a closer look. If you still can't tell it's special, I can only say you don'thave a keen eye for art.”
Upon hearing that, Felicity gave a short, exasperated laugh. “Oh, you and your sharp tongue. Fine. I
shall have another look. You'd better not be pulling my leg, though. Otherwise, I'll give you a few goodsmacks.”
Moments later, Felicity finally turned to Bailey with a look of astonishment on her face. “Bay, am Iimagining things? Why do I hear harp music and choral singing? I seem to be smelling frankincensetoo...”
Bailey curled her lips into a smile.
It looks like I've indeed snagged myself a treasure. That statue had passed through the hands of kingsand queens and had even been blessed in a temple. Only those who truly appreciate art will be able toexperience its wonders.
“Oh, it's not your imagination. Everything you've heard and smelled is spot on. That's because thisantique statue has an incredible history behind it,” she said before sharing the statue's story withFelicity.
“T-This... I-Is this really...”
Seeing how Felicity was stumbling over her words, Bailey couldn't help but chuckle. “You don't have todoubt it. It's indeed that statue.”
Felicity stared blankly at the antique statue and muttered, “My goodness. This is a national treasure!Why didn't you say anything back at the museum? I remember those old fogies claiming it to be fake,so why didn't you correct them?”
“If I had corrected them, how would I have been able to keep the statue for myself?” Bailey quipped asshe arched her brows. “In any case, please don't start preaching to me. All I care about is my family.Besides, what's truly beneficial to the country isn't this antique statue but the red emerald. Now that Ihave the former in my possession, I'll definitely help to find the genuine emerald. After all, I'm not oneto take advantage of others.”
Felicity's mind cleared up in an instant. “Earlier, I was still thinking about donating the statue to themuseum, but I've changed my mind after hearing what you said. I do have one concern, though. Areyou sure we won't get into trouble for this?”
Bailey shook her head firmly. “Don't worry. We won't. Go ahead and keep it in the Luther residence.” novelbin
The news must have reached Raiden when I took the statue away. Given his intelligence, I'm sure hehas also figured out it's a rare, ancient relic. However, since he didn't stop me, I shall take it as a tacitacquiescence on his part. Ha! It's not like he has a choice, anyway. He asked me for help, so whyshouldn't I receive some form of payment?
Meanwhile, at a coffee shop, Yvette narrowed her eyes as she coldly scrutinized the middle-aged ladyin front of her.
Hmph. Why, if it isn't Sofie Carr, the woman who seduced Dad back in the day. She even tried for a sonthrough in vitro fertilization so she could assume the role of my mother. Thankfully, she got what shedeserved. She had a miscarriage after six months of pregnancy, which undoubtedly shattered all herdreams. In the end, Dad got sick of her and even paid to have her leave him. That being said, I can'tbelieve she's such a tough cookie. Who knew she'd turn her life around and become the boss ofCosmetico? Ah, I bet she must've exchanged sexual favors with various business partners! Otherwise,she wouldn't have gotten to where she is today!
“What do you want from me?” Yvette finally asked.
Sofie smiled. “You know, I used to be your father's mistress, so technically, that'd make me yourstepmother. You shouldn't be treating your elders with such disrespect.”
Upon hearing that, Yvette felt a wave of fury crashing through her.
What a shameless sl*t! She was the one who drove Mom to her grave and made a fool out of Dad, yetshe still has the guts to demand respect from me! How much more thick-skinned can she get?
The next second, Yvette jumped up from the couch and grabbed her cup of coffee, ready to throw it atSofie's face.
The latter, however, quickly added, “The new head of Tarragon is Luther Group's CEO, Artemis Luther.He's the golden child, but since I don't have a daughter, there's nothing much I can do. You, however,are my stepdaughter. Your father had done a lot for me in the past, and helping you become the wife ofTarragon's leader would be a good way of repaying his kindness.”
Yvette immediately pulled her hand back and peered at Sofie. “Are you saying you can help get memarried to the leader and become Tarragon's new matriarch?”
“Yes,” Sofie answered without hesitation. “I'll have you know I haven't spent all my time in Tarragon fornothing. If we join forces, I'm sure we'll be able to achieve our goal.”
Vigilant as always, Yvette decided to probe further. “What do you want in return?”
I'm no ignorant fool. There must be a reason this woman has suddenly come to me.
Once again, Sofie broke into a smile. “As a businesswoman, what I care about are profitability andgrowth. If you can double the size of my business empire, that'd make you my business partner, andI've always been very generous to my partners.”
After mulling over it for a few seconds, Yvette finally said through gritted teeth, “I need time to thinkabout this. Give me two days.”
“No problem. You can get back to me once you've thought it through, Your Royal Highness. However,please be reminded that if Mr. Luther marries someone else, you will no longer be the mostdistinguished person in Tarragon. Everyone will be trying to curry favor with the new matriarch.”
Needless to say, Sofie's goading had hit Yvette where it hurt most.
I've always been the most well-loved princess in Tarragon, and I've never had to worry about myposition being threatened. But what happens if the new leader gets a wife? Where would that leaveme?
“Fine. I'll give you an answer after two days,” Yvette muttered. “I do hope you're worth cooperatingwith.”
After watching the young lady leave the coffee shop, Sofie promptly turned to a secret door in thesoutheast corner. “She's gone. You can come out now.”
Hearing that, Zoey opened the door and strode out. “Mom, who is she?”
“Well, she's got quite a reputation, but that's not something you need to know for now. All you need toknow is that she, too, wants to marry Artemis Luther. Therefore, we can make use of this royalhighness. She'll get rid of Bailey Jefferson for us.”
Zoey stared at the woman in front of her as she felt a rush of conflicting emotions.
Oh, gosh. This woman is terrifying. She's gotten the entire situation under control so effortlessly. Notonly is she ambitious, but she's also scheming. Sometimes, I feel like I'm just a pawn to her. Whoknows? I might face dire consequences if I make one wrong move...
“What's wrong? Are you still afraid that I, your mother, will hurt you?”