"Wait!" Rona Langdon said quickly. "I’m out of money again, so..."

"Fine!" Susan Caldwell’s voice grew even colder. "I’ll send you some money in a bit."

She hung up as soon as she finished speaking. The phone call had instantly soured her good mood. ’This is so frustrating!’ she thought. ’How could I have a biological mother like Rona Langdon! She asks for money every single time she calls! She’s just like a vampire!’

In the Caldwell family, she was the high and mighty Young Miss, respected by all. Her food, her clothes, her school—everything was the best Veridia had to offer. Her comfortable life and respectable social status left her feeling utterly content.

But every phone call from Rona Langdon was a reminder. ’I was born of that crude woman, not a true daughter of the Caldwell family at all!’

Someone shouted from outside, "Susan, the performance is about to start! Aren’t you changed yet?"

Susan Caldwell immediately snapped back to her senses. The person calling from outside was her classmate and good friend, Irene Jensen. With the college entrance exams just around the corner, Mr. Caldwell had worried she was under too much stress and bought opera tickets for her and Irene to go relax.

She quickly called back in reply, took a deep breath, and walked out of the room in a beautiful, snow-white dress. As the door opened, her face was set in a perfectly composed smile.

Irene Jensen’s face filled with envy when she saw the dress. "Wow, what a gorgeous dress! I saw it at the boutique last time and wanted to buy it, but my mom said it was too expensive and absolutely refused!"

Susan Caldwell smiled gently. "It wasn’t that expensive, only a few thousand. I placed first in our grade on the last exam, so my dad bought it for me as a reward."

"Susan, your dad is so good to you!" Irene Jensen said, her face full of envy.

Susan Caldwell smiled faintly. ’Yes, Mr. Caldwell is very good to me!’ 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Mr. Caldwell always said that girls should be raised in luxury, and since the family wasn’t short on money, her standard of living—from her food to her clothes—was always exceptionally high.

Furthermore, as the only girl in the entire Caldwell family, she was doted on by all the elders, who granted her practically every wish. And she, in turn, always strived to make them proud, earning excellent grades and carrying herself with outstanding poise and grace.

’This is a perfect life, and I will absolutely not let anyone destroy it!’

Smiling, she chatted and laughed with Irene Jensen as they headed out. The chauffeur was already waiting at the door to take them to the opera house.

Meanwhile, back in the residential compound, Rona Langdon heard a piece of news: Wesley Kane had been beaten so badly he was now in the hospital. A sense of unease crept over her; she had a nagging feeling that Vera Xavier was likely the one responsible.

But when she thought about it more carefully, it seemed impossible. Even if Vera Xavier was stronger than the average girl from doing farm work her whole life, there was no way she could have overpowered the tall and strapping Wesley Kane.

Rona Langdon and Cara Preston had originally plotted to use Wesley Kane to ruin Vera Xavier. Now, Wesley was injured while Vera was completely fine. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Vera had to be involved in this.

Rona Langdon had always thought she could keep Vera Xavier in the palm of her hand, toying with her as she pleased. But the Vera of today seemed to have completely slipped from her grasp and was growing stronger. Rona had a feeling that if this continued, Vera Xavier might just soar to incredible heights.

She recalled the utterly cold look in Vera Xavier’s eyes the last time they were alone, and an inexplicable fear welled up inside her. ’This won’t do,’ she thought. ’I have to ruin her. I absolutely cannot let her get into a university in Veridia!’