CHAPTER 169: CHAPTER 169: CHILDISH BRAGGING

"Ivan, there’s no need for you to get into such a conflict with Henry Preston because of me." I was feeling very stressed and my words were somewhat harsh, "Don’t you think you’re putting me in a difficult position? You could have made up any excuse in that situation just now."

"We don’t have any kind of illicit relationship, so why make up an excuse?" Ivan retorted, the two of us standing by the car without moving. I looked quite upset, but he seemed rather calm.

Internally, I couldn’t help but wonder, is there really no ambiguity between us? Something didn’t feel right.

Suddenly, Ivan leaned toward me, the faint scent of soap from his clothes was pleasing.

His eyes locked onto mine, "Or do you feel that what we have isn’t legitimate, so you’re feeling guilty?"

I was startled and immediately shook my head to deny it, but Ivan couldn’t help but chuckle, "It’s fine, sometimes I wish you would feel a little guilty."

I’m not feeling guilty right now, just shocked. What is he insinuating with his words?

"Today’s not a good day to chat; I’ll head back first. We can talk next time we get a chance." My thoughts were all over the place, and I didn’t know what else I could say. After quickly throwing out this line, I hurriedly got in the car and left.

Ivan was left standing there, thankfully not getting in the car; otherwise, that would have been a social death.

I drove home in a state of turmoil, and my parents were still awake, discussing the news about some troublemakers causing a stir at The Preston Group’s subsidiary. As I entered, my mom immediately asked, "Zoe, where have you been?"

"You didn’t go looking for that Preston guy, did you?" My dad was more direct.

Even now, they never forget to remind me not to have any contact with Henry Preston.

I immediately denied it, "No, you two don’t worry unnecessarily."

My parents exchanged a look, wanting to say more, but I quickly went upstairs to rest.

It was still too early, and I couldn’t sleep at all. I tossed and turned in bed for a long time, my mind cluttered, until late into the night I finally drifted off to sleep.

Early in the morning, my dad woke me up, "Zoe, there’s an art exhibition today; can you go in my place? An old friend of mine is hosting it; he’s somewhat of a master in traditional Chinese painting. I have a meeting I can’t skip."

I groggily opened my eyes, feeling like it was a dream, but I still responded, "Oh, okay."

"You need to be there by 10:30, at The Moonlit Promenade. I’ve left the gift for you on the table, remember to take it." My dad quickly finished speaking and then left.

I got up in a daze, and the lack of sleep left my mind blank until I finally felt normal again after freshening up.

I put on some light makeup, changed into a simple white top and black skirt, grabbed my dad’s gift, and left the house. It was already 9:30, and I still had to drive there.

The Moonlit Promenade isn’t far from my house, but it’s like a maze inside, taking some time just to walk through. I arrived at the exhibition right as it started.

I don’t know much about painting, and my appreciation skills are just slightly above average, mostly thanks to my dad’s influence. I was earnestly admiring an ink painting titled "Winter Snow River" at a corner, when suddenly I heard Fern Tate’s voice.

"Evan Hawthorne’s works are becoming more valuable, and some of the rare ones are incredibly hard to find. If I could pick a suitable one today to give to my mom, she would absolutely love it!"

I was startled and turned around to see Fern Tate and Azure Vaughn walking arm in arm, chatting intimately. The moment they saw me, they stopped.

Fern Tate’s expression darkened, looking at me as if I were her enemy.

Azure, however, looked at me calmly, with her exquisite eyebrows raised — unlike Fern’s hostility, hers was more of disdain and contempt.

We had just seen each other at the hospital a few days ago, so I wasn’t too surprised.

But today she seemed like a different person, with voluminous wavy hair that exuded femininity, her fair and pure face now adorned with heavy makeup, giving her a striking and glamorous appearance, along with the impressive designer clothes and jewelry that made her look like a star.

Why the sudden style change?

I didn’t know the reason, but I clearly didn’t want to run into her. She was bold enough to ignore Henry Preston’s orders to disappear from City A.

"Miss Hathaway, we really have a lot of fate bringing us together, don’t we?" Azure spoke first, her tone slightly lifted, carrying a sense of pride.

"Azure, why are you talking to someone like that? She’s not worthy!" Fern Tate rolled her eyes, her tone disgusted as she berated me.

I smirked sarcastically, withdrew my gaze, and walked away, continuing to admire the paintings ahead.

Azure’s appearance changed, but a person’s nature is hard to alter through external changes. Just like how Azure now morphed into a wealthy heiress, her petty personality and inferiority complex still hadn’t disappeared.

"Miss Hathaway, I thought after Henry kicked me out, he’d be with you. I didn’t expect him to still be single. I came back for him, you know? Now that we are equals, you probably can’t suppress me anymore, right?" Azure actually blocked my view of the painting, "Do you know my current status? I never explained it to you clearly last time at the hospital."

"Oh?" I asked knowingly with a half-smile, "What’s your new status?"

"The vice president of the Mystique Group abroad, Abner, is my godfather. The woman you saw in the hospital is my godmother. Thanks to her, I was able to have the surgery and save my life. This time, I returned to the country with my godmother. I will definitely make Henry fall in love with me again and regret his past decisions." Azure said this with a strong unwillingness in her eyes. It was clear how embarrassed she had been when I had exposed her before.

"My godmother and I are bringing twenty billion in funds to invest; did you know? Many people in City A are envious, Zoe Hathaway. From now on, I’m not inferior to you!"

As I suspected, my sympathy rose for the increasingly agitated woman as she went on, "Azure, you’re supposed to be educated. How could you not be using your brain?"

Azure’s expression changed, her eyes filled with anger.

I continued calmly, "If you think Henry ditched you because my family background is better than yours, and not because of the disgusting things you’ve done, I truly admire your intelligence."

"Haha, if you hadn’t interfered, would I have needed to do those desperate things?" Azure’s logic was increasingly perplexing.

No matter when, she had to show off whenever she saw me, as if she never quit trying to prove she was better than me, that she had won over me.

"Azure, if you’re really wealthy now, why not go to the hospital and consult a neurologist or psychiatrist first?" I turned away, unwilling to waste more words with her.

"Zoe Hathaway, do you still not take me seriously?" Azure angrily blocked my path.

I ignored her, brushing past her to keep moving forward.

Azure grabbed my hand, causing the gift box I was carrying to drop to the ground with a thud.

She seemed poised to grab me again, but as I lifted my hand to evade her, she fell abruptly to the floor as if I had used a great deal of force.

Fern Tate rushed to help Azure, then accused me, "Zoe Hathaway, are you crazy? Why did you push her?"

Bending down to pick up the gift box, I noticed Ivan standing a short distance away, watching me.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to."

When the commotion caught the attention of others, Azure changed her attitude from anger to apology.

Standing up, I couldn’t help but find it funny, "Azure, aren’t you aware there are cameras everywhere here? Why put on a show of innocence?"

The mention of surveillance made Azure look around uneasily, eventually resting her gaze on Ivan.

Ivan simply kept looking at me, and I felt somewhat guilty.

I hadn’t dared to dwell on yesterday’s matters too much, as I originally planned to keep my distance for some time until everyone gained some clarity.

Today, unexpectedly running into both Azure and Ivan here — it’s truly jinxed. Maybe it’s best to pretend I hadn’t seen anything?

Resolute, I turned away with the gift box, planning to find Evan Hawthorne, deliver the gift, and leave — especially after running into both Azure and Ivan, proving this wasn’t a place to linger.

"Zoe Hathaway!" Ivan’s voice was not loud, but it clearly reached my ears. He quickly caught up to me, matching my pace.

"Huh? Dr. Underwood, are you also here for the exhibition? I didn’t notice. Why aren’t you at work today?" Seeing it was unavoidable, I changed tactics on the spot, flashing a bright smile and greeting him.

With my sham smile, Ivan’s eyes showed a hint of exasperation. Yet true to his nature of not sparing anyone face, he directly exposed my act, "I remember you have pretty good eyesight."