Once Little New Year was over, the Spring Festival drew near.

Each household began cleaning and frantically purchasing New Year goods.

The Hornes were a prestigious family. The matriarch, now in her eighties, had lived through many different eras and was a deeply nostalgic woman who placed great emphasis on festivals.

On Little New Year, bright and early, the matriarch instructed everyone to return home for dinner that evening. Meanwhile, the servants, under Uncle Ying's direction, commenced a thorough cleaning of the entire villa.

If any servant needed to go home for the New Year, they had to ask Uncle Ying for leave in advance so he could hire temporary servants to attend to the family during the holidays.

Outside, rumors about Adele Horne continued to spread. The four ladies who had initially started them were now terrified to utter a single word. Glades Horne had warned that if they dared speak again, he would cut out their tongues.

Suppressing the rumors was how the young Horne masters protected their sister. Even though the rumors had not been completely silenced, their efforts never ceased for a moment.

Pheobe Rogers had heard the gossip on the afternoon it first spread, and she was ecstatic, taking pleasure in Adele's misfortune.

On Little New Year, she wanted to join James Horne for dinner at the Horne mansion. She saw the New Year as an opportunity to force her way into the Horne Family and become a true member.

Both James Horne and Gian Horne rejected her request.

Although they were the father and son she was closest to, they were united in their opposition whenever the topic of her integrating into the Horne Family arose.

Gian had once wanted to bring Pheobe Rogers into the Horne family, dreaming of having both a wife and a lover and enjoying the best of both worlds. He had even fought with the matriarch over this, ultimately losing to her. But now, his thoughts had changed. He now valued Glades Horne more. After all, Glades had become the true head of the Horne Family, had married Julia Bluen, and become a father-in-law. He didn't want his past indiscretions to be a constant, painful reminder to his son and daughter-in-law.

Therefore, he did not want Pheobe Rogers to move into the Horne house.

To be more precise, he didn't want to lose Glades Horne, his excellent son.

Although James was also very capable, Gian found that Glades brought him more pride. His fatherly affection for James even paled in comparison to his feelings for Glades.

Besides, everyone was getting older. What was the point of living together anymore? When Pheobe Rogers wanted his company, hadn't he always been there for her? Recently, the issues with Adele and an argument with Mila Anderson had left him so frustrated that he spent nearly every day in the Coastal District.

James's refusal, naturally, was also because of Glades.

Glades had spoken to him frankly about Pheobe Rogers constantly causing trouble at the Horne estate, which upset Aunt Mila. Although Glades's tone wasn't overly accusatory, James, who habitually revered his elder brother Glades the most, felt it was an implicit reprimand. He didn't want to face more reproach from him. The moment James heard his mother, Pheobe, say she wanted to join him at the Horne mansion for the Little New Year dinner, his handsome face darkened. He didn't say a word and abruptly hung up on her. This infuriated Pheobe Rogers, her face turning practically green with rage. She became even more determined to move into the Horne home, lest her precious son be truly snatched away by her rival.

「That evening」

Julia Bluen returned home before Glades Horne.

In the courtyard, the elderly lady, the wives of the three Horne masters, and Adele Horne were seated beneath the setting sun, enjoying the beauty of the sunset.

The weather was unseasonably warm; today's temperature was significantly higher than in previous days. Winters in T City are like this: if no cold air moves down from the north, they aren't cold.

Adele Horne sat beside Mila Anderson, sipping her milk slowly. Her pretty face remained gaunt, as she ate very little. She even vomited when drinking milk. She'd heard that milk would give the baby fair skin, so she forced herself to drink it daily, despite the nausea. She believed the baby inside her was a girl, and she wanted to give birth to a pretty, fair-skinned daughter.

Though malicious gossip swirled around her, her expression betrayed no sadness. Perhaps she was sad, but she had matured and learned to conceal her sorrow, though it occasionally flickered in her eyes.

Public opinion had never been kind to her, and this felt like adding insult to injury.

While the rumors were rife, she went out daily. She casually greeted everyone she met, whether acquaintances or strangers. Those who sympathized offered a few words of comfort. She would smile, say she could endure it, and leave them dumbfounded. Those who rejoiced in her misfortune mocked her, saying she deserved it. She would retort coolly, "I can make you even more miserable than I am!" This would leave them pale with fear of her retaliation, compelling them to shut up and scurry away. Yet, the negative press about her only intensified.

With a faint smile and an air of indifference, she let herself be immersed in the depths of the gossip, allowing it to wound her already battered body and soul even more thoroughly, leaving no part untouched. She clenched her teeth, vowing to herself that if she ever found out who the baby's father was, she would tear him limb from limb to avenge the suffering she was enduring now!

"Everyone's here," Julia Bluen said as she alighted from her car. Her arms were laden with gifts, large and small, and four bodyguards followed, also carrying numerous presents.

After finishing her important work that afternoon, Julia had left the company. Realizing it was Little New Year, she wanted to give her family some small gifts; the larger ones could wait for the Spring Festival.

"Julia, why are you carrying so much? Where's Glades? Be careful with my grandchild!" Mila Anderson exclaimed, her voice laced with concern, the moment she saw her precious daughter-in-law's hands full of bags. She immediately stood up and hurried forward to help Julia with the packages.

Seeing her mother dote on her sister-in-law's unborn child, Adele Horne suddenly felt an urge to cry.

Her mother showed little concern for her own unborn child, focusing only on Adele, the mother-to-be. Even though her mother no longer pressured her to terminate the pregnancy, this dismissive attitude towards the baby still pierced Adele's heart.

Swallowing the bitterness that threatened to overwhelm her, Adele Horne also set down her milk cup. She stood up and joined Mei Ayi in helping with the bags.

As she took the large and small bags, Mila Anderson didn't say a word.

"Julia, why did you buy so much?" Viola Hanley also asked with a smile.

"Just some small gifts for everyone, since it's Little New Year today," Julia replied with a giggle. She approached the matriarch first, sneakily showing her a bag of kumquat cakes meant only for her eyes. Then, she winked at her before handing the large bag, which was surrounded by four boxes of health supplements, to Mei Ayi. "Mei Ayi," she said, "this is Grandma's gift. Could you please take it to her room for her?"