"What's so embarrassing about doing what you like?" Rebecca Hughes stood in front of James Horne. She was also tall and slender, but still not as tall as James. She tilted her head back slightly, blinking her beautiful phoenix eyes as she looked at him, examining James meticulously as if she were counting the fine hairs on his face.

Her scrutiny was bold and unrestrained, with an element of critique. Yet her gaze remained pure, without the slightest impurity—purely observational, unlike other women whose gazes often carried obsession or infatuated adoration.

Apart from Julia Bluen, James Horne thought Rebecca Hughes was the second woman he didn't dislike. Even though their previous two encounters hadn't been pleasant, her forthrightness had earned his subtle appreciation.

"To tell the truth, you look a lot like your older brother, but you don't quite measure up to him. He has a dignity you lack, no matter how cool you try to act. Oh, right, are you here to see me? Is something the matter? Don't tell me your head still hurts? Let me see if I brought any medicine with me. How could you be so feeble? After all this time, you still feel pain. My stone, my high heels—they shouldn't have damaged the inside of your head," chattered Rebecca Hughes relentlessly, her hands rummaging through her beige coat again, searching for medicine.

Every time he saw her, she had this habit, instinctively patting herself down as if searching for medicine.

He was feeble?

His head hurt?

Indeed, it did hurt—infuriated by her words.

Twisting around, he slipped into his car, then opened the passenger door and commanded coldly, "Get in."

"Where to?" Rebecca Hughes, who hadn't found any medicine, asked without moving.

"Get in."

James Horne didn't answer, still insisting she get in.

Rebecca Hughes thought for a moment, then said with a smile, "Anyway, it's New Year's Eve tonight, and lots of people like to stay up all night. You wait for me here; I'm going to bring out my most beloved 'baby'." With that, she turned and headed towards the villa.

James Horne unconsciously furrowed his brows again.

He was feeling restless and had considered finding someone to join him for drinks at a pub.

He hadn't expected...

A moment later, the villa's gate opened, and Rebecca Hughes rode out on a red motorcycle that looked like a Red Devil from the nineties.

"Where's the destination?"

Rebecca Hughes blazed out of the villa like fire. Stopping next to James Horne's car, she flipped up her helmet and turned to ask him with a smile. Although startled by her actions, James remained composed. He rolled down the car window and said coolly, "Blue Moon Pub."

"Okay, I'll wait for you there."

After speaking, Rebecca Hughes lowered her helmet and revved the engine. The Red Devil then shot off like an arrow loosed from a bow, disappearing from James Horne's sight.

No wonder people said Miss Hughes of the Hughes Family was so spirited.

James Horne finally understood that the rumors about Rebecca Hughes were not exaggerated at all.

Wait, T City banned motorcycles long ago. And yet, she dared to ride the Red Devil on the road?

James Horne quickly pressed the gas pedal, chasing after Rebecca Hughes.

「Elsewhere.」

Hansen Ruiz reclined on the bed. The heater was on, counteracting the chill from outside.

Rachel Bailey, her hair draped over her shoulders and wearing a cream-colored robe, sat by the bed. She held a stack of red envelopes in one hand and cash in the other, stuffing money into them one by one.

"How many servants does the Horne Family have?"

As Rachel Bailey filled the red envelopes with cash, she asked Hansen Ruiz, who was half-lying on the bed.

Tomorrow, the first day of the New Year, she planned to visit her good friend Julia Bluen with Hansen Ruiz. It would be her first time visiting the Horne Family estate. She knew there were no children in the Horne Family yet, but she thought it appropriate to give New Year red envelopes to the servants. By being generous and handling things properly, it would also reflect well on her friend.

"I don't know, around fifteen or sixteen, perhaps?" Hansen Ruiz sat up and moved behind Rachel Bailey, his strong arms encircling her slim waist.

"I'm dealing with something important here," Rachel Bailey said with mild annoyance, muttering, "The Horne Family is a top-tier prominent family, so even for servants, the red envelopes can't be too small. Hansen Ruiz, how much do you think we should give?"

Hansen Ruiz said, "Give however much you want. For servants, a few hundred yuan per envelope is quite generous. In our Ruiz Family, for instance, the New Year red envelopes for servants are at most five hundred yuan each, and that's only for the long-serving ones. New servants get one or two hundred at most. The Ruiz Family isn't short of money, but we don't give too much when distributing red envelopes to staff; it's more of a token gesture."

The Ruiz Family had so many employees; some regular staff in the subsidiary companies only received a ten-yuan red envelope for the New Year. But with such a large number of people, it still added up to a considerable sum.

"For Housekeeper Ying and Aunt Mei, the couple who looks after the Old Madam, prepare a one-thousand-yuan envelope for each of them. They are long-serving servants of the Horne Family and hold a different status. For the others, two hundred yuan each should suffice."

"Mm, that's what I was thinking too."

Then there were Julia Bluen's younger brother-in-law and sister-in-law, who were still unmarried. Even if they were around Rachel's age or older, Rachel, being married, would also have to give them red envelopes.

The red envelopes for the young masters and mistresses of the family would naturally be more substantial.

Once Rachel Bailey had prepared all the red envelopes and made notes on them, she sighed, "Marrying you, Hansen Ruiz, actually makes me feel like I'm losing out a bit! Handing out so many red envelopes for the New Year. If it were before, I could just give twenty yuan each." Different statuses called for different red envelope amounts. Even though she earned some money now, she was frugal by nature. Coming from a rural background, she still wasn't used to spending so lavishly.