Chapter 4 Our Deal

While driving, Nathan kept stealing nces at Vanessa in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

She maintained a casual, radiant smile the entire time, lookingpletely different from this morning. It seemed op- erating on Susanna had hit her hard-after all, she hated Susanna so much.

There was something different about her smile now. Though he could sense it, he couldn’t quite pinpoint what had changed.

One thing he knew for sure-he didn’t like this feeling, and an inexplicable irritation quickly clutched at his chest.

Soon, he stopped the car in front of Evercrest Vi, its distinctive air of noble grandeur further evident after weather- ing time.

Vanessa stepped out of the car and was about to slip an arm through Nathan’s, putting on their familiar charade of af- fection.

Just then, his phone rang.

He answered at once, looking nervous.

Vanessa’s arm hovered mid-air as she looked down and saw the word “Babe” shing on his screen.

Obviously, it was Susanna.

“Suzy.” Sure enough, Nathan walked away, his gentle tone dripped with affection.

It sounded like Susanna was crying, and his words couldn’t stem her tears at all.

Standing alone in the darkness, Vanessa gazed at him. A night breeze drifted by, and a sudden wave of loneliness sent a sharp pang through her heart.

The sight of him coaxing tenderly and the image of Susanna weeping pitifully twisted in her mind, and she just want- ed tough bitterly.

She had gone with her parents on a charity visit to an orphanage at the age of ten. There, crouched in a corner, was an emaciated little girl, shivering from the cold, her tattered clothes full of holes.

Meeting the little girl’s pleading eyes, Vanessa, always the soft-hearted one, had shed tears at once, giving the girl her toy and snacks while whispering with firmness, “Don’t be afraid. We’re here to help.”

Under Vanessa’s strong request, her parents-Beatrice Hamilton and Brian Dorsey-had decided on that day to adopt the little girl and take her in.

The little girl was Susanna.

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15:36

Chapter 4 Our Deal

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From that day on, Vanessa had been nothing but nice to Susanna, sharing toys, buying her pretty dresses and shoes, doting on her as if they were real sisters.

For Susanna’s sake, she had skipped sses and had even been reprimanded in front of the entire school.

As for Susanna, she had acted so dependent on Vanessa, always trailing Vanessa behind.

They had been inseparable.

But, before Vanessa realized it, Susanna had stolen Nathan’s affections, snatching away everything that should have been hers.

Asking her parents to adopt Susanna was the most regretful decision she had ever made.

Had she known things would turn out like this, she would have turned a blind eye to Susanna back at the orphanage. Over the years, Susanna had known about her love for Nathan. And this was how Susanna repaid her kindness? By shamelessly taking him away on the verge of their wedding?

“Let’s go.” Just then, Nathan’s voice rang out as he hooked her arm.

Snapping out of it, she shook his arm away instinctively.

He said coldly, “Vanessa, don’t forget our deal.”

She was stunned for a few seconds. Then she pulled out a smile and threaded her arm through his, and they walked toward the living room, looking exactly like a couple in love.

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Chapter 5 The Gilded Prince

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In the luxurious, solemn living room.