bChapter /bb265 /b

    Maxine looked at her calmly and said, “Alright, take a deep breath and get a hold of yourself.”

    Vivian pouted, “Hey! Can’t you let me have my happy tears?”

    Maxine sighed helplessly. “Come on, it’s not like I’ll be bedridden forever.”

    Maxine carefully put away her two crutches. Turning around, she saw Vivian dramatically pretending to wipe away nonexistent tears from her eyes band /bexim, “Now we won’t have to call a cab every time we go out!”

    This gatedmunity was way out in the middle of nowhere, and nearly everyone living here was part of the wealthy elite with their own bprivate /bdrivers. Even calling a cab meant waiting ages. She was so done with it.

    Maxine’s lips twitched in exasperation as she thought, ‘So that’s what she’s been waiting for?‘

    She poured herself a ss of water and settled onto the sofa, nning to check for any new updatesi, /iwhen Vivian suddenly spoke iup/i. “Lisa might bbe /bing over soon.”

    Maxine took a sip of water. “That’s perfect! I happen to have some free timetely, so I can take Lisa out for some funb./b”

    Vivian hesitated, biting her lip before finally saying, “Also… Jessica ising with Lisa.”

    Maxine said, “What?”

    She choked violently on her water, nearly coughing her lungs out. If she hadn’t reacted quickly and snatched theptop from her arms, she’d be buying ba /bnew one right now.

    Maxine hacked violently, nearly out of breath. Vivian blinked, then patted her back the way people do on TV. “Rx! Jessica just wants to visit for ba /bfew days.”

    Meeting Maxine’s gaze, Vivian coughed softly, looking a bit sheepish. “Jessica is just too adorable, I couldn’t help myself.”

    That night on the phone, Lisa said she would bring Jessica with her, and the two of them were so excited, talking over each other abouting to Hathnd. Softly, Vivian asked, “Does your mom know you’reing to Hathnd?”

    Both of them on the screen froze in unison. Lisa, looking a bit embarrassed, said awkwardly, “I don’t think Maxine knows about this.”

    Vivian took a deep breath and asked, “So why are you with Jessica right now? Has she finished iher /istudies?b” /b

    Lisa drooped her head even lower, as if trying to slip out of the video frame. She mumbled, “No… I just missed Jessica too much after my business trip, so I… well, I picked her up.”

    Seeing this, Jessica quickly chimed in to reassure Lisa, “I’m pretty much done with my schoolwork, and my teacher actually said it was fine for me toe out and have some fun.”

    She had always been a top student,nguage barrier aside, she pulled straight A’s in nearly every subject and her teachers adored bher/b. bShe /bdefinitely wouldn’t fall behind.

    “Lisa Bernard!” Vivian’s voice rose sharply.

    It had been ages since Lisast heard her mother call her by her full name like that. Thest time she did was when she’d broken her bmother’s /bbfavorite /b

    bvase/b.

    Lisa threw bup /bher hands in surrender and hurriedly exined, “I’ve already checked with Jessica’s teacherb, /band bshe /bbgave /bbpermission/bb!/bb” /b

    “Fine,” Vivian massaged her temples, clearly exasperated. “Since you’reing anyway, you’ll have to bexin /bbit /bbto /bbMaxine /bbyourselves/bb./bb” /b

    07:48 Thub, /bb3 /bbJul /bA

    She knew Lisa’s usual antics all too well. If they were telling her now, the tickets must have already been booked. Asking bthem /bbto /bcancel at bthis /bbpoint /bwas out of the question.

    Lisa shrank back nervously, Jessicaforted her, “Don’t worry, Lisa. You don’t have to be scared, I’ll exin everything to Maxine myselfb” /b

    Vivian snorted coldly, eyeing the two little dummies on the screen. ‘I won’t say a single word to help you two when the timees!” she thought

    bAD /b