Chapter 445: Chapter 445: Aren’t You Good Sisters?
Just then, the Christmas bells began to ring. Vivian Yates exclaimed, "Oh no, the Christmas party is about to start! I have to go now. Annabelle, what about you? Your clothes..."
Annabelle Linton glanced down at her clothes, which were filthy. Her foot hurt too much to walk. Biting her lip, she said, "You guys go on without me. Don’t worry about me. I probably can’t make it tonight. Just let everyone know."
’Looks like I’ll have to give him the gift some other day.’ Sadness flickered in Annabelle Linton’s eyes.
’Watching her, Leona Grant’s heart suddenly ached. She was only sixteen, and she was already facing this all day long. And then she’d have to go home and put up with my bullying. Sigh.’
"So you’re just not going tonight, Annabelle? On such a special occasion? And what about your gift? Weren’t you going to give it to Mr. Grant? If you don’t give it to him today, when will you?"
"Here’s an idea," a girl beside them said, pointing at the boy who had knocked Annabelle Linton down. "Why don’t you give the gift to Vivian to deliver for you? Then you can go home, change your clothes, and get that foot treated. Have him bring you back afterward. A night like tonight only comes once a year, Annabelle. You can’t miss it!"
Vivian Yates shot the other girl a look that said, ’Nice one.’ Then, she frowned and waved her hand dismissively. "How could I possibly do that? Annabelle saved up her allowance for three years for this gift—she even sold blood to afford it. She wanted to give it to Leona herself. It wouldn’t be right for me to deliver it."
"But aren’t you two best friends? Who worries about stuff like that between best friends? Annabelle’s the one who bought the gift, you’d just be delivering it for her. She would even be grateful to you, right, Annabelle?"
"Well..." Annabelle Linton hesitated. She really wanted to give it to Leona with her own hands.
"Tsk, tsk. Still hesitating? And I thought you two were such good friends," another girl sneered. "I guess all that calling ’Vivian, Vivian’ is just for show. What kind of best friends are this petty? It’s true what they say: you can know a person’s face, but not their heart..."
Tears welled up in Vivian Yates’s eyes. She gave Annabelle a disappointed look, as if to say, ’I understand now,’ and walked away without a word.
The words "best friends" hit Annabelle Linton like a physical blow.
Meeting Vivian’s gaze, Annabelle’s face was overcome with guilt.
’Maybe I am being petty,’ she thought. ’I’m the one who bought the gift, and I’m quibbling over Vivian helping me deliver it. I’m being awful.’
Seeing the guilt on Annabelle Linton’s face, Leona Grant felt a pang in his chest. ’Annabelle has been on her own with no one to rely on since she was a child. Has she always been manipulated like this?’
Of course, Annabelle Linton called Vivian Yates back, gave her the Phantom, and told her not to be angry.
Vivian Yates, for her part, put on a magnanimous air as she accepted the Phantom on Annabelle Linton’s behalf. The other girls even praised her for being so generous.
After a few more hasty words, they went their separate ways. The boy took Annabelle Linton to the hospital to get her injury treated and to change, while Vivian Yates ran off toward the club where the party was being held.
As they ran, the other girls were laughing so hard they could barely breathe. "Hahaha, Vivian, you’re a genius! Did you see that idiot’s face? She falls down twice, we say a few words, and she just hands the Phantom over to you. Damn, that thing costs hundreds of thousands! Annabelle Linton actually gave it up!"
"Three years of her allowance, for a global limited edition!" another girl scoffed. "Too bad Nicholas Lewis didn’t just kill her when he knocked her over!"
Vivian Yates sneered back, "Kill her? How could he do that? We’re *best friends,* after all!"
Vivian Yates heavily stressed the words "best friends," and the girls all roared with laughter.
Leona Grant followed Vivian Yates. Although he already had a rough idea of everything that was about to happen, he still wanted to witness the full extent of this woman’s scheming firsthand.
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