Chapter 2

At the Ethertown Airport, a mother-and-son duo that had just exited the arrival hall immediately caught the eye of everyone who passed by. To be more specific, it was four of them; the woman was slender and elegant with chiseled features like a goddess. She was carrying her young daughter in her arms. The child's wavy hair billowed around her, and her eyes twinkled like a doll's. Two adorable boys who looked identical to each other trotted next to her, their hazel eyes glinting mischievously in the sun. They both had auburn hair and rosy skin that made them look as though they had strode right out of a fairytale. Another woman had been waiting for them next to a BMW. She took off her sunglasses and gasped when she caught sight of Zora and her three children. "Damn it, Zora! You popped three out at once?" That was Tonya Spears, Zora's best friend who had taken her in when Zora was exiled from the Jacobs family and had nowhere else to go. At that time, Tonya had brought Zora abroad, where they eventually landed on their feet. Not long after they arrived at their destination, Zora realized she was pregnant. She wanted to get an abortion, but Tonya had talked her out of this. She even sold her father's priceless antique just so Zora would have money to get by while she was abroad and live comfortably. Zora would wind up as a homeless woman on the streets if it were not for Tonya's help. "Hello, Aunt Tonya!" the three little ones chirruped when they saw her. Tonya grinned and waved at them. "Oh my God, how polite! It's so good to see all of you!" The second-born, Casper Jacobs, turned to his elder brother, Bobby Jacobs, and whispered, "Aunt Tonya doesn't seem too bright…" Zora placed her hands on their little heads and asked sharply, "What are you two whispering about?" "Um…" The daughter, Nina Jacobs, piped up, "Bobby and Casper were saying that Aunt Tonya doesn't seem too bright!" Betrayed by their sister! The five of them got into the car and were soon on their way. Tonya glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure the three children were fast asleep before finally asking, "Why did you choose to come back all of a sudden, Zora?" Zora twirled a lock of her hair around her finger and snickered, "That's because Vienna Jewels offered me a position as a jewelry designer for seven million dollars." "Vienna Jewels? Isn't that your family's business?" Tonya shook her head. "Isn't your half-sister, Winona, the director for Vienna Jewels now? Are you saying that she hired you for seven million dollars?" Tonya could not help chuckling as she thought of the irony. "What do you think she'll do when she finds out you're the famed jewelry designer Zora from Scoythe that she hired? Do you think she'll throw a fit?" Zora was famous worldwide for her unique ability to combine vintage pieces with modern details. Every single piece of her work was considered a masterpiece, and she even had the opportunity to design the tiara that the queen of Scoythe wore during her wedding. After some thought, Tonya could not help adding, "You agreed to work for her for only seven million dollars? Come on, you're worth way more than that!" After all, the jewelry design company that Zora had worked for in Scoythe had headhunted her for over 80 million dollars! She could not believe that Zora had agreed to work for Vienne Jewels for less than ten percent of that amount. Zora turned to smile at her. "That's why I turned her down, but they insisted, so I leveraged my salary. Eventually, we settled for a hundred and forty million. Do you think I'd pass up this opportunity?" She would use this opportunity to get back what belonged to her! Tonya gasped. Zora was more cunning than she thought! She could not wait to see the look on Winona's face when she realized what had happened. The car pulled up to the entrance of Vienna Jewels offices. Zora turned to her three children and said, "Mommy needs to take care of some stuff. Be good, and listen to Aunt Tonya while I'm gone." The three children nodded obediently. However, the moment their mother got out of the car, they exchanged a look and inched closer to Tonya's side. "Aunt Tonya, we want to know what happened between Mommy and the rest of the Jacobs family!" "That's right! You have to tell us, and we promise we won't breathe a word to her!" Tony froze and glanced at them. "Why do you want to know?" "We're Mommy's little babies! We can't just sit by and watch her get tricked!" Truth be told, the only reason they had agreed to return to Ethertown with Zora was because they wanted to exact their revenge on those who had wronged her! A chill went down Tonya's spine when she heard this. How were these children only five years old? Zora stepped into the main lobby of the building. Vienna Jewels was one of the Jacobs family's businesses, but it had been the heart and soul of Zora's mother, Miranda Gabriel. Zora never once imagined her father would hand over the company to an outsider like Winona! Zora had been secretly keeping an eye on Vienna Jewels. During these years, Winona had taken over the company and edged out most of Miranda's old colleagues and partners, rendering the company hers. Unfortunately, this impacted Vienna Jewels' sales and reputation, which was why they were forced to hire the famous jewelry designer Zora in an attempt to save the company. However, 140 million dollars was a huge amount, and from what she remembered, there was no way the Jacobs family could afford to pay this. Someone must be helping Winona behind the scenes, and she would find out who it was! Zora strode over to the reception. "Hello, I'm here to meet Ms. Jacobs." The receptionist asked lazily, "Do you have an appointment?" "No, but Ms. Jacobs, herself, asked me to come here." Zora was a little irritated by the receptionist's attitude. It seemed that Winona had not put much thought into the people she hired, either. The receptionist glanced scornfully at her and replied, "That's too bad. Ms. Jacobs is very busy, and I'm afraid you won't be able to see her without an appointment. " Zora smiled. "Is this how Vienna Jewels treats their clients?" "What do you mean? Can't you tell we're very busy here? How can you just strut in and expect to meet with our director willy-nilly?" At that exact moment, Winona strode out of the elevator and caught sight of the familiar face standing in front of reception. She could not believe it. The nerve of that bitch to return! "Well, look what the cat dragged in. I didn't think you'd be here, Zora. How dare you even show your face here?" Zora turned around. Winona's expression darkened when she finally saw Zora's face. They had not seen each other in six years, and she never expected to see such a big change in Zora. If anything, she found Zora even more repulsive than ever! "Weren't you the one who invited me here?" Zora sneered. Winona froze. "I invited you here? What thick skin you grew!" She crossed her arms in front of her chest and approached Zora. "Have you learned nothing in the past six years?" Zora narrowed her eyes. "Congratulations, Winona, on becoming the director of Vienna Jewels. It seems you've successfully led the company to the verge of bankruptcy." "You—" Without warning, Winona cocked her arm and gave Zora a hard slap across her cheek. Everyone in the lobby was stunned by this. "What's happening here?" All of a sudden, a low, husky voice rang out behind them. Winona turned to glance in the direction of the voice. The moment she saw who it was, all inkling of her rage disappeared. Instead, she approached the man with a rather pitiful look and whimpered, "Jay, it's all her fault. She insulted me and even cursed that Vienna Jewels would go bankrupt."