Chapter 5

The manager at Luminous Lounge explained nervously to Jacob, who stood before the surveillance footage. "Because it was a blind spot in the surveillance, we only caught a glimpse of her back…" He watched Jacob's expression anxiously, knowing that a single word from him would cost him his job. The manager trembled all over out of fear. "Didn't the alarm go off?" Luminous Lounge, a high-end club, always had a parking lot full of luxury cars. In order to prevent accidents, each parking space was equipped with an alarm system. As soon as Jacob finished speaking, they saw the woman on the surveillance footage suddenly approach the alarm. She bent down and did something to it, and the alarm that had been flashing red lights instantly stopped. "She stuck gum on it." The manager's voice was stiff as he watched the woman stand up, turn her back to the camera, and raise her middle finger provocatively. Then, she boldly dragged a hammer from the corner and smashed it into the Bentley's windshield with a heavy blow. "It was our error. The security guard happened to be outside handling a disturbance, which is why such a major incident occurred. Luminous Lounge will fully compensate you for all your losses." Jacob, however, was not bothered by it. His eyes were fixated on the woman in the footage. He suddenly pointed at the Ferrari on the other side of the screen. "Find out who owns this car within three days!" He put on his coat and left the surveillance room. His voice was even cold in the middle of the night. "Otherwise, I don't see the need for the Luminous Lounge to continue operating." Since her new apartment was far from Blake Residence, Nicole was worried about being late for lunch, so she took a cab to get there early. As soon as she entered, she saw Jacob's mother, Melissa Scott, holding Sarah's hand. They were chatting warmly with the cousin, Kellie Blake, and several other female relatives from the Blake family. It was a scene of lively conversation that Nicole had never experienced before in the household. Unlike before, she didn't try to join in on their conversations. Instead, she casually sat on a couch and played on her phone. "How can you come home and not greet anyone? You're just sitting there playing on your phone. You have no manners!" Though she didn't want to cause any trouble, the others wouldn't leave her alone. Jacob's aunt, Emily Duff, immediately spotted Nicole when she came in and couldn't resist making a snide remark. Nicole casually responded while playing on her phone, "I'm getting divorced soon. There's no need to pretend we're one big happy family." Her blunt words left Emily speechless. Everyone in the Blake family knew that Nicole had a good temperament. No matter how much others mocked or ridiculed her, she never responded. Normally, when they were frustrated by Jacob, they took out their anger on her instead of confronting him directly. Nicole had always remained silent. But today, it seemed she had had enough. Jacob's third aunt, Debbie Quinn, asked in surprise. "Divorce? Why? When did this happen? Have you discussed it with Jacob? Why such sudden news? We all…" "Come on, Aunt Debbie. Stop pretending. You all are chatting with the future daughter-in-law of the Blake family over there, so why ask such obvious questions?" Nicole rolled her eyes and added, "Isn't it because of the divorce that we were called over for lunch? You're all here for the show, right? You don't even show up for Grandpa's birthday like this!" Debbie was taken aback by Nicole's words. Her face turned red from embarrassment. She couldn't stand being rendered speechless by Nicole amidst the crowd. So, she scolded, "I kindly asked you, and this is your attitude? Is this how you talk to someone older than you? And what right do you, an outsider, have to comment on Dad's birthday?" Having cleared another level of her game, Nicole replied casually, "You are right. I am an outsider. So why are you so concerned about whether I'm divorced or not? Do you know how Stephen Murphy's grandfather lived to be ninety years old?" "You!" Seeing that Debbie was about to argue with Nicole, Melissa intervened. She tugged Debbie aside and comforted her. "Enough, don't lower yourself to her level. From the moment she walked in, we could tell she had no manners. Anyway, they're getting divorced, and soon she'll be out of our sight." Kellie echoed, "Aunt Melissa is right. We should speak to people according to their level. Arguing with lowly people will only bring us down to their level!" Kellie glanced at Nicole with disdain. Finally, Nicole looked up and stared at Kellie for a while before letting out a laugh. "Just admit that you can't win an argument. There's no need to pat yourself on the back." Kellie's expression changed. Just as she struggled to respond, she started speaking to Sarah in a foreign language. "It's hard to believe Jacob ended up with such a shrew. Talking to her disgusts me!" Sarah, catching on, added in the same language, "Yes, she reminds me of those old women from the slums abroad, fighting over scraps from the trash. What a peasant!" The two laughed together. They felt a sense of superiority and looked down on Nicole condescendingly. "Did you hear yourself? You are using an Ambrosia accent to mimic a pure Azorix accent." Nicole threw her phone aside and crossed her arms. She looked at them as if they were clowns. She responded in the same language to Kellie, "Every time you say something bad about me in a different language because you are so smart, it really looks bad on you." Kellie's expression darkened. She was stunned as Nicole continued to speak with words she couldn't understand, though she recognized a few derogatory terms. Seeing Nicole was about to leave with her phone, Kellie grabbed her arm and roared, "What were you saying behind my back? Explain yourself before you leave!" Nicole paused. She looked at Kellie and chuckled. "Oh, nothing much. I'm just stating the fact that you're an idiot in different languages. Kellie's expression darkened even more. Though she tried to retort, she couldn't find the words. Nicole didn't want to waste her time anymore, so she shook off Kellie's hand and turned to leave. "You bitch!" "Mr. Blake is here!"