Chapter 7

Neil’s eyes lit up with anticipation. However, he soon became disappointed when he saw the caller ID. It was a call from Ada. Her cheerful voice came through as soon as he picked up. “Neil, my grandfather’s birthday is coming up, so my parents asked me to send you an invitation. Are you free later? I’ll pass by Remus Corporation to give you the invitation. We can have lunch together too.” “Sure,” Neil answered calmly. “Great! See you later.” After the call ended, Neil’s irritation did not subside; in fact, it seemed to intensify. It was difficult for him to concentrate on the documents. He did not expect Silvia to be so decisive. She never contacted him at all! Knock! Knock! Knock! Just then, some knocking on the door interrupted his thoughts. Curtis walked in with a document and solemnly said, “Mr. Remus, I just received news that the land in East City will be going up for auction ahead of schedule!” Realizing how serious the matter was, Neil immediately ordered, “Tell the project manager and shareholders that we’ll have a meeting in five minutes!” Neil was still in the meeting when Ada arrived at the company, so Curtis received her instead. “Miss Ada, Mr. Remus’s meeting is still ongoing. He asked me to bring you to his office so that you can wait there.” Ada smiled gently. “Thank you.” After Curtis guided Ada to Neil’s office, he said, “If you need anything, feel free to call me.” Then, Curtis left. As Curtis closed the door, Ada walked up to Neil’s desk and placed a gilded invitation card. She froze when she caught sight of a red velvet box. “This looks like a jewelry box. My birthday’s coming up… Could this be a surprise gift from Neil?” Ada thought. After a moment of hesitation, she picked up the velvet box. Neil had bought it for her after all, so it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick peek. With that thought in mind, she opened the box. It revealed the necklace that Neil had bid on at the Ceattle auction. She recalled asking him whom it was for back then, but he did not tell her. It seemed like he was planning to give her a surprise. Ada’s mood instantly brightened. She smiled and put the box back in place. By the time Neil returned from the meeting, an hour had passed. He appeared apologetic when he saw Ada. “Sorry for the wait. We had an urgent meeting.” Ada stood up with a warm smile. “No worries. I’ve already ordered lunch. It should be arriving soon,” she said understandingly. “Okay.” “Oh, I left the invitation card on your desk. My grandfather’s birthday is next Saturday. Can you make it?” Neil furrowed his brows. “I have a business trip scheduled in two days, so I might not be back by Saturday. I’ll do my best, though.” “I understand. By the way, have you heard from Silvia lately? Whenever I call her, it goes straight to voicemail. Do you know where she is?” Neil frowned when Ada mentioned Silvia. His voice sounded cold as a result. “Why are you looking for her?” Ada pursed her lips and said with concern, “You know that Silvia isn’t on good terms with my parents. She only returned to the family when she turned sixteen. She always thinks that my parents favor me. Plus, she quarreled with them some time ago. Since my grandfather’s birthday is next Saturday, I want her to join the party to get them back on good terms.” After a brief silence, Neil replied, “I’ll tell her about it.” Ada changed the subject when she saw his lack of interest. … After Silvia finished a proposal, she received a call from Idris Pond. “Your grandfather’s birthday is next Saturday. You need to come back.” Silvia pursed her lips and spoke indifferently, “I recently started working, so I might be busy. I can’t promise that I’ll show up.” “What could be more important than your grandfather’s birthday?! I don’t care how busy you are. You have to show up next Saturday. You better bring Neil along too!” Idris said angrily. The Pond Family was experiencing a downfall. A month earlier, Jeremy Pond, Idris’s father, had made it clear to him that Neil needed to attend his birthday party. Neil would act as a warning for others who wanted to target the Pond Family. Silvia pondered about it. She had to tell them about her divorce face-to-face to prevent future problems. “I understand. I’ll do my best to be there.” After Silvia gave Idris her word, he ended the call. Mindy Woods, Idris’s wife, was displeased with his actions. She frowned and questioned him, “You’ve already told Ada to send Neil an invitation. Why are you asking Silvia to invite Neil again?” Even though Silvia bore a resemblance to Ada, Mindy never warmed up to her since Silvia did not grow up by her side. Shortly after Mindy gave birth to Ada and Silvia, a tarot reader showed up uninvited to warn them that having Silvia in the Pond Family would bring misfortune. The family had trusted this tarot reader for a long time. Therefore, the Pond Family eventually sent Silvia to an orphanage after much deliberation. However, when Ada turned sixteen, she suddenly fell ill. None of the Pond Family members had bone marrow that matched hers, so they had no option but to bring Silvia back into the family. As twins, Silvia and Ada were genetically similar, so they were a successful match. They ended up keeping Silvia in the Pond Family because she donated her bone marrow to Ada. Nevertheless, the tarot reader’s words continued to haunt them whenever they saw Silvia. As such, they were cold and distant toward her. Within the family, Mindy was particularly cold toward Silvia. This was especially so after she learned about Silvia’s adoption by a family from a distant rural area. To Mindy, Silvia was not as well-educated as her beloved Ada, whom she had nurtured for more than ten years. Seeing Silvia alongside Ada only added to her discomfort. Ever since Silvia returned to the family, she had repeatedly ignored Mindy’s advice. Each time Mindy tried to talk to her, it would end in an argument. This led to the deterioration of their relationship. As time passed, Mindy began to feel a strong disgust whenever others talked about Silvia. Idris glanced at her and spoke coldly, “Don’t forget that Silvia is now Neil’s wife.” Mindy sneered with disdain. “If Ada hadn’t been abroad, would she have had a chance with Neil? Now that Ada’s back and Neil doesn’t seem interested in Silvia, it’d be better for them to get a divorce. Then Neil can marry Ada as soon as possible!” Idris frowned and began to contemplate the matter. Every time he called Silvia, he would subtly push her to talk to Neil and influence him to help the Pond Family. However, Silvia would refuse. This made him quite unhappy. Silvia and Neil had been married for three years, but they had no children. If Neil divorced Silvia and married Ada, it would be advantageous for the Pond Family. Despite that, Idris was cautious. He would not act recklessly without knowing what was on Neil’s mind. “Let’s talk about it next time. Unless I say so, don’t bring this up in front of Silvia. Otherwise, I won’t forgive you if things escalate!” Mindy’s expression changed. “Fine. They’ll split up sooner or later, anyway. I can’t be bothered to intervene,” she said with annoyance. After a moment of silence, Idris said in a low voice, “You should treat Silvia better sometimes. After all, we owe her.” Disgust flashed across Mindy’s eyes. She callously replied, “You can be as kind as you want to her, but don’t expect the same from me! Ada’s my only daughter! Don’t forget the tarot reader—” “Mindy!” Idris interrupted her sternly. Mindy’s words angered him. “If I hear you bring that up again, don’t blame me for losing my temper!” Mindy’s face turned pale when Idris shouted at her. She only regained her composure after Idris stormed out of the room. She felt somewhat frightened, but her disdain for Silvia only grew stronger. If not for Silvia, many of these problems would not exist. As Silvia prepared to leave work that evening, Dulcie suddenly appeared. “Silvia, do you have any plans for tonight?”