Chapter 257 Give Her a Card

Chapter 257 Give Her a Card

Vernon's gaze shifted in an instant—from the cautious, eager-to-please expression he'd worn before to pure shock and admiration.

"Audrey, you're insane." Vernon set down his knife and fork, snapped on a pair of disposable gloves, and dragged the enormous Boston lobster from the center platter toward himself. His movements were swift and practiced as he cracked open the hard shell and extracted the most tender, succulent meat, placing it directly onto Audrey's plate.

"Eat up. Brain food." Vernon's grin was blindingly bright, his protective-brother mode fully activated. "If I ever can't make it out there, I'm counting on you to support me."

Audrey glanced at the lobster meat on her plate, her expression cool, but she didn't refuse. "Thanks."

Lucienne watched the siblings' interaction with maternal warmth written all over her face.

She lifted the delicate bone china teapot and personally poured Audrey a cup of Darjeeling. "Have some hot tea to warm your stomach. You've been working yourself to the bone down in that basement lab these past few days, formulating medicine for your grandmother."

The three of them sat around the table, the atmosphere warm and harmonious.

Meanwhile, Helen, seated across from them, had become completely invisible.

She was still clutching those Hollywood star autographs in a death grip, her knuckles bone-white from the pressure. No one looked at her. No one cared what she'd just said. Vernon's entire focus was on Audrey, and Lucienne had eyes only for her biological daughter.

Helen bit down hard, sawing a piece of steak on her plate into shreds.

Jealousy fermented wildly in her chest, nearly breaking through the dam of her self-control.

After dinner ended, Audrey set down her napkin and prepared to head upstairs to rest.

Helen's eyes darted. She immediately grabbed a plate of cut fruit and followed.

She'd timed it perfectly—Vernon always went to the second-floor sitting room after meals to unwind with video games.

She had to find a chance to talk to Vernon alone, use those old topics about Beverly Hills gossip and fashion industry drama to pull his attention back to herself. Reinforcing their bond was the only thing she could do right now.

"Vernon." Helen appeared in the sitting room doorway, switching on a sweet, obedient smile.

But Vernon didn't even glance at her. He brushed right past, striding quickly after Audrey instead.

"Audrey, wait up!" Vernon called out.

Audrey stopped and turned to look at him.

Vernon fished a black card from his suit pocket and pressed it directly into Audrey's hand.

It was a JPMorgan palladium card, its surface gleaming with a cold metallic luster.

"Take it." Vernon's tone was generous, carrying an uncompromising dominance. "This is Vernon's allowance for you."

Audrey glanced down, her brow furrowing slightly.

She tried to hand it back. "I don't need it. The subsidiary pays dividends. I'm not short on money."

"That's completely different." Vernon refused to accept it, pushing the card back into her hand and pinning her hand down firmly. "What you earn is yours. What I give you is my sentiment. You're heading to Philadelphia soon to study. Wharton—that kind of place has tons of social events. Bags, clothes, sports cars—swipe away. This card has no spending limit. You could buy out every luxury boutique in Philadelphia and I'd still cover it."

Audrey looked at his insistent expression, remembering how he'd crushed her medicinal herbs at the airport that afternoon.

It had been an accident, but she'd still been somewhat irritated.

Still, seeing Vernon so eager to make amends, holding nothing back, the coldness in her heart thawed a little.

"Really, I don't need it." Audrey refused again.

"If you don't take it, you're disowning me as your second brother." Vernon pulled out his trump card, blocking her path like a stubborn child. "Xavier gave you La Prairie, Reid gave you a house and cars, even Mom gave you a black card. If I can't even give my little sister some spending money, what standing will I have in this family?"

"Fine. I'll take it." Audrey slipped the palladium card into her pocket. "Thank you, Vernon."

Only then did Vernon's satisfied smile return. He pulled out his phone. "Come on, add me on WhatsApp. If you run into any trouble in Philadelphia, message Vernon anytime. I've got some connections in the North American entertainment industry. If anyone messes with you, I'll make sure they can't survive in the business."

Audrey took out her phone and scanned his QR code.

Standing in the distance, Helen's hands trembled as she held the fruit platter.

An unlimited palladium card. Vernon had just casually handed it to Audrey as pocket money!

She'd lived in this house for twenty years. The most Vernon had ever given her were a few limited-edition bags. He'd never once given her this kind of absolute financial freedom.

Helen bit her lip hard and turned back to her room.

Back in her bedroom, Audrey took a shower.

After drying her hair, she sat at her desk and opened her iPad.

She looked at Vernon's profile picture in her WhatsApp contacts, her finger tapping lightly on the screen.

Vernon might have ruined her herbs, but his attitude tonight had been genuinely flawless.

She'd accepted his unlimited black card. She should offer something in return.

Audrey opened a professional music production app.

Back when she'd lived in the slums, she'd done whatever it took to survive—singing at underground bars, even writing songs for a few underground labels.

She had an exceptional gift for music theory and composition.

She recalled Vernon's past stage performances.

Leaning toward Western pop R&B—strong on rhythm but lacking melodies that truly hit the soul.

Audrey put on her noise-canceling headphones, her fingers dancing rapidly across the virtual keyboard.

In less than half an hour, a three-minute demo had taken shape.

The melody was sophisticated, the arrangement richly layered, carrying the kind of ethereal yet explosive quality that Western pop music desperately lacked.

She even casually recorded a chorus harmony line.

After exporting the audio file, Audrey sent it straight to Vernon via WhatsApp.

Caption: [Welcome gift.]

Downstairs in the sitting room.

Vernon was sprawled on the couch playing a game. His phone buzzed. He switched screens and saw it was a message from Audrey. He opened it immediately.

An audio file.

Vernon looked puzzled but tapped play anyway.

The moment the intro hit, Vernon froze.

Richly textured synthesizer effects layered over deep, thumping beats instantly grabbed his attention.

Then an incredibly catchy melody poured out. When the chorus dropped, that cool yet piercing female harmony vocal made every hair on Vernon's body stand on end.

This was Grammy-level production!

Vernon shot up from the couch. He'd been grinding in the Western music industry for years, had heard countless works from top-tier producers.

But the quality of this demo was absolutely world-class.

He immediately called Audrey.

"Audrey!" The second she picked up, Vernon's excited voice burst through. "Who wrote this track? Which reclusive genius? This melody is unreal! And that harmony—whoever sang it has an absolutely stunning voice!"

Audrey leaned back in her chair, her tone even. "I wrote it. And I recorded the harmony."