Chapter 278 You Finally Came Back

Chapter 278 You Finally Came Back

Soon, Sidney discovered that things were exactly as Anson had said.

He watched helplessly as Alice executed every step with the precision of a Swiss watch, working in perfect sync with Anson.

All the places where he'd kept screwing up, Alice handled smoothly.

He couldn't help but start doubting himself. Was he really just an idiot? How was that even possible?

In less than half an hour, the problem was basically solved. All that was left now was trial and error.

Sidney went from being completely lost at the start to being totally convinced now.

Finally, Alice wrapped up and pulled a lollipop from her pocket. "Anson, thanks for your hard work today. When this is over, I'll take you downtown to have some fun, okay?"

Anson's temper came and went quickly. "Great! Alice, you better remember to take me out. Oh, and don't bring this idiot."

Alice rubbed her forehead with a rueful smile. "He's my cousin. He's just not very good at this stuff. But look at this blueprint—all the data on it came from him. Isn't that smart enough?"

Anson frowned. He had to admit that Sidney was indeed better than him at design.

But in his eyes, Sidney was just ridiculously dumb.

Sidney couldn't even figure out how to use the tools, let alone talk about design.

Anson felt Alice was completely different. She seemed to understand everything.

Sidney felt a bit embarrassed being praised like this.

"I'm not that great. Anson's right—I'm really not as smart as you guys."

They walked out of the equipment room together.

Then Anson took off his mask and bit down hard on the candy Alice had given him, swallowing it whole.

Sidney hadn't gotten a good look at him earlier; all he'd registered was how young the guy was.

Now, seeing the young man's face clearly, he finally understood that some people are born on third base and think they hit a triple.

Sidney said in frustration, "Next time I come, I'll definitely be able to help you."

Sidney and Alice were escorted to the door.

Anson rolled his eyes at him without holding back. "You're too dumb."

This time Sidney couldn't argue back. After all, Anson was only 21, and he was indeed young and talented.

Alice could tell Sidney had taken quite a beating today, and found it somewhat amusing.

"Alright, Sidney, why are you comparing yourself to him? He's a one-in-a-million genius. It's getting late, let's head back."

Alice got in the car with him.

In the car, Sidney couldn't help but ask, "What's his background anyway? So young but already so skilled, and it looks like he's even the team leader there. But he's only 21—at a normal age, he should have just graduated from college."

Alice sat in the passenger seat and began telling him about Anson's experiences and achievements.

"He was selected by a national agency here for accelerated training when he was 10. At 12, he finished college-level physics and math exams. At 15, he completed all his coursework. After taking a gap year, he started working at the research institute."

Sometimes, Sidney had to admit that the gap between people could be soul-crushing.

Sidney used to think he was naturally gifted, but compared to Anson, he felt like an adult who'd stopped growing long ago.

"Really bruises my ego. But at least there probably aren't many people in the world who can beat him, right?"

"Wrong, there are tens of thousands." Alice shattered his fantasy. "The world has never lacked smart people. Sidney, you're smart too."

Sidney felt a bit better being comforted by these words. "You really know how to talk."

Alice let him call her that without objecting.

By the time they drove back, it was already 2:30 in the morning.

Alice and Sidney were yawning. As soon as they got out of the car, they noticed the lights were still on in the villa.

Why was someone still up this late?

They both saw the same confusion in each other's eyes.

Alice pushed the door open first.

Evelyn was sitting on the sofa. In front of her were two bowls of porridge and two plates of food. When she heard the noise, she almost jumped up from the sofa, her eyes full of expectation, almost pleading.

"You're back. Let me heat up the food now. Alice, are you hungry? Cold? You must be tired, go wash your hands first..."

Alice just glanced at it coolly, casually dumped the bowl of porridge into the trash, and cut through her attentiveness with a cold tone.

"I only helped you before because I wanted to watch the Hall family tear each other apart. You don't need to suck up to me. Now that old bastard from the Hall family has lost the Reyes family's support, and he's running around like a kicked dog begging others to take him in. As for your precious daughter Stella, she's already been sent to some old man's bed by your husband for sex trafficking."

Evelyn's body went rigid. Her eyes were pleading as she urgently tried to explain, "No, I know they got what they deserved. I'm not sucking up to you for them. Alice, I just want to make it up to you. Just give me this chance, please. I'm begging you, okay?"

Seeing the porridge she'd spent two hours making in the trash, her heart felt like it was being stabbed with needles, and her voice began to crack.

"After all this time, can't you forgive me? I know I was wrong. I didn't protect you back then..."

"Shut up!" Alice's face twisted in disgust.

These past few days she'd been busy dealing with Robert and Stella.

What on earth gave Evelyn the illusion that there was any possibility of repairing their relationship?

"Looking at your fake act makes me sick! When you kept taking your precious daughter's side, forcing me, hurting me, humiliating me—why didn't you think about protecting me or making it up to me then? You kept saying you only had Stella as a daughter, and that I wasn't worthy!

"And don't say you didn't know about what happened back then. You knew... you just chose the side that was more beneficial to you. Now you're playing the victim? Now that everything's resolved, I just want you to move out within two days. Otherwise, I don't mind personally throwing you out."

Alice's eyes held no warmth, only raw disgust and rejection.

Evelyn froze in place like a statue. The plate in her hands fell to the floor, shattering with a crash that exploded through the living room.

The hope in her eyes turned into complete and utter despair.

She seemed to lose all her strength at once, collapsing to the floor, her white hair especially stark under the lights.

Sidney frowned but didn't step forward to help. He walked around her toward the exit, only dropping one sentence.

"People ultimately have to pay for what they've done."

As Alice walked past her, someone suddenly grabbed her pant leg.

Evelyn's eyes were full of pleading, like a drowning person clutching at the last bit of driftwood. "Alice, don't do this. I'm old now, you're the only child I have left. I'll love you properly from now on. Without you, how can I live?"

Alice kicked her hand away. "Don't touch me. We've already cut ties, legally! If you want to die, go die. Anyway, to me, my biological mother died in my heart the moment she abandoned me..."

She walked upstairs. Behind her, faint sobbing suddenly rang out.

"It's my fault... this is all what I deserve..."

She didn't look back, walking straight up and pushing open the door to see Michael sitting on the bed, like someone who'd been left alone in an empty room, speaking quietly, "You're finally back."