Chapter 87 Welfare Institute
Ivory Crest Club.
In a private room on the top floor, pulsing music with heavy beats hammered like arterial pressure, striking at people's hearts. The central KTV lounge had luxury coffee tables loaded with beer and fruit platters.
Rachel and Gloria each had two or three male models sitting beside them. The models wore colorful tank tops and black dress pants, showing off muscular arms and curly chest hair.
The entire room reeked of decadent, ambiguous atmosphere.
Rachel leaned against one of the male models, feeling his iron-hard chest beneath her as she lazily lifted a glass of wine, took a sip, and looked at Gloria.
"Are we just letting the Arabella thing slide?"
They'd originally backed Leila to make things difficult for Arabella at her company, but unexpectedly, Mandy ended up in prison, Leila was driven out of Majestic City by the Reeves family, and they were strictly forbidden by their families from interfering with Brightwell Pharmaceuticals anymore.
Unable to touch Arabella left Rachel feeling unsatisfied, but she couldn't find another opportunity to do anything.
Arabella had that lawyer Blake protecting her and her father, and there was something odd about that pretty boy around her too. She and her brother had tried to make moves on him several times, but they kept getting blocked, so her brother forbade her from meddling in these affairs anymore.
She'd thought Leila could help her vent her frustrations, but it ended up like this again. Thinking about it, Rachel cursed angrily, "That bitch—how is she so lucky!"
Gloria snorted. "How was your brother so blind to fall for her back then?"
Rachel's face was full of disgust. "Don't even mention it. I don't know what got into him—he was so obsessed with her. My mom didn't stop it either."
A cold glint flashed in Gloria's eyes. "She's exactly who I want to deal with now. I won't feel right until I get this revenge."
Rachel was about to respond when her phone suddenly rang. She glanced at the caller and answered with little enthusiasm. "Cassidy, what's up?"
"Rachel," Cassidy's gentle voice came through. "I just got home and saw an adoption notice from an orphanage on the table. No one else is home, so I wanted to ask—was this delivered to the wrong address?"
Rachel said impatiently, "What adoption notice? Probably just advertisers finding loopholes to get in. Cassidy, you don't work all day, so you need to keep a good watch at home. Don't let just any random cats and dogs run into our upscale neighborhood."
On the other end, Cassidy bit her lip. Since the Tucker family incident, the Watson family's attitude toward her had gotten worse by the day. Rachel had initially been on her side, but now for some reason, she was cold and dismissive too.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her churning emotions, and continued gently, "I thought it was an ad too, but I saw Tony's name on it, so I wanted to ask you. Since it's an ad, I'll just throw it out."
After a pause, she added, "Well, you're busy, so I'll hang up now."
But Rachel suddenly stopped her. "Wait, you said that adoption notice has my brother's name on it?"
Cassidy nodded. "Yeah, but you and your brother already have a child, so he wouldn't adopt another one, right? Plus, if he were adopting, he'd tell me. Since he didn't mention it, it's probably fake."
Rachel was quiet for a moment, then said, "Bring that notice over for me to see."
She suddenly remembered that when her brother was still married to Arabella, he had indeed registered for adoption procedures. Back then, Arabella couldn't get pregnant, and IVF didn't work either, so they'd planned to adopt.
But adoption procedures were so complicated—she really didn't know what happened after that.
But based on Cassidy's description, it had to be that matter.
Gloria saw her hang up with an ugly expression and said disdainfully, "What does that Cassidy want now?"
She'd been pursuing Sawyer, so when those scandal photos of Sawyer and Cassidy came out, she'd wanted to find someone to mess with Cassidy. What trash—how dare she seduce the man she had her eye on.
But because Rachel was caught in the middle, and Rachel repeatedly assured her that nothing was going on between Cassidy and Sawyer, she hadn't made a move.
Even so, she had no good impression of Cassidy. She didn't hide her feelings in front of Rachel, cursing when she felt like it, which gradually made Rachel lose her good attitude toward Cassidy too.
Hearing Gloria's words now, Rachel explained, "That bitch Arabella registered adoption procedures with my brother before. Now they're divorced, but she still wants to use this to get close to my brother. I think she's got ulterior motives."
"Adoption notices sent to your house? That is pretty excessive. Your brother's about to get married, and she's pulling this..." Gloria's eyes suddenly lit up. "She really wants to adopt that child?"
Rachel hesitated. "You mean..."
The two locked eyes, and after a moment, both smiled.
Arabella was completely unaware of this. She went to work and came home as usual, and soon it was the weekend.
Alexander knew she was going to the orphanage and prepared some food and supplies in advance, helping load them into Philip's car while instructing, "Eat properly at lunch, come back early tonight, and call me if anything happens."
Arabella laughed. "Alex, your boyfriend energy is so strong. Girls eat this stuff up—you better watch out or some woman will snatch you up and take you home as a husband."
Alexander smiled slightly, as if joking. "Having you is enough for me."
Arabella shuddered. "Ugh, that's so cheesy."
Philip beside them also silently shuddered. 'You know it's cheesy too?'
He was so innocent—why did he, a single person, have to experience this? His soul had been greatly wounded. He'd definitely have to apply to Chloe later to see if this counted as a work injury.
Arabella waved goodbye to Alexander and got in the car.
Philip had specifically brought a seven-seat SUV today, with the back seats and trunk stuffed full of supplies. Though they regularly transferred money to the orphanage's account, bringing things when they visited made the children especially happy.
Living in the city for so long made them miss the pure smiles on the children's faces.
After driving for over four hours, they arrived just at noon at the village located at the border between Majestic City and Riverbend City.
Riverbend City was mountainous, and this village sat in a mountain valley, three mountain peaks away from the nearest town.
The orphanage was converted from an abandoned school—rusty iron gates, peeling walls, with the barely visible painted words "Orphanage" on the wall.
Philip drove the car inside onto unhardened ground. After a recent rain, there were mud puddles everywhere, and the orphanage children were jumping around the puddles, playing happily.
They all wore worn clothes and had dirty faces, but their smiles were pure.
Arabella and Philip jumped out of the car. A child spotted them and shouted excitedly, "Philip and Arabella are here! I'll go get Mom!"
Mom was what they called the orphanage director.
The other children gathered around, looking excitedly and expectantly at the back of the car.
The orphanage director, Ella Ramsey, soon came over. She wore a faded short-sleeve shirt and jeans, with muddy shoes, about fifty years old with a head full of white hair. She wiped her hands on her clothes as she walked, smiling. "Philip, Arabella, you're here! Come inside and sit."
Philip smiled and stepped forward. "Ms. Ramsey, we brought some books and daily necessities, plus some food. Have a couple of the older kids help unload and distribute everything."
Ella didn't stand on ceremony, quickly calling two children to arrange things.
She glanced at Arabella and smiled. "I figured you'd come. Let's go to the classroom to talk."
Arabella nodded and asked, "Ms. Ramsey, I don't see Molly. Where is she?"
Ella said, "Molly wasn't feeling well a couple days ago, so she went to town for IV treatment. If you'd come a day later, you would have caught her return."
Hearing this, Arabella quickly asked, "What happened? Is she seriously ill?"
Ella waved her hand. "Not serious, just a cold with mild pneumonia. She kept coughing, and I was worried about lung damage, so I insisted she go to the hospital."
Only then did Arabella relax. "That's good. Is there enough money? If needed, I can cover these expenses."
Ella smiled and waved her hand. "It's not necessary. With your donations these past two years, plus government subsidies, the orphanage is doing much better."
As they talked, they walked into the classroom.
Calling it a classroom was generous—it was really just a row of old single-story buildings, room by room of aged structures including dormitories, activity rooms, and bathrooms. The children's food, clothing, shelter, and daily life all took place in these few small rooms.
The classroom had some worn desks and chairs, with handmade crafts made from red paper placed along the walls—colorful, vibrant, and beautiful.
Ella had them sit down, made tea for them, and handed it over before asking Arabella, "Arabella, why didn't you bring Mr. Watson today?"
Arabella paused, then said matter-of-factly, "Ms. Ramsey, he and I are already divorced."
Ella was stunned, hardly believing it. "You're divorced? Then about adopting Molly..."
Arabella quickly explained, "It won't be affected. Don't worry."
"That's good, that's good. I told Molly about this the other day, and she's looking forward to it. If the adoption fell through, how disappointed would the child be?" Ella relaxed, then paused as if remembering something, slapping her thigh. "Then I sent the adoption notice to Watson Villa—what a mess!"
"You sent the adoption notice to Watson Villa?" Arabella was genuinely surprised by this.
Ella said regretfully, "I didn't know you were divorced. I thought it was still the same address."
Arabella comforted her. "It's okay. The Watson family has no interest in adopting Molly now anyway. They probably saw it and threw it away like waste paper. It's just a notice—it doesn't affect anything."
Ella sighed, still feeling somewhat guilty. "I should have called you first."
Afraid she'd overthink it, Arabella quickly changed the subject. "Ms. Ramsey, I came this time partly to visit Molly, and partly to ask how much longer the adoption process will take."
She'd been waiting almost a year.
Hearing this, Ella's face lit up again. "Don't worry, the fact that I contacted you means it's almost done. At most another two weeks, and you can come pick her up."
The country was very strict about adoption procedures. They had to complete the full process, investigate the adoptive parents' background and conditions, and repeatedly confirm suitability before approval.
Hearing there were only two weeks left, Arabella felt joy. She was about to have a daughter.
Molly was a child she'd been supporting for a long time. She wasn't married to Anthony yet when she first met her—she was on a graduation trip with roommates, hiking in Riverbend City, when they encountered Molly's simple parents gathering wild herbs with two-year-old Molly.
Molly was strapped to her mother's back, looking at them with big, curious eyes. Arabella's heart melted on the spot. After talking with them, she learned that making a living in the mountains was extremely difficult—they could barely scrape by year-round, and during blizzards or droughts, even filling their stomachs became a problem.
Though Arabella came from an ordinary family, as an only child raised in the city, she'd never seen such hardship. When leaving, she got Molly's parents' contact information and sent them five hundred dollars every month from then on.
She always remembered those big eyes of Molly's, looking at the world with such pure curiosity. So even during her family's sudden crisis and most difficult period, she never stopped the support.
Later, she married Anthony and was troubled by fertility issues, while Molly's parents died in a mudslide while climbing mountains. Molly depended on her sickly grandmother, and soon after the grandmother passed away too, making Molly an orphan who was sent to this orphanage.
When she heard all this, she felt it was incredible fate. She needed a child but couldn't have one no matter what, while Molly, whom she'd been supporting, was now alone and needed a mother.
Arabella discussed it with Anthony and decided to adopt Molly.
Actually, before that, she'd only met two-year-old Molly once and didn't know what the little girl looked like now. Later, preparing for adoption, she visited several times. Eight-year-old Molly had grown into a little girl, just a bit timid and not very talkative.
Even so, Arabella looked forward to bringing Molly to live with her.
Knowing everything was going smoothly, Arabella felt relieved. Ella went to attend to other matters while she and Philip walked around outside.
Several bold children surrounded Philip with questions. Philip was like a sunny neighborhood big brother, patiently answering their questions with a bright smile.
Arabella walked in another direction. A child suddenly rushed out from under a big banyan tree, saw her, and quickly stopped. Arabella smiled at her and was about to continue walking when the child suddenly spoke: "Are you taking Molly to the big city for a good life?"
Arabella was startled. This child had short, messy hair and dirty clothes, dressed like a boy from head to toe, but had a girl's voice.
She tentatively asked, "You're... a little girl?"
The child nodded. "Yes, I'm a girl."
Arabella's heart softened as she crouched down to look at her, asking with a smile, "What's your name? How old are you?"
"I'm Becky Gray, seven years old." The little girl answered her questions straightforwardly without any shyness.
Arabella couldn't help but pinch her cheeks. "So well-behaved."
Becky looked at her hesitantly, then after a while managed to say, "Why don't you take me too? I'm really, really good."
Arabella laughed. "Sorry, my circumstances don't allow it. I can only afford to raise one child right now."
Becky lowered her head disappointedly and said quietly, "But you're so nice—you should pick a good child to raise. Molly isn't good at all."
Arabella didn't hear clearly what she said, smiled, ruffled her hair, and walked away.