Chapter 46: Angering One After Another
"How did they get here?" Simon's expression darkened. "Lucas, did you tell them to come?"
"It wasn't me." Lucas took a deep breath. "Uncle Simon, I care about Grandpa's health just as much as you do!"
Simon's tone softened a bit, but he couldn't hide his irritation. "Then how did they find out?"
Lucas stayed silent. He'd come to the villa early in the morning—if Michelle and Amelia wanted to track his whereabouts, they could easily discover Roger was here.
Adrian said to me, "Ms. Sorelli, they're outside and won't leave. Should we force them to go?"
I thought for a moment. "Let them in."
Harold, who'd been glaring at Lucas, and Lucas, who stood there with pursed lips, both looked at me in surprise. Lily confirmed with me, "You really want to let them in?"
"They won't give up until they see Roger," I said calmly. "Rather than have them keep bothering us, better to crush their hopes now."
I smiled at Harold. "Grandpa, you stay upstairs and rest. I'll go down and send them away."
"Alright, we'll do as you say." Harold patted the back of my hand and said sympathetically, "Bella, sorry to put you through this."
I shook my head and left the guest room. Adrian followed behind me, and soon Lucas was also shooed out by Harold.
Amelia and Michelle entered the living room together. Amelia looked quite unhappy, while Michelle naturally made small talk with me, congratulating me on acquiring Roger.
"I came in such a hurry last time, I forgot to bring gifts. I hope you don't mind." Michelle brought quite a few things. She'd put a lot of thought into it this time—there were gifts for me, my brothers, Roger, and everyone in the Caldwell family.
Ashley and Arthur ran downstairs. Seeing the latest gaming console and stargazing telescope Michelle brought, they seemed to like them but held back, saying, "We don't want anything from a bad woman!"
They pointed at their own eyes and said fiercely to Lucas, "We're here to watch you. If you bully Bella, we'll tell Grandpa."
Lucas was busy dealing with the difficult Ashley and Arthur. Amelia looked at him with hurt in her eyes for a long time, but got no response.
I remembered what Lucas said on the deck that night. He seemed not to have met with Amelia these past few days and barely contacted her, but I didn't know if I could trust Lucas.
Michelle wasn't embarrassed by the gift rejection, and even being called a "bad woman" by Ashley and Arthur couldn't wipe the smile off her face.
She said warmly, "You have everything already, so it's normal you don't care for these gifts. But I've collected some precious medicinal herbs and health supplements that are good for Harold's health."
Hearing it could benefit Harold, so Lucas had to pay attention.
Ashley and Arthur also got nervous. Michelle opened an exquisitely packaged gift box containing five ampoules.
"Is this Velo Nutrient?" Ashley exclaimed. "You actually got this!"
"You know something after all." Amelia was both proud and pained. "This contains over seventy beneficial elements—it's an outrageously expensive health supplement that costs a hundred thousand dollars for just 10 milliliters!"
Michelle, seeing our reactions, smiled with satisfaction. "Bella, you study medicine too, so you should know this isn't a scam. It can speed up wound healing and promote cell regeneration. The older the person, the better the results."
She called my name, but was actually speaking to Lucas.
But Lucas didn't look thrilled.
Ashley covered his cheeks with both hands. "Such precious stuff, and you brought five bottles! How generous!"
Arthur blinked and asked Amelia, "You must have spent a lot of money, right?"
Amelia snorted. "Of course! This stuff is supposedly popular among the upper-class elite, and you need serious connections just to buy it!"
Michelle vaguely sensed something odd about Ashley and Arthur's attitude. The items were genuinely good, but Ashley and Arthur seemed too excited!
"Mind if I take a look?" I asked Michelle.
She nodded. "Go ahead."
I picked up the gift box, examined all five bottles of Velo Nutrient, then put them back. "Where did you buy these?"
Amelia answered arrogantly, "Not telling you!"
I smiled. "These are fake. Seems like you're really good at wasting money."
"How could they be fake!" Amelia told me not to talk nonsense.
I said, "Currently, only one company produces Velo Nutrient—Luminex Pharmaceuticals. They have their own packaging facility, and the logo is always printed inside the bottle, with braille on the outside."
I pointed at the medicine in the gift box. "But the bottoms of these don't have any braille."
I had Adrian bring a real bottle of Velo Nutrient. "This is genuine. The bottom feels uneven."
Amelia still refused to believe it. "That's not real proof! Maybe these bottles just missed that step during production."
"Maybe." I didn't argue with her. "Such precious gifts—I really can't accept them. Please take them back."
"You're refusing?" Amelia stared at me in disbelief. "What right do you have to refuse? This is a gift my mom and I are giving to Lucas's grandfather!"
Lucas glanced at me and said, "Take them back. Grandpa won't accept your gifts."
Amelia was frustrated. "You think they're fake, too? Lucas, I spent a lot of money buying these through an internal employee at Luminex Pharmaceuticals. They're real!"
Michelle gently tried to persuade Lucas. "Don't let personal grudges make you ignore your elder's health. Do you know how rare Velo Nutrient is?"
Lucas really disliked the way Michelle spoke. He clicked his tongue impatiently and asked her, "Is it that rare?"
Ashley and Arthur exchanged glances, ran into the kitchen, and together carried out a large box from the refrigerator. It was full of Velo Nutrient—at least fifty bottles.
"Is it that rare?" Ashley and Arthur said proudly in unison.
"That's impossible!" Amelia shrieked.
Michelle's fake smile couldn't hold up either.
I smiled slightly. "The CEO of Luminex Pharmaceuticals happens to be a regular at Platinum Haven Hotel. When Gale asked to buy Velo Nutrient from him, he was happy to sell it to us."
Ashley: "Buying from the source."
Arthur: "Guaranteed authentic."
Ashley and Arthur's mockery hit Amelia's sore spot. She almost cried with anger and raised her hand to smash the box of suspected counterfeit Velo Nutrient, but felt bad about the money and angrily put her hand down.
She didn't want to stay another moment. She left in a huff, taking all the gifts with her.
"I've really spoiled Amelia!" Michelle couldn't stop Amelia and said insincerely, "Sorry you had to see that."
Ashley: "It was pretty funny, actually."
Arthur let out a laugh.
Michelle was much calmer than Amelia and continued chatting with us. I had Ashley and Arthur go upstairs to call Roger down.
Hearing about Byron's injury, Roger cleaned out his ear with his pinky finger. "You want me to reattach a severed penis?"
Michelle pressed her lips together tightly.
Roger thought for a moment and said, "If it's gender reassignment surgery, I could give it a try. Your older daughter is nothing special—you should work harder on raising your younger daughter properly."
"I'm leaving!" Michelle was also driven away in anger.
"You're pretty good at making people angry," I said to Roger.
Thinking about his depleted savings, he rolled his eyes hard at me. "Not as good as you!"