Chapter 16 Chapter 16: Confronting the Grandfather-in-law
“What’s the rush? It doesn’t matter which customer it is, you need to take your time.”
The woman being dragged out was dressed provocatively, her expression one of displeasure. When she saw Selena, she scoffed:
“A female customer today? Sorry, I’m not interested in women.”
Selena bit her lip, stared at Kelly, and without a word, pulled her out of the café.
Once they had walked a fair distance, Kelly yanked her arm free and snapped:
“What’s your problem? I already told you I don’t serve women.”
Selena turned to face her, removed her mask, and when Kelly finally saw her face, there was a brief flicker of surprise. But just as quickly, she returned to her earlier indifference.
“Even if you are pretty, I’m still not doing anything with you...”
“It’s me! Kelly, it’s me.”
Selena’s voice trembled, cutting Kelly off.
Kelly furrowed her brow, looking her up and down, wondering if this woman had lost her mind.
Suddenly, Selena raised her hand, covering Kelly’s eyes, and softly said:
“It’s me. Do you recognize me now?”
With her sight blocked, Kelly’s hearing sharpened, and that voice — that unmistakable voice — stirred memories. No matter how many years had passed, she remembered it clearly.
“Selena! Is that you, Selena?”
Kelly’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe that this stunningly beautiful woman was the same plain friend she once knew.
Selena pulled down one side of her sleeve, revealing a tree-shaped birthmark. Though Kelly was still in shock, she finally believed this was indeed her friend.
“Selena, where have you been this past year? Uncle... Uncle’s dead. Auntie and Wyatt are struggling terribly. They’ve all missed you so much. And this appearance... Did you have plastic surgery?”
Tears welled up in Selena’s eyes at the mention of her father. The two sat down, and Selena recounted everything: her husband’s betrayal, her in-laws’ cruelty, and her near-death in the ocean. Of course, she left out the part about heaven, only saying she was fortunate enough to be saved by a kind stranger.
The more Kelly listened, the angrier she became. She gritted her teeth and cursed:
“Those damn bastards! Uncle Collin was their benefactor, and they dared to kill him? They even wanted to bury you at sea? People like them deserve to be thrown into the deepest pits of hell.”
Selena clenched her fists, her lips trembling uncontrollably. After a moment, she turned to Kelly, her voice deadly serious:
“I want revenge. Will you help me?”
Kelly wiped away her friend’s tears, her heart aching for this woman who had endured so much. Without hesitation, she said:
“I owe everything to your family for saving me from the streets all those years ago. Whatever it takes to make things right for them, I’m with you.”
Selena took a deep breath and said:
“I want you to seduce my father-in-law.”
In fact, this was just a fleeting thought of Selena, and as soon as she voiced it, she immediately regretted it. How could she push her friend into the fire like that?
"No… Kelly, just pretend I didn't say anything."
Selena quickly waved her hand, but Kelly's eyes were already ablaze with hatred. To an orphan like her, Selena's father was no different from her own, and now that she knew who killed him, there was no way she could let it go.
From a young age, Selena had been gentle and fragile, often bullied, but Kelly was the complete opposite.
She remembered back in the day, when Selena had her hair pulled and was extorted by the kids in the neighborhood, Kelly had grabbed a brick and thrown it straight at their heads. After that incident, no one dared touch Selena again, which was enough to show how strong Kelly's character was.
Selena shook her head, her eyes already brimming with tears, and said:
"I don't want you to get caught up in the whirlwind of the upper class. They're complicated and ruthless. If you're not careful, your life will be ruined. Please, just pretend I said something foolish, okay?"
Kelly smiled and wiped away Selena's tears. In her eyes, Selena was no different from a fragile little sister who always needed protection.
"My life was ruined the moment that bastard sold me into a brothel. Back then, Uncle Collin had just passed, and you were nowhere to be found. I had no reason to save myself, so I gave up and left everything to fate. But now that you're back, how could I just stand by and watch you take revenge on those wolves all by yourself?"
"Kelly…"
Selena wept. All they wanted was a simple happiness for themselves. Why did the heavens treat them so unfairly? What wrong had they ever done?
Kelly gently stroked Selena's long hair and softly said:
"Tell me your plan, Selena. We'll take revenge for Uncle together."
Selena looked into Kelly's determined eyes, and after a long pause, she nodded.
"Alright…"
...
After helping Kelly find a new place to rent, Selena took a taxi back home. Just earlier, Balthazar had called to say he'd be having dinner at home tonight, so she needed to prepare quickly.
As the taxi passed by a playground, Selena watched the children playing inside, feeling a sudden wave of joy. For some reason, she asked the driver to stop and decided to walk into the playground by herself.
"If only those two kids were with me here," she muttered to herself, sighing. She hadn't even had a chance to see their faces, let alone bring them along. She feared that fate would never let her meet her two children again.
"Hey, slow down there!"
As Selena was about to head back to the taxi, a small child suddenly ran toward her, and by instinct, she caught him.
"Are you alright, little one?"
She held the child in her arms, brushing off the grass from his clothes and gently asking. A man, about fifty years old, quickly approached and said:
"I told you not to run."
The man looked up, nodding at Selena.
"Thank you, he's quite a handful.”
"Uncle Victor…"
Selena involuntarily uttered the name "Victor", surprising the man.
"Do you know me?" he asked.