8: The Elite Forum Frenzy
The forum was called Golden State.
Anyone who had lived in California for generations would know that this was an early nickname for the state. Compared to the refined and polished name "California," the early days of California were anything but. It was a chaotic, wild place, completely opposite to the image its name might suggest.
A hundred years ago, California boasted both the nation's largest slums and the earliest and tallest skyscrapers. You could walk through filthy, crowded alleys filled with homeless people, and just by looking up, you'd see steel towers piercing the sky, lit up by neon lights.
Businessmen in suits and ties mingled with ragtag groups from all walks of life, shaping a California that was filled with both money and poverty-a land of gold in name, but not always in reality.
However, as time passed, those slums largely disappeared, and the once wild city began to adopt a veneer of sophistication thanks to rapid economic development. The rough edges started to smooth out, and the city slowly began to match the image conjured by the name "California."
Those who still remembered the nickname "Golden State" were mostly the older generations who had deep roots in the area, along with their descendants. It's hard to say whether the forum's founders chose the name out of nostalgia, but now, "Golden State" had become a secret playground for the scions of California's elite families. Entry was by invitation only, further reinforcing the exclusive nature of California's high society.
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[Rumor has it that the Richmond Family's new third daughter is a lunatic?]
[Why did Sebastian Carrington acknowledge the engagement as soon as the new girl arrived? Did he fall for her looks too?]
[Is Isabella really the Richmond Family's biological daughter?]
[Someone should reach out to Sophia. My stepmother is coming back to the country, and I could use a dose of her courage.]
[Could you tell your parents, 'Let me slap you, and then I'll call you dad'? Just imagining it makes me think I'd end up as a corpse.]
[We haven't had a newcomer in our circle for ages. How about we throw a 'welcome party' to celebrate?]
[Does a bumpkin who's been out of the loop for twenty years even deserve to be in the Golden State?]
[I predict California is about to have a party!]
[Whose side are you on tonight? Isabella's or Sophia's?]
[Did Sebastian Carrington give the newcomer the courage to go crazy during their one-on-one chat?]
[I predict Sebastian Carrington wouldn't look twice at a country bumpkin.]
[Not long ago, when Sebastian Carrington was injured, the forum wasn't talking like this. Now that someone's after him, suddenly he's hot property again?]
[How does it feel to see the unattainable flower on the mountaintop get damaged and then snatched away by an outsider?]
[Even if Sebastian Carrington is injured, he still wouldn't go for someone as half-baked as Sophia.]
[@Isabella, we grew up together. Even if you're not blood-related, we won't laugh at you. Come out and explain.]
[@Isabella, why didn't you respond to anything Sophia said? Is it true about that mother with AIDS? What's going on?]
[@Isabella, here's some advice-didn't Zhou Yan like you? Marry him quickly, and you won't have to leave the Golden State.]
[How many years has Zhou Yan been pursuing Isabella? Would he still want her now that he knows about her mother with AIDS?]
[Zhou Yan and Sebastian Carrington have been best friends for years. He wouldn't stop loving Isabella just because of her background.]
[@Sophia, are you in yet? What's your plan? Are you going to kick Isabella out of the family?]
[Why is everyone assuming what Sophia said is true? I'm more inclined to believe what Grandma Richmond said.]
[I'm curious about what the reactions of Alexander Richmond and Ethan Richmond will be and what information they have.]
[Alexander and Ethan didn't show up today. Are they on Isabella's side too?]
[I bet Sophia will be out of California by tonight.]
[@Sophia, don't leave. If you do, how will we enjoy the show? We'll make an exception and allow you into Golden State.]
[Who's going to send her an invite code? I can't wait to see the sisters fight.]
[@Isabella, stop lurking. Come out and explain. I don't want to have a fake sister.]
……
The notifications kept pinging.
New threads popped up one after another on the forum's homepage. Though each thread didn't have many replies, every user on this forum was a somebody, so even a dozen responses carried significant weight.
Isabella huddled under her covers, unable to bring herself to click on the posts. Just reading the titles made her let out strangled, hysterical cries from the depths of her throat.
After just a few minutes, she couldn't take it anymore and hurled her phone across the room.
Sitting in her spacious and beautifully decorated room, like something out of a princess's dream, she no longer felt even a shred of safety. The familiar, expensive decorations now seemed like they had ripped off their masks, becoming strange and terrifying.
She tried not to think about it, but her mind kept replaying everything that had happened at the banquet that night.
The girl's indifferent expression under the dazzling lights-even when faced with one of the most powerful people in the Richmond Family, she showed no fear. Instead, she ruthlessly tore away the facade that Isabella had relied on for survival-a complete violation of everything Isabella knew about how to live.
How could she dare to do that?
In a house completely unfamiliar to her, surrounded by family members who weren't on her side, didn't she feel any fear or injustice? How could she dare to defy Grandma, to defy everyone's expectations? How could she say those things in front of everyone?!
Wasn't she supposed to be meek and keep her head down? She hadn't said a word when she first arrived!
Before she knew it, Isabella was holding her head, her face streaked with tears.
As she was breaking down, there was a gentle knock on her door.
A servant's voice came from outside.
"Miss, the old lady is awake. She wants you to keep her company."
Isabella snapped out of it, clutching at this like a lifeline. "Alright! I'll go right away!"
As long as Grandma was there, the Richmond Family would never kick her out!
No... and her mother, too.
Wiping away her tears, Isabella scrambled out of bed, trying to pull herself together as she headed into the bathroom.
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Sophia only learned the next morning that Eleanor Richmond had asked Isabella to stay with her through the night.
She must have been too exhausted the previous day because she hadn't even stayed up long enough to meet her so-called siblings.
She hadn't even made it downstairs before a servant casually mentioned the matter in passing.
"Miss Bella was practically raised by the old lady herself. Not even the eldest miss or second young master can compare to their bond! It looks like they'll never be separated."
Sophia paused on the stairs, her dark eyes glancing sideways at the servant. Tilting her head curiously, she asked, "Do all the Richmond Family's servants talk this much? Ruining someone's appetite first thing in the morning?"
The servant's expression froze instantly.
Someone in the dining room below looked up and said, "You're just unlucky. You ran into the one who talks the most, isn't that right, Auntie Luo?"
Ignoring the chatterbox of an auntie, Sophia looked down.
The first thing she noticed was a head of golden short hair, followed by a pair of pretty, arrogant eyes looking up at her.