CHAPTER 9: CHAPTER 9: VIVIAN COLEMAN ASSERTS HER CLAIM

Talia Rhodes slept until she naturally woke up, opening her eyes to find it was already ten in the morning.

"Ah—" she stretched lazily, "The feeling of not having to work is just comfortable."

Talia Rhodes got up from bed, completed her morning routine, and went downstairs for breakfast.

Aunt Zhang, the housekeeper, made breakfast for two.

Talia Rhodes glanced at the empty seat opposite her and said nothing.

Aunt Zhang saw Talia Rhodes come down and asked in confusion, "Miss Rhodes, isn’t Mr. Rhodes coming down for breakfast today?"

Talia Rhodes took a sip of century egg and lean pork porridge and replied, "He didn’t come back last night, probably won’t eat."

"Oh." Aunt Zhang realized she was being nosy, asked no further, and turned back to the kitchen.

After finishing breakfast, Talia Rhodes received a message from Adrian Jennings.

[Talia, should the engagement dress be custom-made or pick a brand’s current season new style?]

If it’s custom-made, is it still okay within the time?

She seemed unaware of how long until the engagement.

She asked: [When is the engagement date?]

Adrian Jennings: [Hasn’t been decided yet, how about when you’re done and back to Oakhaven, we’ll set it?]

Talia Rhodes: [Okay, it’ll be done here in nine days.]

Adrian Jennings: [Alright.]

Talia Rhodes was worried custom-made dresses wouldn’t arrive in time so she replied: [Let’s just use brand’s current season new styles, I’ll go pick some.]

Adrian Jennings: [Alright, let me know when you’ve chosen.]

Talia Rhodes was about to quit WeChat when a red dot appeared on Ethan Grant’s chat window.

She clicked to view and saw it was a video.

Inside a dimly lit private booth, a drunken Ethan Grant leaned on Vivian Coleman, muttering, "Vivian, you’ve finally returned, I... I knew you would definitely come back... I’ve waited five years for you..."

The background noise was chaotic jeering, and Talia Rhodes faintly recognized some voices, including Ethan Grant’s buddies and Autumn Sterling.

All familiar to her.

In the video, Vivian Coleman cradled Ethan Grant and chuckled softly, "Ethan, you’re drunk."

Ethan Grant nuzzled in Vivian Coleman’s embrace, speaking in stuttered tones, "I’m... I’m not drunk... I’m very sober... You’re Vivian, you’re my true love, I’m not wrong... See, I’m quite lucid..."

In the background, someone asked, "Ethan, Vivian is your true love, what about Talia Rhodes?"

Ethan Grant: "Talia Rhodes? I... I only love Vivian..."

"Sis-in-law, looks like Ethan is totally into you now," Autumn Sterling’s voice chimed in, "See, he clings to you when he’s drunk, all he sees is you."

Upon hearing this, a trace of sarcasm flickered in Talia Rhodes’ eyes.

She had never heard the term "Sis-in-law" during her three years beside Ethan Grant.

Not surprising, that group had never really considered her Ethan Grant’s girlfriend.

"Why is Talia Rhodes so thick-skinned, Vivian’s returned, yet she’s sticking around shamelessly." The speaker was Autumn Sterling’s best friend, also the girl who had said the necklace she gifted was fake; she had often cast cold eyes at Talia.

Autumn Sterling’s voice followed: "A regular girl like her can’t easily let go when meeting someone like Ethan, a rich heir."

Talia Rhodes lowered her gaze, curving her lips into an expression devoid of warmth; she’d definitely not hear such words from Autumn Sterling directly.

Now Talia could confirm that on Autumn Sterling’s birthday, the disdain she sensed wasn’t an illusion.

Autumn Sterling feigned closeness and friendliness while deep down being no different from that group, looking down on her.

"Don’t worry Vivian, we’re all on your side."

"Yeah, none of us like that Talia Rhodes; she doesn’t even see her position, wanting into our circle."

"Seems like Talia Rhodes’s been reading too many romance novels about tycoons falling for regular girls, dreaming of marrying into money. Cracks me up, she probably doesn’t know we view her as a clown."

"Exactly, she’s not of our social rank, Ethan’s just having fun with her, Vivian’s back, Talia Rhodes should scram."

Talia Rhodes remained calm.

She knew Vivian Coleman shared the video partly to assert dominance and partly to humiliate her, hoping she’d face reality and leave Ethan Grant early.

Vivian Coleman certainly thought that way.

After posting the video, she imagined Talia Rhodes would be heartbroken seeing the footage, then break up with Ethan Grant, pack up and head back home in shame.

Yet she would never have thought that the words from those people in the video wouldn’t hurt Talia Rhodes at all.

The video showed Ethan Grant still murmuring sweet nothings to Vivian Coleman; Talia Rhodes found it nauseating and stopped watching.

Her fingers danced on the phone screen, typing out a message.

[Indeed, I’m not within your social rank.]

Vivian Coleman saw the message and smirked slightly, soon replying via Ethan Grant’s WeChat.

[At least you have some self-awareness.]

Talia Rhodes saw this message and snickered quietly; The Grant Group’s small nascent business couldn’t compare to even one of The Rhodes Family’s branch companies.

The Grant Group’s yearly profit wasn’t enough to match a single project casually invested by Shawn Rhodes.

Four generations of the Rhodes Family in business have reached national top ten aristocratic status by Talia’s generation; she and Ethan Grant, a mere rich heir, were certainly not in the same league.

They’d never dream that Talia Rhodes’ "Rhodes" is the same "Rhodes" as Shawn’s.

This insignificant interlude hadn’t affected Talia Rhodes’ mood.

Enjoying a rare day off, she went nowhere, spending the day browsing major brand websites from home, selecting dresses for the engagement.

After much browsing, Talia Rhodes finally took a liking to three dresses but fell into a dilemma of choice.

The first dress was in a new Chinese qipao style, champagne-colored with light pink embroidery and studded diamonds. Three small pearl strands stretched from the dress collar diagonally across the upper arms to the back; overall, the dress appeared dazzling, sweet in style, perfectly suiting a girl.

The second dress was a moon-white, strapless plain dress with roses around the chest, fitted at the waist and hips, the fishtail hem trailing the floor; a mature, elegant style.

The third dress was an off-shoulder princess gown in milk-white tulle, adorned sparsely with crimson rose petals; romantic and graceful in style.

She posted pictures of these three dresses on her Moments, captioned "Facing a dilemma, can everyone help me choose which looks best?"

Within a mere ten minutes, she received numerous likes and comments.

Adrian Jennings: [All look great, if you like them just buy them all to swap and wear.]

Childhood best friend Winter Donovan also liked and commented.

Winter: [Wow, Talia’s sense is superb, all three suit you! Make your brother Adrian buy them all; it’s not like money’s an issue.]

Another close friend Yvonne Coleman commented: [Buy, buy, buy, Princess Talia looks great in anything!]

Michelle Scott: [Wow wow wow, what’s happening! Sis, why are you picking dresses? Planning to get married?]

Talia Rhodes scrolled down, amidst all the likes and blessings, certain comments stood out glaringly.

Autumn Sterling: [...]

Wyatt Jacobs: [Talia, is this for...?]

Aaron Lynch: [Sis, you sure got guts to think? Cracking me up.]

Colleague A: [These are all brand new releases, maybe check prices before flaunting... Can’t even afford to rent them, let alone buy.]

Colleague B: [Really rich, your life, my dream.]

Ethan Grant: [?]

Seeing this, Talia Rhodes raised her brow; evidently Ethan Grant had sobered up.

Just then she received a message from Ethan Grant.

[Delete the Moments!]

Talia Rhodes: [Not deleting.]

Ethan Grant: [Are you openly forcing marriage? I told you before, didn’t you listen?]

Talia Rhodes: [Oh.]

Ethan Grant: [Talia Rhodes, know when to stop.]

Talia Rhodes chose not to respond.