The next day was Saturday; Rosemary had no work, so she slept in until eleven before she hit up


    Ynda for some grub.


    Last night, Maxwell got her so riled up that she almost burst a blood vessel, and today she''s still


    feeling all kinds of choked up. It just goes to show that staying clear of douchebags is the secret to


    a long life!


    They decided to go for some cuisine at a spot owned by one of Ynda’s clients – she wanted to


    show some support.


    Standing at the grand entrance of the restaurant, Ynda clutched her wallet and grumbled, “This is


    gonna cost me an arm and a leg. Their food costs an absolute bomb. If it wasn’t for showing my


    face, I’d give this ce a wide berth from fifty meters out.”


    Rosemary chuckled lightly, "Otherwise, how’s he gonna splurge on antiques?"


    "That’s true," Ynda agreed, linking arms with her. "Come on, let’s strut in and show off my


    ‘money''s no object’ moment."


    The restaurant boasted a 360-degree panoramic ss design, offering a clear view from the


    outside. They were about to walk in when Rosemary stopped dead in her tracks; her eyebrows


    knitted together tightly as she saw someone sitting at a window seat.


    Ynda’s expression soured too, and her voice dripped with disdain, "When did she get back in


    town?"


    Rosemary shook her head, clueless.


    The person at the seat was none other than her half-sister, Stacey Chambers. After her mother died


    in a car ident, her father remarried in a heartbeat, bringing in a stepmom with a daughter two


    years younger than Rosemary.


    Ynda made a face like she''d just tasted something foul, "Let''s go. Hopefully, she won’te over


    to make an unwanted scene."


    She deliberately chose a spot far from Stacey, but someone just had no shame nor ability to read


    the room. They had barely ordered when the woman approached, feigning surprise, "Rosemary, is


    that really you?"


    Rosemary couldn’t be bothered to engage. There was never any sisterly love between them, and


    things had gotten downright nasty three years ago, almost to the point of no return. Now, seeing her


    only brought on a wave of disgust.


    With a fiery temper, Ynda couldn’t stand Stacey''s scheming and social-climbing ways. Without


    mincing words, she shot back, "Don’te over here trying to y the family card. Even if you’ve


    got a thick skin, you should at least have the decency to notice that you’re not wee."


    "ying the family card?" Stacey looked down on Rosemary with a scoff, "Her entire wardrobe isn’t


    worth as much as my coat. Why would I need to climb up to her?"


    Since her fallout with Maxwell, Rosemary hardly ever splurged on luxury brands. There was no


    need, and it wasn’t practical for work. But Stacey always had a thing for the high life, even dressing


    to the nines for a trip to the farmers market. Back when the Chambers were flying high, Stacey


    owned a bag collection that took up two whole walls.


    When they went bankrupt, and creditors were hounding them, Stacey refused to part with her


    treasures to pay off debts. Eventually, things got so bad that their deadbeat dad whisked them


    abroad, leaving Rosemary alone to deal with the aggressive creditors.


    Now, seeing Stacey decked out in luxury, Rosemary had aplex emotion welling up in her. It


    wasn''t jealousy, just a reflection on their starkly different circumstances. As daughters of the


    Chambers family, she had to sacrifice her marriage to pay off debts while Stacey lived carefree


    under their father''s wing.


    Rosemary’s gaze finallynded on the employee badge that Stacey wore – Vice President of Ster


    Group.


    So she was not only back in the country but also sitting pretty as thepany''s second in


    command.


    Ynda stared at Stacey with a contemptuous look, as if she was viewing a pile of stinking trash,


    "Of course you don’t need to climb up to anyone when you’ve got a shameless, vile father who ran


    his ownpany into the ground and then took out loans in his own daughter’s name. So low; it’s a


    wonder he hasn’t been struck by lightning."


    Their loud exchange drew shocked stares from around the restaurant; people started to whisper


    and look their way.


    Stacey, dying of embarrassment, retorted, "Ynda, have you no ss? Making a scene like some


    fishwife in this kind of establishment."


    "You’re talking about ss? Showing off here like a dog in heat? You think I’m gonna let you y


    that game? You think you''re special because you''ve got two dads?"


    Stacey was fuming!


    But with so many eyes on her, she couldn’t just let it go without losing face. Just then, a waiter


    approached, addressing Ynda with due respect, "Miss, this is a fine dining restaurant; please


    keep your voice down."


    "Fine dining? You let a dog disrupt our meal and now you want me to pipe down? We were sitting


    here peacefully before she came over barking at us. Instead of shooing her away, you’re telling me


    to be quiet? Is this how you treat your customers?"


    The waiter, caught off-guard by the scolding, looked helplessly at Stacey, whose face was now the


    color of a beet, "Madam, what do you think we should do?"


    Stacey, with a belly full of rage, snapped, "Who are you calling ''madam''?"


    With that, Stacey threw a final venomous nce at Rosemary and stormed off.


    Ynda snorted coldly, "Don’t let her off the hook. p back every time you see her, and she’ll be


    as meek as a mouse around you in no time."


    She huffed again, "What a piece of work; after living off your blood, how could she still act all high


    and mighty. She must take after your dad, the scumbag!"


    Rosemary couldn’t help butugh, "Sounds like you’re dissing me too."


    She and Stacey had been at each other’s throats since they were kids, but she never came out on


    the losing side. The real losses were always at the hands of their biased, lousy dad.


    Realizing her slip, Yndaughed awkwardly, "My bad, my bad!"


    The charity exhibition was on Friday, showcasing recently unearthed porcin. The organizer was a


    serious fan of pottery, and the venue was set up in Greenwood''s biggest cultural center, with


    separate areas for sales and disy.


    Heritage Revive Studio, tasked with temporarily storing the porcin, had to have someone on-site


    to keep watch.


    With just a handful of people in the studio and the senior members excused, the rest, including


    Rosemary, were drafted for exhibition duty.


    Rosemary was strolling down the hall at a snail''s pace. She had already checked out everything in


    the exhibition area, so she made a beeline for the sales section.


    The sales section was a mixed bag, with a bit of everything from modern calligraphy and paintings,


    to luxury items and jewels. The price tags weren''t exactly peanuts – all these goods were consigned


    by others, and a cool 10 percent of the selling price had to be forked over for charity.


    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Rosemary was just browsing without much thought when suddenly her steps froze. Her gaze locked


    onto a painting.


    It was a modern piece, with a riot of colors smeared across the background. At first nce, it looked


    all over the ce, yet somehow it had an artistic vibe. If you looked closely, you could spot the


    figure of a girl wearing a red hat and a ck velvet gown, with her back to the viewer, holding a


    rabbit balloon.


    In that moment, ayer of moisture uncontrobly welled up in Rosemary''s eyes.