Chapter 7
Neil’s eyes lit up with anticipation. However, he soon became disappointed when he saw the caller ID.
It was a call from Ada. Her cheerful voice came through as soon as he picked up. “Neil, my
grandfather’s birthday ising up, so my parents asked me to send you an invitation. Are you free
later? I’ll pass by Remus Corporation to give you the invitation. We can have lunch together too.”
“Sure,” Neil answered calmly. “Great! See youter.” After the call ended, Neil’s irritation did not
subside; in fact, it seemed to intensify. It was difficult for him to concentrate on the documents. He did
not expect Silvia to be so decisive. She never contacted him at all! Knock! Knock! Knock! Just then,
some knocking on the door interrupted his thoughts. Curtis walked in with a document and solemnly
said, “Mr. Remus, I just received news that thend in East City will be going up for auction ahead of
schedule!” Realizing how serious the matter was, Neil immediately ordered, “Tell the project manager
and shareholders that we’ll have a meeting in five minutes!” Neil was still in the meeting when Ada
arrived at thepany, so Curtis received her instead. “Miss Ada, Mr. Remus’s meeting is still ongoing.
He asked me to bring you to his office so that you can wait there.” Ada smiled gently. “Thank you.” After
Curtis guided Ada to Neil’s office, he said, “If you need anything, feel free to call me.” Then, Curtis left.
As Curtis closed the door, Ada walked up to Neil’s desk and ced a gilded invitation card. She froze
when she caught sight of a red velvet box. “This looks like a jewelry box. My birthday’sing up…
Could this be a surprise gift from Neil?” Ada thought. After a moment of hesitation, she picked up the
velvet box. Neil had bought it for her after all, so it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick peek. With that thought
in mind, she opened the box. It revealed the ne that Neil had bid on at the Ceattle auction. She
recalled asking him whom it was for back then, but he did not tell her. It seemed like he was nning to
give her a surprise. Ada’s mood instantly brightened. She smiled and put the box back in ce. By the
time Neil returned from the meeting, an hour had passed. He appeared apologetic when he saw Ada.
“Sorry for the wait. We had an urgent meeting.” Ada stood up with a warm smile. “No worries. I’ve
already ordered lunch. It should be arriving soon,” she said understandingly. “Okay.” “Oh, I left the
invitation card on your desk. My grandfather’s birthday is next Saturday. Can you make it?” Neil
furrowed his brows. “I have a business trip scheduled in two days, so I might not be back by Saturday.
I’ll do my best, though.” “I understand. By the way, have you heard from Silviately? Whenever I call
her, it goes straight to voicemail. Do you know where she is?” Neil frowned when Ada mentioned Silvia.
His voice sounded cold as a result. “Why are you looking for her?” Ada pursed her l*ps and said with
concern, “You know that Silvia isn’t on good terms with my parents. She only returned to the family
when she turned sixteen. She always thinks that my parents favor me. Plus, she quarreled with them
some time ago. Since my grandfather’s birthday is next Saturday, I want her to join the party to get
them back on good terms.” After a brief silence, Neil replied, “I’ll tell her about it.” Ada changed the
subject when she saw hisck of interest. … After Silvia finished a proposal, she received a call from
Idris Pond. “Your grandfather’s birthday is next Saturday. You need toe back.” Silvia pursed her
l*ps and spoke indifferently, “I recently started working, so I might be busy. I can’t promise that I’ll show
up.” “What could be more important than your grandfather’s birthday?! I don’t care how busy you are.
You have to show up next Saturday. You better bring Neil along too!” Idris said angrily. The Pond
Family was experiencing a downfall. A month earlier, Jeremy Pond, Idris’s father, had made it clear to
him that Neil needed to attend his birthday party. Neil would act as a warning for others who wanted to
target the Pond Family. Silvia pondered about it. She had to tell them about her divorce face-to-face to
prevent future problems. “I understand. I’ll do my best to be there.” After Silvia gave Idris her word, he
ended the call. Mindy Woods, Idris’s wife, was displeased with his actions. She frowned and
questioned him, “You’ve already told Ada to send Neil an invitation. Why are you asking Silvia to invite
Neil again?” Even though Silvia bore a resemnce to Ada, Mindy never warmed up to her since Silvia
did not grow up by her side. Shortly after Mindy gave birth to Ada and Silvia, a tarot reader showed up
uninvited to warn them that having Silvia in the Pond Family would bring misfortune. The family had
trusted this tarot reader for a long time. Therefore, the Pond Family eventually sent Silvia to an
orphanage after much deliberation. However, when Ada turned sixteen, she suddenly fell ill. None of
the Pond Family members had bone marrow that matched hers, so they had no option but to bring
Silvia back into the family. As twins, Silvia and Ada were gically simr, so they were a sessful
match. They ended up keeping Silvia in the Pond Family because she donated her bone marrow to
Ada. Nevertheless, the tarot reader’s words continued to haunt them whenever they saw Silvia. As
such, they were cold and distant toward her. Within the family, Mindy was particrly cold toward
Silvia. This was especially so after she learned about Silvia’s adoption by a family from a distant rural
area. To Mindy, Silvia was not as well-educated as her beloved Ada, whom she had nurtured for more
than ten years. Seeing Silvia alongside Ada only added to her difort. Ever since Silvia returned to
the family, she had repeatedly ignored Mindy’s advice. Each time Mindy tried to talk to her, it would end
in an argument. This led to the deterioration of their rtionship. As time passed, Mindy began to feel a
strong disgust whenever others talked about Silvia. Idris nced at her and spoke coldly, “Don’t forget
that Silvia is now Neil’s wife.” Mindy sneered with disdain. “If Ada hadn’t been abroad, would she have
had a chance with Neil? Now that Ada’s back and Neil doesn’t seem interested in Silvia, it’d be better
for them to get a divorce. Then Neil can marry Ada as soon as possible!” Idris frowned and began to
contemte the matter. Every time he called Silvia, he would subtly push her to talk to Neil and
influence him to help the Pond Family. However, Silvia would refuse. This made him quite unhappy.
Silvia and Neil had been married for three years, but they had no children. If Neil divorced Silvia and
married Ada, it would be advantageous for the Pond Family. Despite that, Idris was cautious. He would
not act recklessly without knowing what was on Neil’s mind. “Let’s talk about it next time. Unless I say
so, don’t bring this up in front of Silvia. Otherwise, I won’t forgive you if things escte!” Mindy’s
expression changed. “Fine. They’ll split up sooner orter, anyway. I can’t be bothered to intervene,”
she said with annoyance. After a moment of silence, Idris said in a low voice, “You should treat Silvia
better sometimes. After all, we owe her.” Disgust shed across Mindy’s eyes. She callously replied,
“You can be as kind as you want to her, but don’t expect the same from me! Ada’s my only daughter!
Don’t forget the tarot reader—” “Mindy!” Idris interrupted her sternly. Mindy’s words angered him. “If I
hear you bring that up again, don’t me me for losing my temper!” Mindy’s face turned pale when
Idris shouted at her. She only regained herposure after Idris stormed out of the room. She felt
somewhat frightened, but her disdain for Silvia only grew stronger. If not for Silvia, many of these
problems would not exist. As Silvia prepared to leave work that evening, Dulcie suddenly appeared.
“Silvia, do you have any ns for tonight?”Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.