When Patricia woke up the next morning, there was no sign of Tom anywhere. In her mind, the crazy night seemed unreal, but her aching body was telling her it had not been a dream and they had gratifying sex on this soft bed.


    She got up and walked downstairs. The morning sun came through the ss windows. Patricia was in a happy mood because Tom didn''t get angry even after she deceived him. "What am I going to do today? It''s so boring to be staying home alone," she mumbled to herself. They still hadn''t seen Leena, and Michelle had to go to school. So, Patricia was really bored.


    "Mrs. Qin, what do you want for breakfast?" Zanna, the housekeeper, asked when she saw Patricia. The housekeeper was sent by Tom''s mother to take care of her son. Zanna was good at reading people''s minds, and Tom''s mother trusted her very much.


    "Don''t bother, Zanna. I''ll eat whatever is avable." Patricia gave her an awkward smile for waking upte. With a secret smile, she thought, ''This is all Tom''s fault. If not for him, I wouldn''t have gotten up sote.''


    "All right then. I''ll serve you the same breakfast Mr. Qin had this morning." Zanna was in her forties. She looked pleasant and amiable, and not the kind who would make trouble.


    "All right. Thank you, Zanna." She smiled at the housekeeper. Perhaps it was because she came from a family of equal social rank, so she didn''t feel ufortable living in such an enormous vi. Neither did she feel awkward having a servant attend to her needs.


    After breakfast, she drove to a market selling home decorations. Patricia wasn''t very fond of their bedroom design and wanted to buy fashionable items to enhance the space. Tom had told her she could rece everything in the house as she wanted. Patricia decided not to redecorate the entire room, but only to add colorful ornaments.


    She was in the middle of bargaining for a porcin vase when she got the call from Tom''s mother, Pam. Her mother-inw requested to see her, so Patriciaid down the vase and turned to leave. But the storekeeper suddenly stopped her as she decided to ept the price Patricia wanted. Unfortunately, the customer had changed her mind because of more important things that needed her attention.


    Pam, a well-educated woman, had graduated from a distinguished university in S City. She was beautiful and came from a wealthy family. It was love at first sight for Tom''s father, but he had courted her for a long time before they became a pair.


    "Patricia! Over here!" Pam called out. Patricia arrived shortly at the restaurant and searched for Tom''


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few yearster, to his astonishment.


    ward smile. In the eyes of the nouveau rich, painting was considered a refined art form, and only the well-educated knew how to appreciate and enjoy it. She herself knew nothing about the arts, so she was forced to change her opinion of Patricia after Pam''s revtion.


    The young woman only smiled but said nothing. She didn''t understand why her mother-inw told them the truth, because it embarrassed her to be somewhat bragging about her family. "I guess Mrs. Qin means the kind of store selling cheap paintings. That''s why Patricia was embarrassed to disclose this." The woman with a diamond ring blew on her fingers before casting a mocking nce at Patricia.


    Slightly angered by the remark, Patricia said nothing. She was unsure whether these women were Pam''s friends or not, so she refrained from speaking harshly.


    "I don''t know when Rarity Gallery started selling cheap paintings," Pam spoke up, as she sipped lemonade. Although everyone in the table was rich woman who wore fashionable clothes and expensive jewelry, Pam was more graceful and elegant than any of herpanions.


    "What? Rarity Gallery? The one run by Concordia Pei, the well-known painter? So, Patricia is Concordia Pei''s daughter?" one woman eximed. Almost everyone in the city knew who Concordia Pei was.


    "Ah, no wonder you look so educated and sensible, Patricia. Your parents are both well-known schrs. I heard your father is a professor in C University and is a famous calligrapher. His works are priceless, right?" Then came a series of questions that had Patricia confused and unable to withstand the interrogation. She wasn''t expecting her family''s exposure so quickly, and all she could give them was an awkward smile.