Chapter 190
Chapter 190 Winning Or Losing Is A Mindset
Annabelle came from the direction of the kitchen, and she was holding a fruit tter.
The hallway leading to the kitchen was by no means spacious, and Annabelle and Yuliana were right in
the middle. One of them had to step aside to avoid bumping into the other.
However, neither of them budged to let the other pass.
They held each other’s gaze for a few seconds. Annabelle was the first to break the silence, smiling as
she said indifferently. “Do you think you’ve won, Yuliana?”
Annabelle was wearing a red sweater today, which she matched with a long skirt that hemmed at her
calves to reveal the delicate silhouette of her legs and ankles. Her sweater was a very pretty red, and
its cutting. entuated her figure, too.
She let her long and straight hair fall over her shoulders. She was also wearing makeup. Every bit of
her seemed to radiate feminine charm.
In contrast, Yuliana did not look half as good as Annabelle.
She had been wearing a down jacket when she arrived, and she took it off the moment she was
indoors to reveal a baggy, light-colored, knitted blouse underneath that hung past her hips. Yuliana
layered the blouse. over a shirt, and to amodate her pregnancy, she finished her look with a pair
of white, loose trousers.
She also pulled her hair into a low ponytail and managed to wear a lightyer of makeup. Her shell-pink
lips were bare, but she looked fresh and clean.
If Yuliana was a painting in bright, bold colors, then Annabelle was one in muted shades of pastel.
Nheless, it looked like Annabelle was more than capable of holding her own against Yuliana’s
attractive appeal. If anything, Annabelle’s natural look belied a calm and collected energy, whereas
Yuliana’s look came off as over-the-top.
Yuliana eyed Annabelle steadily and said, “Think whatever you like, but I never intended topete
against you in the first ce.”
Annabelle strode forward and stopped a couple of steps away from Yuliana. Their heights were simr,
but when it came to appearance, Annabelle’s strong, modelesque features would capture anyone’s
attention at first sight.
Yuliana, on the other hand, had rtively more delicate features that would not necessarily turn heads,
but she carried herself with effortless grace. If she stood next to Annabelle, she would easily outshine
thetter.”
Annabelle stared at Yuliana’s impassive expression. Since the first day Annabelle came to know
Yuliana, she had never seen Yuliana startled or upset, like she was born indifferent. There were times
when Annabelle wished she could see what Yuliana looked like when she cried.
“You must really hate me, Yuliana, Annabelle said, chuckling. “Your beloved Harry only ever had eyes
for me, and the father of your children will abandon you all without hesitation as soon as I call out for
him. At the end of the day, your marriage to him means nothing.”
Yuliana let out a light, humorlessugh, pointing out, “Well, you may be right. Harry is in love with you,
and Christopher would dly abandon us just to be with you, but you’ve forgotten that both these men
would rather have me as a wife than marry you. I’m Christopher’s wife now and the rightful daughter-in-
law of the Sce family. You, on the other hand, have no ce in Christopher’s life or his family. Don’t
you think it’s awkward for you to be here?”
The smile on Annabelle’s face slipped when she heard this. She glowered at Yuliana as her grip
tightened on the fruit tter.
After a while, she drawled sarcastically, “I didn’t think you could be so sharp-tongued, Ms. Livingstone. I
guess I underestimated you.”
Yuliana had always been rational, and she did not like arguing with others. As far as she was
concerned, arguing would not solve matters and would only worsen them. However, that did not mean
she was a pushover.
She picked up psychology because of her career, and she had dabbled in the subject during her
university days. Although she did not want to use psychology as a tool to analyze others’ behavior, she
dived into the possible reasons behind Annabelle’s constant provocation.
Based on Yuliana’s observation, Annabelle liked to present herself as the stronger person with all the
winning cards whenever they faced each other. This was enough to show that, deep down, Annabelle
actually felt vulnerable whenever she saw Yuliana.
With that in mind, Yuliana smiled and stepped aside, saying, “Go on, then. I’ll continue this
conversation with you, but I need to see if Joyce needs help in the kitchen.”
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Hearing this, Annabelle gripped the fruit tter so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
She stared at Yuliana for a moment, then clenched her jaw and walked away.
Yuliana stood in ce and waited until she calmed down before entering the kitchen.
Preparations for the family dinner were almost done. In the kitchen, Joyce was assessing every dish
with care. Today was a special asion, and unlike most other days, Joyce knew she could not afford
to mess up the food.
She was still inspecting the food when Yuliana approached and greeted her. “Hey, Joyce.”
Joyce put down the lid of the ceramic pot and asked anxiously, “What are you doing here? The kitchen
is hot and greasy from all the cooking. I don’t want you near the smoke, either, not while you’re still
pregnant! If you need something, have the housekeeper give you a hand.”
Yuliana thought this was an overreaction on Joyce’s part and merelyughed it off. “I’m just here to see
if you need help.”
As she said this, she nced around the kitchen.
This was the first time she was in the kitchen of the Sce residence. It was a massive space rivaling a
full-range kitchen in arge restaurant, and it was stocked with all manner of kitchen equipment and
fittings. There were four others in the kitchen with Joyce as well. Some were preparing the raw
ingredients while the rest were busy operating the stove and cooking multiple dishes. All in all, the
kitchen was in full swing.
Joyce followed Yuliana’s gaze and exined, “The chefs are long-time staffers in the Sce residence,
and they’re usually on different shifts. They’re only here together now to whip up the dishes in time to
amodate the crowd. As for the other two, they were originally in charge of different jobs, but we
had theme over today to help the two chefs.”
Yuliana nodded. She vaguely recalled seeing the two who hade to offer extra help in the kitchen
before, but she did not think she had ever seen the two chefs in person.
After that, Joyce led Yuliana to greet the two chefs, then led her out of the kitchen. She said, “There are
a few more dishes to prep, and dinner will be ready afterward. I don’t need any help here, and besides,
you’re not supposed to help out in the kitchen while you’re pregnant. The floor can be slippery, and the
air is filled with smoke and grease. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Yuliana nodded and obediently followed Joyce out of the kitchen.
Shortly after, they arrived at the greenhouse in the backyard. Four other women were there munching
on fruit and sipping coffee while conversing. They looked like they were enjoying each other’s
company.
Annabelle and Gemma were among them, too.
Just as Yuliana and Joyce reached the entryway, thetter did not immediately pull the former into the
greenhouse. Instead, she stopped and informed quietly, “Yuliana, you’ve probably already met those
women during Dad’s birthday banquet. They’re all daughters-inw of the Sce family.”
After a pause, she added, “I’m sure you’ve met Annabelle as well.”
Yuliana nodded once. “I have.”
Joyce looked at her and appeared to hesitate before saying. “I know you might feel ufortable
about events like these. But the Sce family is big enough toe with its fair share ofplicated
rtionships, and putting up with themes hand-in-hand with being a part of the family.”
Joyce knew this better than anyone as she had been in Yuliana’s shoes before.
Yuliana had only exchanged brief pleasantries with these women during Zachary’s birthday banquet,
but no formal introductions were made. This was the first time Yuliana was celebrating New Year’s with
the Sce. family since marrying Christopher, and heaven knew what these women might say about
her if she did not promptly attend to them.
Joyce figured there was no better time than the present to let Yuliana meet them.