Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

Chapter 74 She Is Not a Simple Woman

That night, when I bailed with my bags under Victor's glare, I never thought I'd be back here as his unrecognized daughter-in-law. Man, I was more jittery than the first time I met him. Victor's trash talk and that snooty look of his kept playing on repeat in my head. Coming back now, he's probably thinking I've got some sneaky agenda.

Right now, I must really be head over heels for Ethan. If it wasn't for love, no way I'd have the guts to step into Victor's crib again.

My brain was still a mess when the car stopped. Snapping back to reality, I saw we were already in the yard.

Getting out of the car, I was so nervous I didn't know what to do with my hands. Suddenly, it hit me I should've brought some gifts to hold, which would've made me feel less awkward. There was a shiny new car parked in the yard with no plates yet. It must be Victor's latest ride. I don't know much about cars, but it looked pretty sweet to me.

I never knew what Victor did for a living. Figured he must've been pretty successful back in the day, enough to act all high and mighty and look down on us regular folks.

Ethan's stepmom, Linda Windsor, came out of the house. Compared to last time, her smile was a bit wider. But I always felt like her smile never reached her eyes.

Ethan must've sensed my nerves and kept holding my hand as we walked in. The warmth from his hand wasn't just heat; it was like a comforting strength. Walking into the living room, I quickly spotted Victor lounging on the sofa.

Today, Victor was rocking a light gray knit sweater, and the soft fabric made him look a bit less intimidating. Another reason he didn't look as harsh was that he had a smile on his face.

He was chatting with a young woman sitting across from him. They were laughing and seemed to be having a blast.

Probably hearing our footsteps, they stopped talking and looked over at us at the same time.

I didn't dare to look at Victor's face, feeling super uncomfortable. Luckily, Victor wasn't as icy as he was that day at the villa. He just said casually, "You're back, have a seat."

I nervously plopped down next to Ethan and instinctively started checking out the young woman sitting not far from us.

She looked younger than me, with this spark in her eyes and a smile that screamed youth-something I, a woman who'd ditched a failed marriage, could never get back.

She wasn't drop-dead gorgeous, but her features were super pleasant. She had on a loose black linen T-shirt and beige capri pants. Her legs were crossed all elegant-like, and the part of her calf that showed looked especially long. I squinted, thinking she seemed familiar, but no matter how hard I racked my brain, I couldn't place her.

"Ethan Windsor?" She looked at Ethan straight up.

"Lacey." Linda, standing off to the side, shot Lacey Thomas a disapproving look. "How can you be so rude to address him like that?"

just smiled, showing off her perfect white teeth. "Mom, you don't get how we young folks roll. We don't have

why she looked familiar; she did have a

this, laughed heartily. "Lacey's right. No need to stress. Let the young folks do

happy birthday. This is from me. It's not

clear Lacey was Linda's daughter from another relationship. Such a weird

now, the most awkward person was me. Today was Victor's

Ethan, who was chilling on the sofa, smoking and barely talking. From his face, it was obvious he knew today

looked over at me. Reading my mind, he quietly held my hand, trying

birthday would just make it worse. I could feel my face burning, and I knew without

when I was about to lose it,

and

greeted Victor and handed him a small gift. "Uncle Victor,

another gift box towards me, giving me a look. "Emily, the gift you asked me to bring I could've been here earlier, but traffic was a nightmare. Sorry about that." I stared at the beautifully wrapped box on the table, clueless about what was inside but totally

picked up the gift, but

had once said he wouldn't acknowledge a daughter-in-law without his

too scared to

forever, and the room went dead silent. I took a

His tone was surprisingly gentle as he said, "Thank you." I

started asking Jason about his life abroad, showing a caring side like

Jason's stories, chiming in now and then. From what she

and there, but

living room, I was probably the only one feeling

bachelor's in management from a top university. She's a rare talent. Think there's a spot for her in your company?" Victor and Linda clearly

a job through connections. Mom, Uncle Victor, I'll apply to Skyline International Corporation on my own merits." Lacey shot a confident glance at Ethan and then,

might not be as simple as just wanting Ethan to give Lacey

realize she wasn't just any woman; she

it was time to eat, and we all moved to the dining

I felt so stressed I couldn't eat. Ethan must've noticed 'cause he kept piling

to tell him to stop; I really didn't want to be

across from me, was watching me like I was