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?"

white teeth. "Mom, you don't get how we young folks roll. We don't have all those

why she looked familiar; she did have a bit of

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

from her bag, handing it to Victor. "Uncle Victor, happy birthday. This is from me. It's not much, but it's the thought that counts. Hope

relationship. Such a weird family setup, yet they seemed

was Victor's birthday, but Ethan hadn't told me,

smoking and barely talking.

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

it worse. I could feel my face burning, and

it,

and saw Jason

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

and slid 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

up, picked up the gift, but

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

making me too scared to call Victor "Dad," but calling him "Uncle

hesitated for what felt like forever, and the room went dead

aside without making a fuss. His tone was surprisingly gentle as he

Jason about his life abroad, showing a caring side like

sitting nearby, seemed super interested in Jason's stories, chiming in now

here and there, but mostly he just smoked

only one feeling out of place. Thankfully, Ethan's hand

a bit, Victor suddenly said to Ethan, "Ethan, Lacey graduated with a bachelor's in management from a top university. She's a rare talent. Think there's

job through connections. Mom, Uncle Victor, I'll apply to Skyline International Corporation on my

realized Victor and Linda's intentions might not be as simple as just wanting

me realize she wasn't just any woman; she was way

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

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

to stop; I really didn't want to be the center of

from me, was watching me like I