Acting Weird

In the car, Leif’s expression darkened as soon as she walked away. Then he picked up his phone, found Rael’s contact, and called.

“Mr. Vexley, when the hell can I come back?! Why did I have to go on a business trip out of town? And you blocked my number! You got some other woman out there, didn’t you?! Speak up if you dare!” Rael yelled heartbreakingly from the other end.

The Nexon Racing signing had been agreed upon already—they offered a price well above market, the other party hadn’t even countered, just signed the contract.

But after signing, he realized he couldn’t come back at all!

Mr. Vexley is acting weird!

Leif sat in the driver’s seat, his expression dark and unreadable, the night outside pitch black. His voice was even heavier than the darkness: “Within an hour, I want all information on the Carrington family.”

Halfway through Rael’s rant, he suddenly choked, “What? The Carrington family?”

Then he seemed to realize something, panicked, and exclaimed, “Wait, Mr. Vexley, you’re not talking about that Raina, are you?!”

Then he tried to deny it, muttering incredulously to himself, “No, no, no! You wouldn’t… you’re not that shallow…”

At that moment, Leif abruptly said, “I am.”

Rael: “...Holy sh*t! Mr. Vexley, you can’t be serious! What kind of crazy spell did Raina put you under? Lust has clouded your mind! This is definitely lust! No, Mr. Vexley, how could you go blind at such a young age?!”

Rael was struggling to accept reality, rambling nonsense. Before he could say more, a cold voice came through.

“You have 57 minutes and 34 seconds left.”

Rael: “...F*ck... Hello?! Mr. Vexley? I’m seriously screwed...”

Leif had already hung up.

Muttering to himself, he quickly scrolled through his phone, immediately starting to investigate the Carrington family.

After making several calls, Rael finally put down the phone. Thinking about Leif’s words, he still couldn’t accept it. It was like watching the best flower in the garden picked by the wrong gardener.

After pacing dozens of times, Rael couldn’t resist and called Leif back.

Holding his forehead, he spoke seriously, “Mr. Vexley, listen. Maybe you’ve been out of the dating game too long. Maybe that side of you is malfunctioning…”

...

Meanwhile, at the Carrington family mansion.

She hadn’t been back in years, and the place was nothing like she remembered.

Inside, there were all these tacky, colorful lights hanging everywhere—cheap and totally tasteless. Going further in, the original garden was gone, replaced by some ugly, gaudy plants she didn’t even recognize.

When the new Mrs. Carrington took over the mansion, the first thing she did was tear out all the original decor and swap it for whatever she liked. But her taste? Honestly terrible. Every new thing was more vulgar than the last. And somehow, Fenris actually praised her for having “unique taste.”

Years gone by, and everything in this house had been replaced—there wasn’t a trace left of how it once was.

Raina had been living here since she was twelve, ever since she was brought back to the Carrington family. Coming back now, seeing all this unfamiliar stuff, it honestly felt like she’d stepped into a different world.

“Tsk, tsk... isn’t that my big sis? Since you’re back, why aren’t you coming inside? Dad’s been waiting in the hall and getting impatient.” Mireille stood on the steps by the entrance, her tone high and haughty.

Around others, Mireille was polite, almost like she was just tolerating Raina’s bad attitude.

But when no one was around, she showed her true colors—acting like she wanted to stomp all over Raina, or make her kneel at her feet and submit forever.

Raina wasn’t in the mood today. She didn’t want to waste time on her.

She’d been searching for that kid for five years. Now, just a few steps away, she might finally find out what happened.

She didn’t even glance at Mireille, just walked straight into the hall.

Being ignored made Mireille’s pretty face twist with anger. She sneered and stepped forward, blocking Raina’s way. Coldly, she said, “Raina, you’ve got nothing now, you’re nobody. What’s your problem acting all high and mighty in front of me? Do you still think you’re the top Carrington daughter back then? What the hell do you think you are, ignoring me like that?”

Here we go again.

Ever since Mireille was brought back into the Carrington family, she had to compete with Raina over everything—clothes, rooms, even the most ordinary things. If she wasn’t ahead of Raina, she just wasn’t happy.

But Raina never took her seriously. Especially after she found out what kind of person Mireille really was—a total white snake—she just ignored her completely.

Raina stopped and said flatly, “Step aside.”

Mireille sneered, “Step aside? Who do you think you are telling me that? You know what I hate most? That stuck-up attitude of yours! What makes you so great? What gives you the right—”

“Smack!”

Raina raised her hand and slapped Mireille hard. Coldly, she repeated, “I said, step aside.”

Mireille’s face twisted, then she screamed at the top of her lungs, “How dare you! You bitch, how dare you—”

Raina gave her a cold glare. “I warned you. Don’t mess with me again. Next time, it won’t just be a broken hand or a slap.”

She stepped forward and walked past Mireille, her voice turning dark and sharp, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve done, Mireille... The VIREXIN—you really invented that yourself?”

After saying that, Raina climbed the stairs and went straight into the mansion’s main hall.

Behind her, Mireille was still yelling like crazy, “Of course I did! I invented the VIREXIN all by myself. I succeeded! Raina, you’re just jealous! Ha! In the end, it was me who came up with the VIREXIN—hahaha...”

...

Inside the main hall.

Everything inside was totally different too—loud, flashy decorations that hurt the eyes.

As soon as Raina stepped in, Fenris stood up from the sofa, glaring at her like she was some mortal enemy with a blood feud. Gritting his teeth, he said, “You... finally decided to show up.”

Maybe because the company deal hadn’t closed yet, Fenris was still cautious, remembering what Lucas had said.

But Raina could tell—his first words were definitely going to be insults like “You unfilial daughter” or “You monster.”

She took a deep breath, reached up to scratch her ear, and casually plopped down on a nearby sofa. “Yeah, I’m here. So, Mr. Carrington, whatever tricks you want to pull this time, just go ahead.”

Fenris knew Raina cared most about the kid she’d never met. After making that call, he was sure Raina would be rattled, maybe even cry and throw a fit.

But right now, she looked like nothing had happened at all. Either she was putting on a brave front, or maybe she didn’t care as much as everyone thought.

Fenris frowned and sipped his tea, trying to keep calm. Just then, Mireille walked in.

“Mireille, what’s wrong with your face? Weren’t you supposed to go meet your sister? Look at your face...” Mrs. Carrington said loudly, worried.

***