Chapter 228: Spreading Throughout the Compound
Chapter 228: Spreading Throughout the Compound
Nathaniel Nathan was worried Vera Xavier might want to handle things herself, and he was afraid of angering her if he overstepped. So, he sent someone to the residential compound to "deliver a message," which was really just a way to add fuel to the fire.
It was ostensibly to deliver a message, but the intent ran deeper. As soon as news like this arrived, it was guaranteed to spread throughout the compound. In those days, to the average person, there wasn’t much of a difference between being detained and being sent to prison—one was just a little shorter than the other.
And since the messenger had arrived right at the evening rush hour when the compound gate was bustling with people, the news had already made its way through half the community.
When Rona Langdon heard the news, she was completely dumbfounded. ’Cara’s been detained?’ No matter how cold and heartless she was, she couldn’t remain composed after hearing that. "How could Cara be detained?" she asked frantically. "What happened?"
"I don’t know the details," the officer replied. "You should go to the police station to find out more."
The last thing on Rona Langdon’s mind was cooking. She immediately bolted out the door. After a few steps, she remembered something and shrieked, "Vera Xavier, you worthless bitch, get your ass down here now! You left school with Cara. She ended up at the police station, so how come you didn’t?"
Vera Xavier heard this and replied coolly, "You should ask her about that. How would I know?"
Rona Langdon roared, "Get down here now and come with me to the police station to trade places with Cara! Are the cops blind? How could they lock up Cara instead of a delinquent like you!"
Vera Xavier actually found this amusing. ’Does Rona Langdon really think you can just swap places with someone who’s been detained?’
Vera Xavier grabbed a knife and came downstairs. She asked calmly, "Mom, it’s actually quite simple to get the police to arrest me. Just come over here and let me stab you in the heart. That should do the trick."
Rona Langdon’s face went white with fear. She roared, "You dare!"
Vera Xavier said calmly, "You’re already trying to send me to prison. You basically want me dead. What’s left for me to be afraid of? If I’m going down anyway, I might as well take someone with me."
After she spoke, she brandished the knife. Rona Langdon immediately backed down. Though she was still muttering curses, she didn’t dare to actually confront Vera and scurried out the door.
Vera Xavier snorted. She had seen through Rona Langdon’s true nature in her past life. ’Trying to bully me again in this life? Not a chance!’
Her two previous public clashes with Rona Langdon had already solidified everyone’s impression of her mother. So, no matter what Rona said about her now, anyone with eyes could see the truth.
Let Rona Langdon go try to bail out Cara Preston. Vera couldn’t care less.
As soon as Rona Langdon left, Grandma Dixon from next door came knocking on the Preston family’s door, holding a few ears of corn. "My relatives in the countryside sent me a whole sack of corn," she said. "I just boiled a pot, so I brought some for you to try."
Vera thanked her profusely and got a large bowl for the corn.
As Grandma Dixon was leaving, she looked at Vera and said, "You’re just too skinny, child. You get good grades, you’re pretty, and you’re so well-behaved and sensible. I don’t know what on earth your mother is thinking. From now on, if you’re ever not getting enough to eat, you just come over to my place. We don’t have anything fancy, but I can promise you there’s always plenty of simple food to fill your belly!"
Vera instantly understood. Grandma Dixon had brought the corn over because she was worried Vera was going hungry. As their next-door neighbor, Grandma Dixon could hear Rona Langdon yelling at Vera almost every day, and she genuinely pitied the girl.
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