"Mother, I have more than enough clothes to wear. I can't possibly use this much money."
Hilla Holt reluctantly returned the card. One ought not to be too greedy. Most importantly…
'I hurt your son last night, and I feel awful about it.'
Orlenna Organa smiled and shoved the debit card back into her hands. She said gently, "This is not for you. After your lectures, go to Beautiful Antiques and fetch a pair of white jade vases back."
Orlenna's smile only grew wider. She continued, "It is possible that the money in the card isn't going to be enough."
Not only was she asking her to run errands for her, Hilla might even need to spend her own money to buy those antiques. That was what she meant, right?
Hilla held the debit card with a trembling hand. She really wanted to return the card.
She was against running the errand, but she smiled instead and said, "Alright. I will get those vases by all means necessary."
It was the day the semester started. Most freshmen had already arrived on campus a week ago for registration.
Hilla was still a student, and she was now in her second year. Her dormitory remained unchanged. When she entered the dormitory, she was immediately hugged by Lily Hart.
"Oh, my darling! I missed you! I missed you so much! I missed you very much!"
Lily continued to pour all her affection on Hilla, and the two rolled onto the bed.
"I don't think you actually miss me. I think you want to suffocate me with your hugs!"
Hilla freed herself from Lily's embrace. She sped over to the other side of the table to hide from Lily and kept her eyes fixed on her warily to prevent her from coming at her for another hug.
Lily Hart rolled her eyes and asked worriedly, "I know what happened to your family. Hilla, are you alright? How have you been doing lately?"
Who would have thought that the once glorious family would literally lose everything in just a matter of months?
Hilla's face turned sour. Even though all that happened to the Holt family was real, Hilla had managed to put everything behind. Yet she could not restrain her sadness when she was reminded about it.
"I'm fine. Do you see the dress I'm wearing now? It's new!"
Hilla spun around to let Lily see the beautiful summer yellow one-piece dress. It was
the year's latest fashion piece that had only just arrived in New Island within the month.
There were only two of them in the entire city, and Hilla went out of her way to buy one.
Lily was stunned for a while before she made a loud, howling cry. "Oh lord have mercy on your soul, were you the one who caused your family to go bankrupt?"
The two used humor to hide their sadness, and Hilla smiled smugly. "My mother-in-law bought it."
"Mother-in-law?"
The word was unfamiliar to Lily, and after some time, she realized something. "Hilla, did you…"
'Was life so difficult for you after the Holt family went bankrupt that you sold your body to another person?'
She had indeed not wasted her time reading all those novels about domineering male leads. Hilla was experiencing all of the plot and drama typical of those novels.
Hilla was somewhat expecting her surprise. She made a shushing gesture and whispered softly, "I got married. Don't tell anyone."
Lily Hart nodded profusely.
This was a cliche story of a bankrupted lady marrying a domineering CEO! Of course she would keep it to herself!
Hilla started to talk about it when Lily looked very curious but was quiet about it.
She had been repressing her emotions for too long, and she was in need of a good friend to talk about her feelings.
As the two talked, the other occupants of the dormitory returned. They stopped talking and went to the faculty's office to check-in.
In just one day, what Hilla heard the most were whispers about how the Holt family had gone bankrupt.
She was once worshipped by people, but now, she was a bankrupted lady. Those who never liked her were starting to cause trouble in front of her.
Even the extremely limited-edition dress she wore became a tool for insult. They said that she bought something way out of her budget just so that she could preserve her dignity.
Everyone was curious about how much the top socialite in all of New Island had fallen. But when classes were over for the day, they were left with their jaws agape when they saw Hilla Holt getting into a luxurious car.
...
When Hilla Holt returned to the Anderson mansion, it was already very late. The pair of white jade vases was picked up and paid for. The debit card Orlenna had given her contained just enough money to pay for the vases. It was obvious that Orlenna knew the prices well. She just wanted Hilla to pick them up.
With the white jade vases in hand, Hilla quickly raced into the mansion. When she entered, she saw the entire Anderson family gathered together. Before she could even respond to anything, Orlenna Organa beckoned her over. "Hilla, you're back! Come, come! Please sit with us."
They sat in the living room for just a little while before Rudi and his mother, Lysa Layla started to act up again, even though they had only been laying low for some time.
When Hilla entered the mansion, Rudi Anderson's eyes were affixed to her body. If not for the bandages on his head and the fact that Master Anderson was still angry, he would have shamelessly approached her.
Hilla Holt went forward, hesitatingly handing over the brocade box to Orlenna. "Mother, this is…"
Orlenna took the box and opened it. With surprise and delight on her face, she brought it to Master Anderson so that he could take a look.
The white jade vases were no bigger than one's palm. The entire vase was as white as snow, yet it was semi-opaque. Under the strong lighting, one could see the patterns of snowflakes etched into the vase. The pair of antiques had cost 2,000,000 dollars.
Hilla Holt could not help but feel a little heartache when she thought of the debit card.
Master Anderson had a glance at the vases and smiled, nodding. "Girl, you're very considerate. I like these very much."
Master Anderson had always been someone who barely expressed his emotions. It was very rare for him to praise someone so cordially. At that moment, the entire family, including the cousins and friends of Master Anderson, had a change of heart on how they viewed Hilla Holt.
Orlenna smiled from the side and said, "These vases aren't cheap! I don't think the debit card I gave you was enough."
Hilla Holt blushed and felt lost as she answered, "It was just enough!"
"Such an honest child. She had spent all the pocket money I gave her to buy you the vases, Master Anderson!" said Orlenna with a warm smile. But her words made an impact on all who were present then to not underestimate Hilla Holt.
"Father, happy birthday!"
Hilla Holt snapped back to reality and quickly followed up. "Grandfather, happy birthday. May you live long, healthy, and happy!"
Master Anderson smiled and said, "Sit. It is just a birthday. It's really just a troublesome affair."
When Lysa Layla saw this, she quickly chimed in. "You only celebrate your birthday over the entire year! We're just asking the entire family to come back and have a meal together, so it's not troublesome. In fact, Lucas wanted to return one month ago to celebrate your birthday, but he was caught up with work until today."
Lucas Anderson, who was standing by the side, said, "Father, it's the son's duty to organize a birthday celebration for his father."
The birthday party was not big, but it was attended by many of Anderson's family members, regardless of whether they were old and young. There were more than ten tables set up for the banquet. Hilla Holt followed Orlenna Organa to socialize with the people she knew and did not know. But she could see the same gazes from their eyes. They were all full of disdain and mockery for her!
The birthday party lasted until late at night. Master Anderson had long since retired for the day. Hilla and Orlenna busied themselves until the end of it all.
"Thank you, Mother."
She had not known that it was Master Anderson's birthday today. Orlenna had given her money to buy the vases and had even given her the credit for getting the vases as a birthday present for the old master. It was clear that her mother-in-law was genuinely being considerate to her. If she had not done so, Hilla would have become the joke of the evening.
Orlenna took her hands in and patted the back of her palms in a comforting manner. "No thanks necessary. In the future, you and I are on the same side. From now on, we'll be helping each other in the Anderson family."
If Bruce Anderson were never to wake up, Hilla Holt and Orlenna Organa would lose all that they could rely on once Master Anderson died, because they were alone.
Hilla understood what Orlenna was thinking, and at that moment, she actually hoped for Bruce Anderson to wake up soon.