Meanwhile, Ophelia stepped out of the kindergarten with a grim expression. Thank goodness I handled the matter fast enough! Who’d have thought Mr. Bauer would launch an investigation as soon as he returned? Gosh. I almost blew my cover! Then again, this must mean that little b*stard’s injury was pretty bad….
With that thought in mind, Ophelia curled her lips into a smirk. That b*tch Roxanne has ruined my chances of a happy and comfortable life! She deserves this little payback from me. Ha!
Naturally, Ophelia needed to inform Aubree about the incident, so she quickly got into her car and dialed the latter’s number. Fortunately, the call got through after just a few rings.
“How did it go? Did you succeed?” Aubree asked urgently. Argh. Life has been incredibly tough on me lately. I need some good news to cheer me up!
“I greased the shoes of that Benny boy, and he fell really hard!” Ophelia said with a smug chortle, “Mr. Bauer even made a big fuss out of it when he returned, so I’m sure that little b*stard was injured pretty badly!”
Upon hearing that, Aubree felt both gleeful and relieved. “Well done! I’m so thankful for your help. I wouldn’t have known who else to turn to if you hadn’t agreed.”
“Don’t mention it. Remember how much you helped me back then? I’m only too happy to be able to return the favor.”
Aubree, however, wasn’t willing to leave things just like that. So what if I’m not as rich as before or no longer own many luxury items? Compared to me, Ophelia is still from a lower-class background. She’s helped me, and it’s only fair that I reward her.
After looking around and searching high and low in her room, Aubree spoke up again. “Oh, come on. You took such a huge risk to help me. How can I not thank you? Anyway, I have at handbag that would suit you well.”
In other words, Aubree wanted to reward Ophelia with the handbag, and the latter quickly caught on to it. Having long gotten used to Aubree’s condescending tone, Ophelia pretended to turn her down. “I told you there’s no need for that! You’ve already helped me a lot in the past.”
That said, the woman truly wanted the handbag. She had been with Aubree for so many years that she knew better than anyone else how rich and generous the latter was. Even the tiniest amount of money from Aubree would be a lifetime of wealth to Ophelia.
Aubree may be down and out now, but she’s still far more powerful and wealthier than me. As for the handbag she just mentioned, I’m sure it’s one I’d never be able to afford in my entire life! Of course, I want it!
Thankfully Aubree was also very persistent in giving it away. “Are you looking down on me because the Pearson family isn’t what it used to be?” she grumbled as her face darkened. “I can still afford to gift a handbag!” Stunned by Aubree’s outburst, Ophelia trembled and hastily explained, “No, that’s not what I meant-”
“In that case, meet me at Orange Moon tonight. I’ll bring the handbag along!” Aubree interrupted before ending the call. As it turned out, Orange Moon was a bar that Aubree had recently been a loyal patron of.
It was a far cry from the high-end venues she used to frequent, but it was enough to impress someone like Ophelia.
Once she hung up the phone, Aubree begant putting on her makeup and picking out her clothes. After what seemed like forever, she finally grabbed the handbag and left the house.
With how put-together Aubree was, there was no way anyone could tell from her outward appearance that the Pearson family had met its downfall.
