Chapter 8: Green Tea
Shelly Lowell’s tone was sharp.
Vivian Lowell raised an eyebrow and glanced at her with a smirk. "Does this have anything to do with you?"
Shelly Lowell froze, her expression instantly souring. She made a move to shove Vivian Lowell aside and ran over to Mason Grant, latching onto his arm.
"Mason, Vivian is being so mean!"
Vivian Lowell sidestepped, easily dodging Shelly’s push. As she did, she saw Shelly bury her head in Mason Grant’s chest, whining coquettishly.
"..."
Vivian Lowell squeezed her eyes shut.
’Good thing I ate breakfast early. With the half-hour drive from the Faulkner residence to the Lowell family home, my food has mostly digested. Otherwise, I might be throwing up right now.’
Sure enough, Mason Grant was a sucker for a damsel in distress. He reached out to gently stroke Shelly’s head before turning to Vivian. "Vivian," he began, "Shelly just returned to the Lowell family. You..."
’Me what?’
Vivian couldn’t be bothered to ask. She just rolled her eyes at Mason Grant, turned on her heel, and walked back into the Lowell family home.
「Inside the Lowell Family Villa.」
Robert Lowell and Sharon Galahad were both present. They were quite polite when they saw Vivian return, even having Ms. Shaw bring out the breakfast that had been prepared in the kitchen.
"Vivian, you’re back! You know, I was thinking, why don’t you move back home? This is your home, after all. You’ve lived here for over twenty years. It must feel strange to suddenly move out!"
Sharon Galahad put on the air of a doting mother. She rose and walked over to Vivian, taking her hand intimately. Glancing toward the dining table, she said, "I had Ms. Shaw make your favorite breakfast!"
"Come on, let’s have breakfast first!"
Vivian tried to pull her hand away, but Sharon clung to her like a piece of sticky toffee, impossible to shake off.
Resigned, Vivian glanced at the dining table, feeling nothing at all.
’It really is all my favorite food.’
’If I’m not mistaken,’ Vivian thought, ’Sharon Galahad’s rare display of kindness must mean she’s about to ask for the "Swan Series" jewelry design files.’
"Mrs. Lowell."
Vivian sat down at the table, pulled a USB drive from her pocket, and handed it to Sharon Galahad. "The design is half-finished."
"As for the rest, my plan is to teach Shelly design and have her complete the remaining work independently. It’ll be a good way to develop her skills, don’t you think?"
At the mention of the design, Sharon Galahad’s eyes lit up. She snatched the USB drive and then gestured with her eyes toward the doorway, where Shelly was still whispering with Mason Grant.
"Shelly, hurry over here! Vivian said she’ll teach you design!"
At the doorway, Shelly heard Sharon Galahad call out. She seemed reluctant to let go of Mason Grant, glancing up at him with a pitiful look before finally coming over.
"Vivian Lowell, let’s get started."
Shelly’s tone was curt.
It had only been a day since she’d returned to the Lowell family as the true heiress, but her spoiled-rich-girl attitude was already flaring up as she bossed Vivian around.
Vivian couldn’t be bothered to deal with her.
She opened her laptop, logged into the design software, and began explaining the most basic techniques to Shelly.
Shelly had been to college, so she did have a degree.
However, design relies on talent, and Shelly clearly didn’t have much.
After Vivian finished her explanation, she had Shelly practice on her own. The result was a classic case of the eyes understanding what the brain and hands couldn’t execute.
Vivian put on a patient facade and carefully went over it a few more times.
Shelly tried to follow along, but even after drawing the same simple object several times, her attempts remained bafflingly abstract.
An hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Vivian was getting tired, so she simply sat down next to Shelly and started playing on her phone.
Eleanor Rhodes sent her a message.
"There’s a little cat trapped in a building’s ventilation shaft. I’ve got a cage and a catch pole ready, and I’m planning to go rescue it this afternoon. Vivian, you in?"
Below the message, Eleanor had attached the building’s location.
Vivian took a closer look.
’It’s in the city’s central business district, surrounded by office buildings,’ she mused. ’I wonder if there are any vacant offices for lease. This would be a good chance to do some scouting.’
Vivian immediately replied, "I’ll go with you. What time?"
Eleanor replied in a flash: "Two o’clock!"
Just as Vivian was about to reply with an "OK" sticker, Shelly, who was sitting beside her, impatiently threw her stylus onto the table.
"I’m done! Vivian Lowell, can’t you teach me something simpler first? This is so complicated! You’re making me design right from the get-go. How am I supposed to learn like this?"
Shelly threw down her tools in a huff. Then she turned to Sharon Galahad and whined, "Mom, Vivian isn’t even trying to teach me properly!"
Sharon Galahad was engrossed in Vivian’s design draft.
Even though it was just a preliminary draft, Sharon could tell it was flawless. If they produced it, this jewelry line would be a massive success!
The Lowell family’s reputation would reach new heights!
Shelly’s cry snapped Sharon out of her joyful reverie. She got up and walked over to the desk.
Vivian put down her phone as well. She leaned back against the armchair, propping herself up on one elbow as she watched the mother-daughter duo with amusement.
When Sharon Galahad came over, she first glanced at the computer screen, and her brow furrowed deeply.
Seeing Sharon Galahad’s reaction, the corners of Vivian’s mouth lifted in a smirk. "Mrs. Lowell," she said, "this is as basic as it gets. It’s exactly where I started when I first learned design."
"You remember that sunflower piece I made, don’t you?"
A distant memory surfaced. Sharon recalled the award-winning piece from S University. Then she looked back at Shelly’s work on the computer screen, and a sour feeling grew in her stomach.
They were both beginners at one point, but Shelly was leagues behind where Vivian had been.
She couldn’t even bear to look at this attempt!
Vivian was quite satisfied with the disgust on Sharon Galahad’s face.
In her past life, Shelly’s skill had been just as abysmal. Vivian had patiently taught her for three whole months, dropping everything else to pour all her energy into tutoring her. Only then had Shelly shown any sign of improvement.
Sharon Galahad and Robert Lowell had never known just how little talent Shelly actually had.
Now, Sharon Galahad knew.
Shelly clearly hadn’t expected this reaction from the mother who had been doting on her just moments before. Seeing her work, Sharon’s expression made her panic.
She quickly grabbed Sharon Galahad’s arm. "Mom, it’s so hard!" she whispered. "I’ve never done anything like this before. It’s not like it was for Vivian."
"Mom... before now, I didn’t even know what design was."
At this, Shelly slowly began to cry.