Eunice leaned in toward the manager with a conspiratorial smile.
"Bring out all the dishes my folks love, would you? And toss in a few extra, for good asure."
She added a few of Rosemary and Serena’s favorites into the mix without missing a beat.
Serena shot Rosemary a smug look that seed to scream. She thought,
"Aunt Eunice ordered four dishes for you and four for . In her eyes, we’re equals."
anwhile, Rosemary was engrossed in her phone, thumbing through ssages without so much as a glance in Serena’s direction.
But Serena was basking in her mont of triumph. On the patio, she snapped a few selfies before calling out,
"Grandma, Grandpa, co take a couple of photos with , will you?"
Darren and Belinda were deep in conversation, but at the beckon of their granddaughter, they paused their chat to brave the chill and pose for a few shots.
Serena then turned her attention to her uncle and aunt.
"Uncle Bard, Aunt Eunice, how about a few snaps with as well?"
Eunice, while pouring Belinda another cup of tea, feigned annoyance.
"Calling everyone but your sister — soone might think you’re doing it on purpose."
Serena chuckled nervously.
"Oh, no way! I was saving the best for last to take photos with her.
Besides, Rosemary wouldn’t overthink it, right?"
She sought Rosemary’s eyes, only to find her still busily tapping away on her phone, oblivious to the world around her.
"Let’s just take photos inside where it’s warm," Eunice suggested, refilling Darren’s cup.
"Absolutely, indoors is better," Darren agreed, shifting his chair to Rosemary’s left.
"Rose, let’s take a few pictures, shall we?"
"Absolutely. I’ve had my turn with Serena, now it’s Rose’s turn," Belinda chid in, scooting her chair to Rosemary’s right.
Rosemary put her phone down and opened a financial report, only to have Darren and Belinda crane their necks to take a peek. They were astounded.
"Rose, you understand French? And these are financial reports? You’re working with Dawnstar?" Darren asked, incredulous.
"Just a small company I’m involved with," Rosemary replied casually.
The mont the words left her lips, Eunice, who had been peering over, caught sight of the corporate seal on the financial report.
"Rose, what’s your role at Ar-Bl-Clear Group?" Eunice asked, genuinely surprised.
Understanding financial reports suggested a role no less than that of a general manager.
"I’m in charge," Rosemary stated plainly.
"Did you found Ar-Bl-Clear Group?"
"Yes!"
The revelation sent waves of surprise through everyone present.
"Ar-Bl-Clear Group is a well-known skincare brand here in Dawnstar. I took notice of it a year ago but had no idea it was your venture," Bard praised, amazed.
"We knew you were fluent in French, but we had no clue you were an entrepreneur here."
"And to think May always raved about your skincare products. So you’re the brain behind Ar-Bl-Clear Group?" Belinda asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
"The primary line, yes."
Ar-Bl-Clear Group’s flagship products were known for their magical effects on troubled skin — acne disappearing, pores shrinking, blackheads vanishing, leaving the skin smooth and fair.
But all the other lines were developed by her company’s research and developnt teams. She owned so many companies, she couldn’t possibly attend to them all.
"Wow, that’s damn impressive."
The crowd erupted in awe, completely taken aback by how outstanding this girl was at such a young age.
Serena watched as everyone circled Rosemary, with Eunice even snapping photos of her with their grandparents on her smartphone.
A twinge of jealousy pinched at her heart, but she kept up her smile.
"Let’s take a big family picture later, shall we? I’m going to step outside to capture so shots of the night view!"
There was another large terrace at the end of the corridor, not only offering a view of Bard’s eco-resort and golf course but also the city lights twinkling in the distance.
After a while, Serena returned, her eyes glued to her phone as she edited the photos, not forgetting to coax her aunt with a sweet voice,
"Do you think this one looks good? Is the lighting okay in that one?"
"You’ve overdone it with the filters. It looks unnatural," Eunice comnted honestly.
"This one won’t do — your eyes look too purposeful, the smile seems fake. This one isn’t flattering either. Your chin looks too sharp. This one’s not good either. You’re trying too hard to look cute. All these pouting selfies... you’re overdoing it. It’s not attractive."
Out of the more than twenty pictures Serena took, Eunice only complinted one landscape shot capturing the eco-resort and golf course.
At that mont, the restaurant manager ca out to serve the dishes personally.
One by one, the mouthwatering dishes were presented on the table, with the restaurant manager respectfully introducing each one before bowing out.
Rosemary started serving the elders with the cutlery, and Serena, keen to follow suit, noticed Rosemary reaching for a piece of fish to place in Belinda’s bowl.
She quickly intercepted with a larger piece, placing it in the bowl first.
"Grandma, this is your favorite fish. Have so more," Serena said purposefully, stealing the words right out of Rosemary’s mouth.
As Rosemary reached for the beef, Serena hurriedly did the sa.
After her little display, she suggested,
"Let’s all raise a toast! First, to celebrate our grandparents’ health, second, to welco Aunt Eunice ho safely, and third, to celebrate my sister’s return to the family."
Seeing Serena finally acting sensibly, Eunice joined in, lifting her glass.
"Shall we all clink glasses?"
Rosemary raised her glass of lemon water to join the toast, but just as she was about to sip, she noticed sothing off about the floaters.
Though there were fine bits of lemon pulp, a closer look revealed tiny specks of powder floating and slowly dissolving in the water.
She was a regular lemon water drinker, so even the slightest difference didn’t escape her notice.
She sniffed, catching the usual scent of lemon water.
Could the person who spiked her drink have used sothing colorless and tasteless?
Everyone else had already downed their lemon water, but Rosemary noticed no powder floating in their glasses.
"Rose, why aren’t you drinking? Lemon water is so refreshing, especially after eating too much at."
Serena’s voice brought Rosemary back from her thoughts.
"I was just thinking... does my sudden return to the family unsettle you?"
Caught off guard by Rosemary’s unexpected question, Serena stumbled for a mont before laughing,
"Why would it? This has always been your ho.
I’m just grateful you’re letting stay."
"And if the family started treating twice as well — compensating , giving more than they give you — you wouldn’t mind?"
"Of—of course not..."
Serena was baffled by Rosemary’s comnts. Could Rosemary have sensed sothing was amiss?
No, it couldn’t be. Martha had assured her the drug was colorless and tasteless, dissolving completely in water in less than a minute.
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