Chapter 130
The mood shifted in an instant.
Sean’s eyes darkened, a flash of anger showing on his otherwise composed face.
“Vivian Xander,” he said coldly, “I don’t want to carry you. This has nothing to do with Lottie. And if I ever hear you badmouth her again, don’t expect me to be polite.”
Vivian burst into tears, sobbing, “But Sean… I wasn’t…”
Mia leaned toward Charlotte and whispered, “You believe her ankle’s even hurt?”
Charlotte gave her a sideways glance.
“What makes you say that?”
Mia smirked.
“Watch this.”
She suddenly screamed and pointed.
“Snake! There’s a snake!”
Vivian instantly sprang up, bolting across the path and nearly sprinting behind Sean.
“Ahh! A snake! Sean, I’m scared!”
Silence.
The moment froze. No one said a word. Even the trees seemed to still.
A breeze passed through, gently shaking the branches overhead.
Then-
“Pffft-“Mia was the first to break, laughing out loud.
“Didn’t you say you couldn’t walk? You looked very mobile just now. What’s the matter? Was this whole thing just an act to get sympathy?”
Realizing she had been exposed, Vivian’s face twisted for a second before she quickly pulled herself together again.
Her voice cooled as she snapped, “Miss Carter, are you seriously unaware that fear can trigger bursts of adrenaline?”
Mia cracked up.
“Oh my god, Vivian, are you seriously trying that excuse? Do you think we’re all idiots?”
Furious, Vivian raised her voice.
“You lied! There wasn’t a snake!”
Mia just shrugged.
“Sure there was. It ran off. But that’s not the point. You faked being hurt just to get Sean’s attention, didn’t you?”
Vivian flinched just for a moment but the panic in her eyes said it all. She reached out and tugged Sean’s sleeve, her voice soft and pleading. “Sean, I didn’t…”
Charlotte watched silently. So that was it. The injury had been fake all along. Vivian didn’t just want attention, she wanted his attention. The kind no sister should be seeking.
She stayed quiet, waiting to see how Sean would respond.
Sean’s expression was unreadable, but his tone was icy.
“If your ankle’s fine, then walk on your own. And don’t pull stunts like this again. It’s pathetic.”
the didn’t wait for a reply. He turned around and walked off.
Vivian’s face twisted with humiliation. She shot Mia a hateful glare.
Mia just stuck out her tongue and pulled a mocking face, then looped her arm through Charlotte’s and walked off, smirking,
Vivian watched their backs with burning eyes.
Just then, Suzy came strolling up behind her. She glanced at Sean and Charlotte walking away, then sneered.
“She’s not even part of the family yet and already acting like she owns the place. And her bestie? Please. She’s just a stepdaughter trom the Quinton family. What
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Chapter 130
does that even count for?”
She leaned in close and whispered something in Vivian’s ear.
Vivian’s expression slowly hardened, her eyes turning cold.
“That’s a great idea. Let’s do it. If she dares to mess with me, I’ll make her regret it.”
Night fell.
The group finally reached the mountaintop viewing deck. They began setting up tents and cameras, getting ready to capture the meteor shower.
One by one, streaks of light danced across the sky. It was absolutely breathtaking.
Charlotte closed her eyes and made a silent wish beneath the stars.
Sean stood quietly off to the side, watching her.
Meteor showers didn’t hold much appeal for Sean. To him, they were just small space rocks entering Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, colliding with air molecules, generating friction and heat, and then burning up in a flash of light. It was just a simple astronomical phenomenon.
