From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 372: Chapter 372

"What happened next? How'd it turn out?" Elara tugged at Serena's arm, dying to know what went down at that party.
Serena blinked her eyes—eerily like Paisley's—and lazily leaned her head back on the seat. "I think my dad and my uncle both showed up. It got messy. Emery said it wasn't kid-friendly, so someone took me and my brother away."
She couldn't remember much about how that party ended all those years ago, just that it drew a ton of reporters and made a huge splash.
"So you didn't get to see the drama after all?" Elara said, disappointed. She remembered her mom glued to her phone back then, obsessed with Ms. Sutton updates. Even now, years later, whenever Paisley came up, her mom still got that wistful look.
She'd tell anyone who'd listen, "You all know Paisley, right? That super famous businesswoman. Runs Cloud Crest Winery. The big-shot writer Nion. Yep, that's her. Sold a painting for two billion back in the day—no one's topped it since, that artist."
"That's right, that's right—her. My daughter Elara went to the same kindergarten as her daughter Rena. We used to see each other all the time—super tight."
"Just that she got busy later, so we don't meet as much. Oh, my Elara's still so close with her Rena now—besties, like sisters."
Ever since that sports day at kindergarten when her mom told Elara to befriend Serena, she'd stuck to it all these years.
"Nope." Serena shook her head. "Not only did I miss the drama, I got a lecture from Mom after."
Yeah, she had no clue how the party ended. But she sure remembered what happened to her and Grayson afterward. After that day, their mom confiscated her watch phone and Grayson's cell. No computers or tablets either, except for studying. Video games? Don't even think about it.
For a whole summer, their only fun was tagging along with Aunt Liu to pick wild greens in Mom's herb field.
Serena glanced out at the increasingly barren scenery. "How much farther to Lenore's place?"
"Let me check," Elara said, pulling out her phone to look at the map. "We should be close to the town soon. She said she'd meet us there."
Lenore Barnes was their college classmate and dormmate. A quiet, gentle girl—simple, tough, and always ready to help. Perfect, really—no one could find a flaw.
"Man, she is so great—how'd she end up marrying so young? Talk about a rash mov." Elara griped about her impulsive choice.
Serena hadn't seen it coming either. They were only sophomores, after all. Not even out of college—there was no reason to get married so soon.
Maybe it was how she was raised or the world she grew up in, but Serena still felt like a kid. Marriage seemed miles away.
But when she heard Lenore call and say she was getting married and wanted her at the wedding, it floored her.
"Hey, Rena, you think her family pushed her into it?" Elara guessed.
"I asked. She said it's her choice," Serena said. She'd checked before coming, and the answer was clear. It was an arranged thing from childhood—when the age was right, they'd tie the knot. If it was mutual, then as a friend, Serena had to be happy for her.
"Oh." Elara nodded. "Hey, Rena, what do you think her fiance looks like?"
"No clue. I've never met him," Serena said, yawning. She'd pulled an all-nighter in the lab, then dragged herself out early to head here. Hours on a plane, then a car ride that seemed endless—now she was beat and sleepy, her eyes starting to droop.
"Rena, you and Ivan grew up together. Think you two might ever—Rena? Serena, I'm talking to you!" Elara shook Serena, who was already nodding off. She'd slept on the plane for hours and wasn't tired at all.
Serena forced her eyes open, bloodshot and miserable, glaring at Elara. Then she grabbed her phone and tapped it quick.
"Shut up and let me sleep," she said.
A second later, Elara's phone pinged. She opened it and saw Serena had sent her fifteen grand.
Grinning ear to ear, Elara said, "Yes, Your Highness! Sleep tight—your loyal servant's got your back. Is leaning like that comfy? Want to rest on my lap instead?"
Serena ignored her, turned over, and zonked out.
Serena woke up to the car jostling her around, blinking groggily at the rough roads outside.
"Where are we?" she asked, stretching. Her eyes were still red, but she felt better than before.
"Should be in the town now," Elara said, checking the map.
It was a town, sure, but it looked run-down. Not many people on the streets, though there were plenty of shops and motels. Soon, the car stopped at the spot they'd agreed to meet Lenore. They were only staying two days, so they hadn't brought much luggage.
It was National Day break, and Serena hadn't gone home, opting to finish lab work at school. Elara, her loyal "servant," stayed at school with her instead of heading home too.
They'd come straight from campus—Elara booked the ride from the airport. The driver dropped them off and peeled out.
Elara stood next to Serena, looking around at the unfamiliar place. "Didn't Lenore say she'd meet us in town? Where is she?"
Right then, Lenore came running over. "Rena! Elara! Over here, over here!"
Lenore wasn't tall—petite and thin. In her usual gray-black clothes, she'd blend into a crowd unless she made noise.
"You're here! Tired, huh? Give me your bags—I'll carry them," Lenore said with a shy grin, reaching for their stuff.
"It's fine, they're not heavy," Serena said politely.
"Hand them over. My place is down in the mountains, not here in town. It's a tiring walk. You came all this way for my wedding—I already feel bad," Lenore insisted, slinging their bags over her shoulders like she always took care of them back in the dorm.
She led them toward the mountains. As they walked, she kept apologizing. "Sorry for dragging you out to a place like this. But you two are my only real friends, so I wanted you here to see me happy."
"Hey, Lenore, what are you talking about? We're buddies—of course we'd come be your bridesmaids," Elara said, looping her arm through Lenore's like they did at school.
Lenore smiled bashfully, "Weddings around here don't have bridesmaids. You two will just sit with my family."
The three girls chatted and laughed the whole way. It was tiring, but not dull, and they reached Lenore's home before dark.
Her house was small—just four people lived there. Lenore's parents and her older brother. What shocked Serena and Elara was how stunning Lenore's mom was—so beautiful it didn't fit with the rest of the Barnes family.