Rebirth Of The Forgotten Heiress - Chapter 55: Chapter 55

A cool night breeze swept through.
Quinlyn stood at the doorway, waiting for Yasin. On one hand, she held the gift she'd prepared for tonight; on the other, an empty tube of super glue.
Quinlyn tilted her head, observing Yalena, whose usually sweet and innocent face was now contorted with barely concealed rage and jealousy.
Quinlyn straightened up and said, "Listen, Yalena." She wanted to reach out and give Yalena a proper lecture, but with her hands full, she could only fix her with an earnest, sincere gaze.
"What you're doing just isn't right," Quinlyn added.
Yalena thought, 'Is she out of her damn mind?'
Quinlyn continued, "Yalena, why not just stay that innocent little lamb? Why are you trying to steal my spotlight?"
Quinlyn initially wanted to say, "You know, Yalena, you're the leading lady. Just sit back and let the whole world fall for you. Why are you always doing things only a side character would do?"
But even tipsy, she knew better than to say that out loud. God forbid someone thought she was crazy and hauled her off to be studied in a lab or something.
But to Yalena, Quinlyn's words took on a completely different meaning. She thought, 'She's hinting at me. She's implying I've been entertaining forbidden thoughts, trying to steal what rightfully belongs to her.'
Yalena gritted her teeth, about to lash out, but when she saw Yasin's car approaching, she paused briefly and said, "Quinlyn, you must be drunk. Zachary's heart belongs to me. Don't tell me you've set your sights on him, too?"
Yasin's car moved at a leisurely pace through the silent night, so every word they spoke could be heard inside.
Quinlyn stood bathed in moonlight, a knowing smile playing on her lips as her piercing gaze seemed to see right through Yalena. She said, "See? You just can't help trying to steal my spotlight."
She thought, 'It's not like I'm deaf or stupid. Of course, I can hear the car engine approaching.'
Quinlyn stepped forward and gave Yalena a light pat on the shoulder. She said, "Keep it up, kid. I know you hate me. Go ahead, keep hating."
She thought, 'This is exactly what the plot needs. The more Yalena despises me, the faster I can complete my fate-changing mission and finally escape this world.'
Just then, Yasin glanced over from the back seat. His gaze was even more brazen than Quinlyn's, blatantly telling Yalena, "Are you out of your damn mind?"
Yalena choked on her fury, her face flushing crimson with suppressed rage.
As the car carrying Quinlyn and Yarden drove away, Yalena clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. Her carefully crafted facade was on the verge of crumbling.
Just then, the Fletcher family's driver approached her and said, respectfully, "Ms. Guzman, Mr. Fletcher asked me to take you home."
Yalena took several deep breaths to compose herself, then looked up at the second floor of the Fletcher residence, hoping to catch a glimpse of Zachary.
But when she saw no familiar figure, she quickly looked away, masking her disappointment. Turning to the driver, she said, "Thank you for your trouble."
The driver, completely new on the job and unfamiliar with the Guzman and Fletcher families, quickly shook his head. He replied, "You're too kind, Ms. Guzman. Once your sister marries into the Fletcher family, you will become a distinguished guest."
Yalena was at a loss for words.
The driver chatted eagerly the whole way, but every other word was about what a perfect match Yarden and Quinlyn made. He was trying to curry favor, but Yalena felt like she was suffocating.
Unable to contain her fury any longer, Yalena immediately grabbed her phone and messaged Beatrice.
After receiving a clear response from Beatrice, Yalena finally let out a subtle sigh of relief. Still feigning concern, she replied, [Mrs. Chappell, are you sure this is appropriate?
[Maybe we should just drop it. After all, Quinlyn deserves a more privileged life, doesn't she?]
Beatrice texted back: [A better life? After all I've done raising her, she owes me.]
Yalena chose not to respond to that.
Since Yasin had been drinking, he called Timothy over to chauffeur him and Quinlyn. The two of them settled into the back seat.
They soon arrived at the Guzman residence.
After the night breeze on the way, Quinlyn felt much clearer-headed. She glanced down at the three gifts in her hands, then turned to Yasin with a playful grin. She asked, "Sir, could you help me cash these out?"
Yasin gave her a sidelong look but didn't take the gifts. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Sir?"
Quinlyn said, "Just showing some respect."
Yalena teased, "Then why don't you call me 'Daddy' and let's see how it sounds?"
Hearing this, Timothy thought, 'Seriously? Do guys and girls talk about stuff like this? Mr. James, you aren't afraid of dying alone, are you? How do you expect the young lady to respond to that?'
Quinlyn replied, "Too bad I've already got two boys, really can't take on another. So thanks anyway." With that, she casually tossed the gifts to Yasin and pushed the car door open to leave.
Left behind were Yasin, looking completely unfazed, and Timothy, whose expression screamed, "I've never seen anything like this in my life."
Timothy asked, "Mr. James, shall we go?"
Yasin narrowed his eyes, watching Quinlyn's figure. He said, "Let's wait a bit."
Timothy just nodded, knowing better than to press further on that topic. But there were still plenty of other things he was curious about.
He said, "Mr. James, what did Ms. Guzman mean by two boys? She's only just come of age. According to the info I dug up, she hasn't even taken the SAT yet. Yalena's younger, but thanks to her privileged upbringing, she's already at university."
Among wealthy families, it was common for kids to start college early. Whether they were home-schooled or attended classes on campus didn't make much difference. But Quinlyn had always followed the conventional path, so the difference was clear.
There was just too much to unpack in Timothy's words, so Yasin simply shot Timothy a pointed look, leaving him to figure it out for himself.
After Timothy's reminder, Yasin snapped back to reality—Quinlyn was just a freshly minted adult.
Quinlyn was practically dragged back to the Guzman family, but even now, there was not even a whisper about where they would send her to school. Just went to show how little they cared about her.
After a moment's thought, Yasin said, "Go buy some review books."
Timothy blinked in confusion, not sure how to respond.
Yasin continued, "At her age, she should be focusing on her studies. Get her some solid tutors. She has to outscore Yalena."
He thought, 'No matter how unusual Quinlyn seems, or how much her behavior doesn't fit her age, right now, she should be in school.'
As Quinlyn stepped into the Guzman residence, a sudden chill ran down her spine. She thought it was just nerves about what was coming, so she didn't give it another moment's thought.
She had no idea she was about to be thrown right back into study hell.
The moment Quinlyn stepped into the Guzman residence, she sensed something was off. All the male members of the Guzman family were missing from the house.
For Graham and Chancey, it was nothing unusual. They both had work and business engagements, so it was normal for them to be away from home day and night, or sometimes not come back at all.
But as for Yancy, Evelyn had stubbornly insisted that he return home every night, a rule she enforced until he joined the Guzman Group. Only when Evelyn felt Yancy had finally grown up did she relax this strict requirement.
Quinlyn thought 'So, Yancy is breaking his own rule tonight just for me? Well, well. What an honor indeed.'
As soon as Evelyn saw Quinlyn, she immediately stood up and, with a rare, almost forced warmth, greeted her, "Quinlyn, you're back. Are you tired?"
Quinlyn halted mid-step, frowning at Evelyn. She thought, 'According to the Narrator's plot, Evelyn isn't supposed to know what Beatrice is up to. But why is she suddenly acting so nice?'