The True Heiress's Return

Chapter 285

Xanthe moved her hand away and said directly, "Aunt Odalyn, these are gifts Shakira brought for my family, not for you."

Odalyn looked a bit disappointed, her eyes lingering on the pile of supplements. "Oh, I see. I made a mistake."

Xanthe clarified, "Plus, we all came out to welcome Shakira. Uncle Jackson and Aunt Odalyn, you didn't mention you were coming today."

Jackson chuckled, "Oh, it's Carnaval. More people make it lively. Since you have a guest, let's head inside and sit down."

Jackson was even more eager than the hosts.

With a gentle smile at the corner of her mouth, Shakira glanced around the family, her gaze briefly resting on Lucy, who hadn't spoken but whose eyes were filled with hostility.

The group chatted and laughed as they entered the house. Xanthe couldn't wait for Shakira to try her new drink. Shakira took a sip and found it smooth and sweet. "It's delicious." Xanthe was happy for the praise. "As long as you like it."

Lucy watched closely. "Xanthe, what about mine?"

"I just made one cup. If you want some, make it yourself," Xanthe said lazily, waving her hand.

Lucy pouted, immediately feeling upset. "Xanthe, I'm a guest too. How can you play favorites and only entertain Shakira?*

Before Xanthe could say anything, Odalyn, who had eagerly followed Helen into the kitchen to make coffee, came in carrying bags of seafood, smiling widely.

"Enrique is always out socializing, and Helen frequently eats at her parents' place. These good stuff would go to waste if we didn't eat them. I'll take them back with me, and once I've cooked them up, I'll call you all over to enjoy them."

Shakira watched, raising an eyebrow slightly. With a faint smile on her lips, she casually said to Lucy, "Have you ever seen a guest come over and leave with stuff like this?"

Lucy didn't know what to say.

Xanthe was used to it and spoke directly, "Right? Every time your family comes over, you take things back, so you're hardly guests anymore."

Lucy held her breath, unable to rebut. She bit her lip, glared at Shakira angrily, and then got up to find some water in the kitchen.

Xanthe pulled Shakira into her room while the adults were chatting downstairs, and they started playing a game together. As soon as they logged on, a notification popped up saying Sean was online. Xanthe quickly ignored it, but a moment later, someone else joined their team. It was none other than the annoying Sean. Sean joined the voice chat, "Sha... are you at the Sullivan residence?" Oops, he almost slipped up.

Shakira just gave a simple response while Xanthe listened nervously.

What was Sean trying to greet Shakira?' In a split second, a million possibilities ran through her mind... 'Sister? Best buddy? Or... wife? No way!' Xanthe shook her head frantically to dismiss the most likely but least acceptable option. Xanthe wondered, 'How could it be a wife? Shakira would never cheat on Mr. Lopez like that. But what was Sean trying to address Shakira?'

"Xanthe, what's wrong? Shakira asked her to get the game ready but Xanthe didn't respond.

When Shakira looked up, Xanthe seemed as if she'd been hit hard, her face full of despair and confusion, frozen in place. Curiosity gnawed at Xanthe, but she wasn't ready to accept the answer.

She feared the truth would be too harsh for her to handle. "I'm just missing one person. I'm waiting for Lucy

Just as she finished speaking, Lucy went back to the room, and Xanthe urged her to quickly get online. Hearing the completely different tones Xanthe used with her and with Shakira, Lucy felt a little upset. Reluctantly, she complied. Initially pouting, Lucy brightened up the moment she saw the skin guru on the team.

Shakira said, "Everyone's here. Let's start."

"Hey, hold on. I'm changing my skin." After fiddling around for a bit, Lucy finally decided on a skin.

Shakira noticed that Lucy's new skin had a yellow-and-black palette, which was a less expensive version of Sean's exclusive black-and-gold skin. On the four-person display screen, they looked like they were wearing matching outfits.

Shakira gave a deep glance at Lucy, whose smile seemed to leap out from her phone screen, and then she started the game. Xanthe was all over the place, constantly expressing her disdain for Sean while paying close attention to every interaction between Shakira and Sean with great focus.

She never thought that jerk Sean would stick to her like glue from the beginning.

When she went into a building to loot, he'd block her way in. When enemies showed up, he'd hide behind her, messing up her aim.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

When she got ambushed and died, he'd shamelessly loot her crate and even do his own voice-over in the game, "So rich, so tempting." That annoying jerk. She really felt like strangling him.

As for Lucy, she was really frustrated. She had finally got the chance to hang out with Sean, hoping they could interact and team up to impress.

But Sean just stuck with Xanthe, and the two kept circling around together. Lucy felt awkward on the sidelines, unsure whether to watch or not. She didn't want to walk with Shakira. When she was on her own, she got beaten up pretty badly.

After playing a few rounds, there was no enjoyment, feeling more like a robot than a real person. In the end, the group managed to win a game thanks to Shakira, the only one playing seriously.

"Still playing? Come down for lunch," Helen called out to them with a smile.

The three of them responded, washed their hands, and took their seats at the dining table. Lucy's family often came around. Everyone had their own familiar places at the table.

Shakira was the last to arrive and noticed only two seats were left. With Xanthe and Helen sitting together, she instinctively left the seat near them for the host, Enrique, and took another spot herself.

It subtly seemed like she had placed herself at the center of the table. Lucy exclaimed in surprise, "Shakira, what are you doing? That's my uncle's seat."

Even Jackson and Odalyn gave disapproving looks. Odalyn, taking on the role of the elder, said, "Girl, not to be rude, but you're being a bit inappropriate. Enrique came out with a plate of smoked salmon, heard the remark, and cheerfully explained, "It's alright. It's alright. I actually saved this seat for Shakira."