As the party continued, Suzie was quiet.
She thought about this Thomson family who appeared out of nowhere and told her she was the eldest daughter. They accepted her warmly and acted cordially toward her.
But today, with the obvious hints she noticed, she understood the Thomson family doesn't truly accept her as one of their own.
Why do they have to keep this eldest daughter that they clearly don't want?
Were they forced to do it? What for?
Because of bloodline?
Or was there something else?
Suzie suddenly remembered what those people said earlier.
The Albrecht family.
When the dinner was done, George lead Suzie to another table beside them.
"Suzie come here. I wanted you to meet our valuable guest for today. This is the Albrecht family."
Suzie's ears perked up.
'The Albrecht family'.
This was the second time she heard the name of this family.
Suzie looked up and saw a dignified couple.
"This is Colton Albrecht and his wife, Reyna. The Albrecht family had been close with us since my grandfather's generation. The former head, Mr. Albretch, helped our Thomson family achieve what we have now. We are indebted towards them."
Seeing George being so respectful to the couple, Suzie also bowed respectfully.
"Nice meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Albretch."
Mrs. Reyna Albretch looked much younger than Venice. It could be seen from a glance that this sophisticated woman had been pampered by wealth. Reyna raised her eyebrow and gave an up-and-down glance at Suzie.
"So this is your eldest daughter. I heard about her uncultured background. She had a decent face- as expected of the Thomson's blood. But her skin looks so dull and dark. How ugly."
Suzie: "..."
She was kinda surprised to be insulted face-to-face by an aristocrat. Was this how rich people greeted one another?
Suzie was not the type of person who would back down or let herself be bullied. However, she understood that she could not offend these people. After all, she doesn't have much idea how influential these people were.
So, she kept it in and swallowed back her curses. She smiled, "My skin could not compare to yours. It is so fair and smooth. Would you mind telling me what is your secret to look so much younger than me?"
One thing she learned from her past experience, if you can't defeat the enemy, then join them. Since Suzie could not offend these people, she had to fawn over them until they don't see her as an enemy anymore.
As expected, Reyna Albrecht took the compliment with a delightful smile. She lightly touched her face, "I looked younger than you? Well, it is because my husband pampered me."
Reyna was pleased. Who would not like it if they were complimented because of their beauty?
Reyna glanced at Suzie once more and nodded, "Although you have dull skin, it could be fixed by a good esthetician. I will recommend to you a good dermatology clinic that I often visit."
"Please guide me well." Suzie smiled like a naive person who genuinely admired Mrs. Albretch.
Colton Albrecht did not have much reaction. He did not give a second glance to Suzie, expressing his lack of interest in this eldest daughter that suddenly appeared. George and Colton just excused themselves to talk about business.
Venice who was watching beside Suzie and Reyna narrowed her eyes. She came forward and interrupted Suzie's fawning. "Reyna, how have you been? You are getting younger nowadays. Colton truly spoiled you."
Reyna becomes happy again. "Am I? Many people are saying that to me recently so I might believe it. Well, it's thanks to my husband who always cater to my wishes."
"How envious." Venice just smiled, not showing any flaws on her face. "Anyway, thank you for coming here. I hoped my eldest daughter did not rub you the wrong way. She has grown up all alone in the countryside doing all kinds of work, thus the lack of etiquette and education. Please forgive her if she has offended you in any way."
Suzie's ears perked up.
Why does it sound so wrong? When did she offend Mrs. Albretch?
Reyna's eyes suddenly turned. She looked at Suzie with a hint of disgust this time.
Doing all kinds of menial work? Who knows what kind of dirty work this young woman had done? What if she carried a disease?
Reyna inched away from Suzie as if she was avoiding a plague."Not really. But it is better if she keeps a distance from me."
Suzie: "..."
Suzie realized why Venice said it that way. Venice pointed out her poor upbringing to disgust Mrs. Albretch so the latter would avoid her and treat her poorly.
Suzie glanced sharply at Venice.
This was a major hint that Venice doesn't like her.
"Ah, Reyna. Have you met my youngest daughter, Bianca? I think you guys last met during Bianca's debut. Years passed already and I would like to introduce my daughter again. In case, you forgot my daughter's face. Come here, Bianca, and greet your aunt."
Bianca shyly approached the table and gracefully greet Mrs. Albretch.
Reyna watched Bianca perform a graceful courtesy. Compared to Suzie's straightforward bow, Bianca's graceful curtsy looked more beautiful. She nodded in approval, "Your youngest daughter is pretty. She is growing up beautifully."
Bianca blushed, "Mrs. Albretch is kind. I still have a lot to learn." Then she looked around the table.
Venice saw her daughter's actions and teased, "Who are you looking for? Are you looking for Reyna's handsome son?"
Reyna raised her brow. "Is your daughter Bianca friends with Kingsley?"
Bianca's fair and smooth cheeks turned cherry, "It will be an honor to be Kingsley's friend. But I don't know what Kingsley thinks about me. We might just be acquaintances. "
Anyone who would see Bianca blushing would be moved. She was like an innocent teenager that was around her first love.
Reyna immediately understood Bianca's heart. She did not comment anything about it while Venice was watching Reyna's expression closely.
Suzie: "..."
Can she leave now?
It looked like these people doesn't need her.
However, before she could move, a tall handsome man came to their table. His appearance made Bianca's eyes light up.
Suzie could guess who was this man instantly.
"Kingsley..." Bianca shyly muttered the man's name.
The man noticed their presence at the table and greeted them. "Mrs. Thomson and Bianca." Except for Suzie."Are you enjoying the party?" Bianca shyly asked.The man has a charismatic appearance. Among the guests that Suzie had seen today, this man's look was the best. No wonder Bianca was so smitten with him.Kingsley nodded, "Yes. The one who planned this party is very considerate. I like the food and entertainment. I also saw a lot of my friends here.""I am glad you like it. My daughter Bianca helped me with the preparation of the banquet. She especially asked the kitchen to prepare the food in your preference." Venice chimed in."You did? No wonder all the food suits my taste. Thank you, Bianca. I appreciate it." Kingsley smiled at Bianca. Although his words were that of a gentleman, his eyes were all flirty. Bianca turned red, "I am so thankful that you like it. It pays my hard work."Venice smiled at the two's interaction while Reyna remained silent and observed the couple.On
The party lasted for two hours.During these two hours, Suzie smiled without changing her face at the guests until her jaw hurt.Although she could vaguely guess that the Thomson family did not like her, especially Venice and Bianca, she still do her job well to not tarnish the Thomson family. After all, she was a professional.When she and the Thomson family sent the guest out, the family of three began to use the family card. They were gentle and warm as if the previous incident were an illusion.Suzie stared at Venice who was playing the role of a kind and open-hearted stepmother. The conversation earlier had proven that Venice doesn't like her, but now she was acting as if she was some precious daughter.She felt funny inside. It looked like she came from a family full of actors.When all the guests left, Suzie brought the staff to the family of three and told them about her 'interesting' experience."I don't know who was so childish to play such games. But I am telling you, I won
With Suzie's urging, she received the severance pay and managed to get the old maid kicked out. As expected, the head maid was shocked. She even begged Venice and George for the sake of the long years she had served. However, since Venice promised to handle the matter cleanly, she could not give any other way out. The head maid had no other choice but to leave the Thomson mansion without a single penny. The sudden outcome caused the maids and staff to be scared and think twice about their actions. The head maid had been working for the Thomson family for decades. Yet, she was mercilessly used as a scapegoat and was dragged out of the house. A lot of them began to doubt whether actively participating in the schemes would be good for them or be their downfall. It had been almost two months since Suzie arrived at the Thomson mansion. The maids and staff who were cold to her suddenly became milder. They must have been afraid of what happened to the head maid. They now greeted Suze whe
It was a good thing that she wasn't too attached to these people and this place so she could leave without a heavy heart. Even that father of hers was not something she regretted leaving behind. The head maid suddenly came running. "Eldest Miss! Please wait. We can't just let you leave like this." The head maid took a breather before continuing. "How about you have dinner first? The cook in the kitchen was already preparing your food." Suzie glanced outside, the sun was still up. "It is too early for dinner. Besides, I just have eaten lunch a few hours ago." "T-then! How about some snacks and desserts?" Suzie looked at the desperate head maid and the maids that were blocking her way. Why does she feel like they were desperately preventing her from leaving? "No need." Suzie began walking. But the head maid blocked her way. "Eldest Miss! Can you at least please wait for the Master to come? In that way, you can bid goodbye to each other personally." "I have nothing to say to Ge
In the quiet study room, the two were facing off.The kind and warm father role that George was playing had now disappeared. Suzie was facing a cold-hearted businessman of the head of the Thomson family.George lit his pipe as he spoke."You are to marry the eldest son of the Albrecht family. That is the will of your grandfather."Suzie felt thunder had struck her.Marriage...An arranged marriage?!Suzie had never thought this could be the reason. Her mind was only capable of guessing that this family wanted her liver or her blood or something. But to be married off....How could she not think about this? Wealthy people had arranged marriages at birth after all. Suzie stood up in shock."I am not agreeing to it!"Although she was at the right age to marry, it doesn't mean she could marry anyone that these damn people arranged for her."You have no choice. We already made the deal with the Albrecht family. And they agreed to accept you as their eldest son's bride."Albrecht family..
"If I let this matter out and take it to court, I can make sure that no company would take you in. You won't be employed except in some shabby places that could barely pay your everyday expenses. Do you think you would be able to survive and pay me at the same time for ten years?" Suzie paled. To think that this man who had the same blood as her dig into her past and threaten to ruin her life more. How ridiculous this is. That's right. She had indeed dark past and dark jobs. As someone who had no family or good background, the high school graduate Suzie could only take some job on the streets. When her grandmother became ill, she even took some risky jobs from illegal companies. Although she made sure she won't be involved in drugs and human trafficking, there were a lot of things that those companies had done that were against the law. When she became more experienced, that's when she only manage to take some seven days jobs that have some good standing in the industry. But like
The marriage between the two families was huge news in the upper society. Since the purpose of this marriage was to join forces publicly, the Thomson and Albretch families threw off a big party for their alliance to showcase their wealth and connections. With their meticulous preparation and the enormous cost of this party, it could be called the wedding of the century. The funny thing was the bride and groom weren't present. Many powerful families and businessmen gathered. But as if they were in tacit understanding, no one mention about the bride and groom. As a part of upper society, these wealthy families had their own ways to get inside the news. It was an open secret that this wedding was not about the bride and the groom. The talk was all about the growth direction of the two families after being united through marriage. While the wedding banquet was lively and bustling, Suzie received her marriage certificate. She was now married like that. She looked at the marriage ce
The way to the Albrecht mansion was silent. Suzie glanced at Jonathan who was in the passenger seat. The man was probably in his late twenties. He looked dignified but polite. Perhaps, Suzie could gain information from him. "How long have you been working for the Albrecht family?" Jonathan slightly glanced at Suzie through the rearview mirror and answered, "I have been living in the Albrecht Mansion since birth. I grew up there and started working officially as soon as I could read and write. My whole life is dedicated to the Albrecht family as my previous generation did." Suzie: "...." 'What is this royalty?' A superior family was served by another family loyally as if the latter were bound by life contract. Suzie thought this kind of arrangement ended a long time ago. It's the modern era now. As someone who lived a commoner's life, Suzie doesn't understand how these wealthy families work. But this was great. This man named Jonathan must know everything in the Albrecht f