Howard Family Mansion, Living Room.
"Grandma, it's getting late. I need to take dinner to my parents at the hospital," Ofelia said, trying to find an excuse to leave after being forcibly brought to the Howard Family mansion.
Mrs. Howard, with a kind and gentle smile, replied, "I've already had your parents moved to our private Howard Family hospital. They are being well taken care of, so you don't need to worry."
Upon hearing this, Ofelia's eyebrows furrowed, and she abruptly stood up, questioning, "Grandma, did you move my parents without my permission to use them as leverage against me?"
"Oh, dear girl, what are you thinking?" Mrs. Howard chuckled instead of getting angry. "You could say this was fate, bringing you and my grandson together. You know that rascal of a grandson of mine isn't getting any younger, and he's never had a woman by his side. So, I had to take matters into my own hands and drug him. The plan was to set him up with the young lady from the Hayes family, but by some twist of fate, it ended up being you. Luckily, you're a good girl, too.
Listening to Mrs. Howard, Ofelia Velcross finally understood why Daniel Howard had been drugged.
It all made sense now. She and that bastard must have been tied together by some awful, cursed fate from a past life!
"I..."
Just as Ofelia was about to say something, an elderly butler with silver hair entered the room.
"Madam, the Young Master has arrived."
"Tell that rascal to get in here," Mrs. Howard commanded.
"Yes, Madam," the butler replied before turning and leaving the room.
Soon after, Daniel, dressed in a sleek silver-gray suit, walked in.
His gaze first landed on Ofelia before shifting to Mrs. Howard. "Grandma," he greeted.
"Finally decided to come back, did you?" Mrs. Howard remarked sarcastically, then pointed towards Ofelia. "Just in time, let me introduce you to someone..."
Before she could finish, Daniel Howard interrupted, "Grandma, no rush. Let me introduce you to my girlfriend first."
"Girlfriend?" Mrs. Howard was taken aback, clearly surprised.
Ofelia was even more shocked, feeling a deep sense of injustice. If only Mrs. Howard knew more about her own grandson, she wouldn't have lost her dignity!
"Come in," Daniel Howard called out to the person outside the door.
All eyes turned towards the entrance, and soon, a woman in a sky-blue, cinched-waist pleated dress walked in, her high heels clicking against the floor as she kept her head down.
Her figure seemed so familiar.
"This is my girlfriend, Odelia Griffins," Daniel introduced to Mrs. Howard.
Hearing the name 'Odelia Griffins,' Ofelia's mind went blank, and she stood there in a daze.
As Ofelia stared at Odelia, she lifted her head to meet Ofelia gaze.
The two sisters locked eyes, unable to hide the surprise in their pupils, both harboring the same confusion in their hearts.
Why is she here?
How did she end up here?
"Isn't this Odelia, the talented and beautiful daughter of the Griffins Family in Fortune's City? What trick did you use to convince her to pretend to be your girlfriend this time?" Mrs. Howard hit the nail on the head with her sharp observation.
"Hello, Grandma Howard," Odelia greeted politely.
"A week ago, I was in a car accident, and Odelia saved me. When she pulled me out of the car, I gave her the Howard Family's heirloom ring. Grandma, you know what that ring signifies," Daniel explained, raising his left hand to show the ring on his finger.
Ofelia glanced at the black diamond ring and suddenly remembered. No wonder she had found a ring in her pocket after saving him that day. It turned out Daniel had slipped it into her pocket when he was rescued.
But the next day, after Odelia showed up, the ring had vanished. Ofelia had wondered where it had gone. Now it seemed clear that Odelia had known the ring's true owner was Daniel and had taken it!
Ofelia stood up, "That ring is—"
"Ofelia, what are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you," Odelia interrupted quickly, masking her shock. She swiftly grabbed Daniel's wrist and cut Ofelia off, saying, "Ofelia, he's the one I told you about, the one I 'risked my life' to save."
"Daniel, this is Ofelia," Odelia introduced with a seemingly innocent smile. "I met her while I was working as a delivery driver to experience life."
Her shameless lies made Ofelia feel utterly disgusted. For a moment, Ofelia wanted to tear off Odelia's hypocritical mask, but she held back after some thought.
The only proof that she had saved Gabriel was the ring, her name left at the hospital, and the surveillance footage. But since Odelia had managed to steal the ring and deceive Daniel, she must have already checked the surveillance footage and covered all her tracks. The Griffins family likely destroyed the footage as well. If Ofelia accused Odelia now, she would have no evidence to back her claim, and it would only cause more trouble for herself. It was better to wait and see how things unfolded.
"Is that so?" Daniel's sharp eyes scrutinized Ofelia, his gaze growing deeper and more intense.
"Ofelia, what a coincidence! I didn't expect to see you here. Do you know Daniel too?" Odelia asked, her voice dripping with false sweetness.
Odelia remembered Daniel mentioning that his grandmother had arranged a marriage for him. Could Ofelia be the one? But how could she know anyone from the Howard family?
Odelia heart was filled with unease.
Ofelia couldn't be bothered to deal with Odelia drama.
Instead, she turned to Mrs. Howard and said, "Grandma, Mr. Howard already has a girlfriend. There's no reason for me to stay, so I'll be heading back."
She was testing Mrs. Howard's attitude to plan her next move. Facing the powerful and ruthless Daniel and the constant threats from the Griffins family who would use her foster parents against her, Ofelia had to be extremely cautious.
As she turned to leave, Mrs. Howard stood up and grabbed Ofelia's hand. "Don't be hasty, dear. Sit down for a moment."
She pulled Ofelia into a chair and then sternly addressed Daniel, "You rascal, come with me!"
"Yes, Grandma," Daniel replied, following Mrs. Howard into the inner room but not before casting a meaningful glance at Ofelia.
With a creak, the inner room door closed.
Unable to contain her anger any longer, Odelia rushed forward and hissed, "Ofelia, you little bit—"
Smack, smack—
Before Odelia could finish the word, Ofelia's hand shot out, striking Odelia twice across the face.
"Besides crowning yourself 'Queen of the Slut-Shamers' every day what else can you do? Oh, right, you can also steal credit and play the innocent little saint. Isn't that right, sister?"