Chapter 51: A Long Road to Chasing His Wife

Evangeline Frost had just walked over when she heard Seren Thorne’s inner voice and couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

The more she interacted with Seren, the more she found this girl adorable. No wonder someone as unapproachable as Alaric Vane would fall for her. She was worth it.

"Mrs. Vane," Evangeline walked up to greet her.

Seeing Evangeline, Seren immediately thought of Lydia North. Originally, the person who was supposed to help Lydia was Evangeline; Seren felt she had essentially stolen her credit.

She wondered if her transmigration into this world had created a butterfly effect, causing the marriage line between the leads to break. At this thought, Seren felt a twinge of guilt.

"Miss Frost, if—I mean, if... if I caused you to lose a deeply memorable love, would you blame me?"

Evangeline could hear her thoughts, so she naturally knew what Seren was worried about. However, she didn't feel Seren had done anything wrong.

If Seren hadn't appeared, she might have lost her beloved grandmother just like in the original plot, and suffered through hell for the sake of a man, enduring misery just to be with him. To her current self, that seemed incredibly unworthy.

She didn't know what her counterpart in the original story thought, but for the current her, she felt lucky enough. Her grandmother was alive, she had reclaimed her identity as the Moore heiress, and she had inherited tens of billions in assets. Any one of these things was enough to make her feel fortunate.

And all this luck came from Seren’s help.

She took Seren’s hand and said with a smile, "No, because my life now is happy enough. Love isn't a necessity; it's just a cherry on top. If I want it, I can find it anytime."

In the past, Evangeline’s personality wouldn't have allowed her to say such confident words—her life had been too barren back then—but now, the Moores gave her the confidence she needed. As long as she wanted it, she could find a healthy relationship anytime.

She didn't have to be bullied by female rivals, nor did she have to watch her grandmother die while being powerless to help. She could have a sweet, healthy love that didn't involve "gouging out hearts or kidneys."

Seren looked at the sincere and infectious smile on Evangeline’s face. Deeply moved and acting on impulse, she pulled the other woman into a hug.

"Miss Frost, you’re such a wonderful person."

{The female lead’s personality is so good, sob sob sob. She’s beautiful and kind-hearted; no wonder so many characters in the book love her! If I were a man, I’d chase her too!}

Evangeline was embarrassed by the praise, her face flushing slightly. Then, she heard Seren’s thoughts take a turn: {By the way, the female lead smells so good.}

Sniff sniff.

{Her waist is so thin, and her chest is soft, hehehe... want to bury my face there, let's stick together.}

Evangeline’s face instantly exploded in a deep red. Just as she was about to gently push her away, a long, powerful arm reached out from the side, grabbing Seren’s arm and hoisting her back.

Upset that her time with the beauty was interrupted, Seren turned and glared at Alaric Vane. "What are you pulling me for?"

This woman is practically wearing a "green hat" (cheating) right in front of my face and she’s asking what I’m doing?

Alaric’s face was as black as coal. He said, "Women and women should maintain proper distance. Stop taking advantage of people."

Seren curled her lip. "What 'improper distance'? I think you're clearly just jealous."

Alaric sneered. "Jealous? You don't actually think I like you, do you?"

"No," Seren wasn't that delusional. "I meant you're jealous of Evangeline Frost."

Hearing her drag the topic back to Evangeline again, Alaric couldn't be bothered to explain anymore. As long as he was still breathing, Seren would think he liked Evangeline, so he simply stopped defending himself.

"Stop talking nonsense and get inside."

Watching him walk away, Seren clicked her tongue twice.

{Now he doesn't even bother with stubborn denials. He definitely likes Evangeline.}

Alaric: "..."

Deep breath. I can't hear it, I can't hear it.

Evangeline tried her best to stifle a laugh. It seemed CEO Vane had a very long road ahead of him in chasing his wife.

After seeing the two off, Evangeline tucked away the smile in her eyes and, like Mrs. Moore, put on a heartbroken expression to greet the arriving guests.

Funerals weren't like typical banquets; the social aspect was relatively minimal. Most attendees wore black and white, gathered in small groups, and spoke in hushed tones.

Seren followed Alaric into the hall. Soon, people swarmed over to greet them, flatteringly handing out business cards. Seren had attended several events with Alaric and was used to this servile flattery. She stood to the side, bored, watching Alaric exchange pleasantries while occasionally "eating the melon" of the people coming to say hello.

{Sigh, this old man is truly robust for his age. Sixty or seventy years old and still going out to solicit prostitutes? He even likes being tied up; that’s playing way too wild. Good thing his wife is gone, otherwise he’d definitely bring some disease back to her. Report, report! Tomorrow I'm sending this old man to the station.}

{Holy crap, this middle-aged guy likes secret filming. He even filmed the female relatives in his own house. How shameless. Report, report!}

Seren looked around and realized that among those coming to talk to Alaric, few were decent people. she couldn't help but sigh.

{As expected, men turn bad when they have money. Not a single one of these men is any good.}

Alaric: Why don't you look at me? Am I not a great man—rich, handsome, and never even been in a relationship—right here in front of you?

He felt he needed to have a serious talk with Seren another day to correct her extreme views. Most men he knew were quite devoted; it was just that the people specifically seeking him out to social climb often had crooked intentions, so the probability of them being criminals was higher.

Seren followed Alaric, boredly listening to the gossip, when her peripheral vision caught two familiar figures entering the door. She had no intention of dealing with the Ruan family and looked away indifferently.

However, the Ruans noticed her and walked straight toward her.

The newcomers were the eldest Ruan brother, Silas Ruan, and the original host's "cheap" biological father, Arthur Ruan. Before they even reached her, Arthur spoke up with displeasure:

"Seren Thorne, you see me and your brother and don't even know to say hello? Is this how your upbringing is? As expected, one found halfway is never as good as one raised by one's side. Sweetie is much more polite than you!"

Since they had danced their way right in front of her, Seren couldn't just ignore them. She gave them a ghostly look. "Since you know I have no upbringing or manners, why bother coming over? Are you looking to be slapped or just cursed at?"

The Ruans had only brought the original host back to have her stand in for Sweetie Ruan in the marriage alliance. After she returned, they never gave her a kind look, often comparing her to Sweetie and subjecting her to PUA.

The fact that the original host constantly tried to seduce and flatter Alaric after arriving at the Vane house was largely because the Ruans demanded she please the Vanes to gain benefits for the Ruan family.

The Ruans had used her from beginning to end, even cruelly marrying her off to the "disabled" Alaric Vane back then. Since no one in that family truly cared for her, Seren naturally wouldn't give them any face.