Chapter 2017 Awkwardness

That indeed qualified as a drastic change in temperament and for no apparent reason at all.

If a person’s temperament changed drastically, it was either because they had encountered some misfortune or they had been overwhelmed by sorrow.

Yet, Julia hadn’t been up to much.

The day before Bella disappeared, Elisa had called to check in, and everything seemed fine. How did everything change so quickly and drastically?

Elisa was utterly perplexed, and Bella was even more so.

Maria couldn’t help but mutter to herself, “It seems like someone has bewitched Madam Smith. This is such a tragedy...” With that, she headed to the kitchen.

Bewitched? Images flashed through Elisa’s mind as if struck by lightning, but it was merely a fleeting moment, one that couldn’t be captured.

Bella muttered to herself, “Is Kaylee really that great? Even Grandma has changed her attitude toward her. It’s really strange...”

The two didn’t wait long, and with heads full of questions, they stepped out.

Gareth had been waiting for a long time. Judging by the expressions on their faces, he knew something had happened.

Gareth and Elisa exchanged a distant glance, with Elisa shaking her head at him.

Gareth understood then and didn’t ask any more questions. Well, Grandma is definitely not coming along, so Kaylee is certainly required to accompany us. Why did Grandma ask us to pick up Kaylee? Since things have come to this, there’s nothing to do but proceed.

The atmosphere in the car was somewhat awkward. Kaylee probably knew that she was the reason for the discomfort, so she didn’t say much. At times, speaking up doesn’t annoy others but rather shows a great deal of self-awareness.

“This is a folk remedy from my family, a piece of ginger. Keep it in your mouth, and it’ll ward off car sickness. You guys can give it a try,” Kaylee said.

After Kaylee finished speaking, she looked around. No one seemed interested in what she had to say.

Most of the time, it was Kaylee who was being attentive, while the others just ignored her.

As time passed, Kaylee stopped wasting her breath and eventually stopped speaking.

And so, they journeyed to Mount Lusetonas in silence.

Although that place was in the countryside, they could book a luxurious five-star hotel.

The main reason was that the place was initially very poor, but it had developed due to the growth of the tourism industry.

In other words, the tourism industry naturally did its job.

When the two groups met, they all basically wore long faces.

Feeling that Elisa betrayed her, Rachel didn’t want to be with Vincent.

Nobody in the other car wanted to talk to Kaylee.

And as for Elisa, ever since she got in the car, she had been absent-minded and lost in her thoughts. It was hard to tell what she was thinking about.

Originally, Rachel had made up her mind, thinking that when she saw Elisa, she was definitely going to give her a good talking-

to, then treat her to a fine meal, and finally, make Elisa pay a hefty bill.

To Rachel’s surprise, Kaylee was there.

Rachel pulled Elisa aside, ensuring the others couldn’t hear their conversation. Then, she lowered her voice and asked Elisa, “What’s going on? Have you lost your mind? Why did you bring Kaylee? I thought you said we were here to relax. Weren’t you supposed to pick up Madam Smith? Why didn’t Madam Smith come, and instead, you brought a jinx? How are we supposed to relax now?”

Elisa was left both amused and exasperated by her barrage of questions. “You have so many questions. Which one should I answer first?”

Seeing that Elisa still had the energy to talk back, Rachel gave her a glance. “Of course, all questions must be answered, one by one, slowly and carefully.”

Only then did Elisa recount the entire incident truthfully, omitting Julia’s reaction, merely glossing over it in a single sentence.