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Renee kept staring in that direction, feeling an uncomfortable knot in her heart. Her white pearl handbag was a gift
from Lina, but what about Lena's?
Who was she to use something just like hers?
Renee bit her lip, swiftly slipping her handbag under a certain table and covering it with the tablecloth.
"Renee?" Toph handed her a glass of champagne, noticing her distracted look. "What's wrong?"
Renee gently shook her head, not looking too good.
"Let me take you to see my mom." Toph grinned. "My mom's been wanting to see you! Perfect timing that you're
wearing the ring today. Let's show it to her!"
Renee was startled and pulled her hand away the instant Toph held her hand.
Le Fari was slightly too big on her finger, almost slipping off onto the floor.
"Renee, w-what's wrong?" Toph watched her expression cautiously.
"Nothing." Renee took a deep breath. "I saw Lena."
"Oh." Toph tried hard to keep her happy and hugged her. "It's fine. If you'd rather not deal with her, we won't. But
she's here with Chris, so I should at least be civil to Chris for our brotherhood's sake. Also, it's my mom's birthday
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇttoday, and I wouldn't want..."
Renee turned toward him with a warm smile. "Where are your thoughts wandering, Toph? I never intended to
create any trouble."
Toph was puzzled and gazed at her.
"Toph, I'm not a petty person." Renee spoke softly. "If she does end up with Chris eventually, we'll all be connected
as a family. We're bound to cross paths. There's no need for me to escalate things with her."
"Renee! You've really come to terms with it?" Toph exclaimed.
Renee looked at him. There always seemed to be a hint of complexity in her eyes that he could not decipher.
"I haven't." Her voice was very soft. "But for your sake, I'm willing to give it a try."
Toph did not say anything for a while. He held her tightly in his arms, her faint fragrance lingering around his nose.
At that moment, he felt like the once innocent, introverted, and slightly naive Renee had returned. -
When Toph took Renee to greet Chris and Lena, everyone present was surprised. Once the two explained their
intentions, everyone let out a silent sigh of relief.
Although Zuko and Lina found it hard to believe, they remembered that Renee was once an upright and kind girl.
Her current change was probably just a return to her true nature.
After chatting for a while, Zuko and Lina had to go attend to other guests while Renee said she wanted to go to the
restroom.
It was not convenient for Toph and Chris to accompany her, so she turned her gaze to Lena. "Could you do me a
favor and go with me?"
Lena was taken aback. She had not seen Renee this gentle for a long time.
She thought about refusing, thinking, 'You're an adult now. Can't you go to the restroom by yourself?'
When the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back. After all, Renee was Lina's cousin.
Lena hesitated for a moment before giving a gentle nod. When their eyes met, she noticed a hint of something
sinister in Renee's gaze.
After leaving the restroom, Lena rejoined Chris. Meanwhile, Toph took Renee elsewhere to enjoy themselves.
Noticing Lena's troubled expression, Chris inquired, "Is there something on your mind?"
Lena forced a smile. "Maybe there are just too many people here. I do have a bit of a headache."
"In that case, let's go greet Uncle Zephyr and Aunt Cordelia. We can leave a bit earlier!" Chris patted her head. "You
probably haven't eaten enough. I'll take you to have some pizza!"
Lena nodded with a smile.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmJust then, a commotion erupted in the crowd.
"My ring is missing!" Renee exclaimed anxiously, "Toph, what should I do? My ring is gone..."
Toph was also worried. "Weren't you wearing it just now?"
"Yes! I went to the restroom, and now it's gone! I remember I put it in my bag..."
"Then where's your bag?"
Renee had nothing in her hands.
Lena's heart raced, and she instinctively reached into her bag. To her surprise, her fingers brushed against
something hard, resembling a ring.
Suddenly, it hit her!
In the restroom earlier, Renee had scrutinized her bag for an extended period and asked in an odd tone, "Is this bag
a gift from Lina, too?"
Back then, Lena hadn't responded or thought much about the word "too".
Now, it dawned on her that Renee probably hadn't witnessed Arya gifting her the bag, leading her to assume it was
from Lina.
This explained why Renee had hatched this scheme to falsely accuse her of theft, claiming she had stolen the
Hamerton family heirloom!
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