Chapter 380

Vivian Bennett held her phone, her fingertips growing cold.

She remained silent for a moment.

A soft sound escaped her throat. "Hmm."

Linda White's cheerful laughter continued on the other end.

She seemed completely unfazed by Vivian's coldness.

"Are you busy with work lately? If not, come home for a meal during the New Year."

Only faint static filled the receiver.

Vivian pressed her lips together tightly.

The words "come home for a meal" felt like a sudden thorn piercing her heart.

She had long lost count of how many years it had been since she last stepped through the White family's door.

It wasn't that she didn't want to return.

It was that there was no longer a place for her in that house.

Especially with her stepmother, Linda White.

Now, Linda was suddenly lowering her stance to invite her back.

It felt utterly unusual no matter how she looked at it.

Linda sighed softly, her tone becoming even more gentle.

"Come back. Your father has agreed. He said he wants to see you... Since you don't want to marry, we won't force you. Just come back and spend the New Year peacefully, alright?"

A flicker of emotion passed through Vivian's eyes.

After a long pause, she replied calmly, "Alright."

She wanted to see what kind of act they were planning to put on this time.

Liam Sullivan was busy accompanying his elders at the end of the year anyway.

He wouldn't be able to break away.

She simply bought a plane ticket and flew back to Seattle alone.

On the way to the White residence by taxi, she made a detour to a tea shop.

William White loved tea.

Now was the perfect time for the freshest spring tea.

She carefully selected a pound of top-grade Biluochun.

She also bought some fresh fruit.

She had to fulfill all the proper etiquette.

Even if she dreaded seeing Linda White and Brandon White's faces.

The car had just come to a stop when a servant waiting outside hurriedly took her things.

"Miss Bennett, the master and madam are waiting for you in the hall..."

The word "madam" felt particularly jarring.

Vivian's eyes turned cold instantly.

In her heart, only her birth mother, Sophia White (née Shen), deserved the title of Mrs. White.

Linda White? She was just a homewrecker who seized an opportunity.

Vivian shot the servant a cold glance.

The servant immediately fell silent and lowered her head.

She walked through the courtyard.

The familiar carved wooden door was right in front of her.

Vivian paused, suddenly lacking the courage to push it open.

She had dreamed of this moment countless times.

She dreamed of standing here again, laughing and throwing herself into her father's arms to act spoiled.

But now that she was truly standing before the door, her fingertips trembled uncontrollably.

"Miss Bennett?" The servant noticed her hesitation and stepped forward to open the door.

The night outside was cool.

The interior was brightly lit.

But with just one glance, Vivian's heart sank straight down.

The vintage Persian rug her mother had loved was gone.

It was replaced by a cold, hard European geometric pattern.

All the furniture had been replaced too.

The rich colors her mother had preferred were now covered in a pale, milky white.

Even the smell in the air had changed.

This house was no longer the home from her memories.

"Please go in. The master must be getting impatient." The servant urged in a low voice.

Vivian took a deep breath.

She finally stepped inside.