Chapter 4 It's Really You

• "What are you doing here?"
• I looked at Jenny, my ex-sister-in-law, one of Tommy's twin sisters, with a raised eyebrow.
• I think I would laugh at myself if I saw my face in the mirror now, it must look like an annoying antagonist in a cheap drama.
• "Who are you? Asking me with such an impolite attitude?" I asked Jenny back in a sharp tone.
• W-what?" Jenny looked shocked by my response. "What did you say?"
• "Tsk tsk tsk, after six years of not seeing you, I'm so concerned that you've become deaf? Your food for the past six years must not have been nutritious enough, so your health has declined drastically," I said in a mocking tone.
• I looked at her sarcastically. "Uh, you've become so dirty too. That dress of yours, yuck!"
• Her eyes blinked rapidly and I could tell she was confused. She looked at me from head to toe, then back to my face.
• I hadn't seen her for a long time, but I also knew her character and behavior very well. She, Jessy--her twin sister, and Millie--their mother, my ex-mother-in-law, were three very expressive and easy-to-read women.
• Now, as she looked at me, her eyes were full of envy and jealousy. She must be assessing my appearance and was surprised to see me.
• Of course, she would recognize this dress I was wearing as something expensive, because she and Jessy were fashion and fashion enthusiasts. I'm sure he was wondering how I could wear this dress, which cost tens of times more than the dress he was wearing.
• During my time as his brother's wife, my best and most expensive evening dress was a gift from Tommy for my third wedding anniversary, bought from a department store and even then they criticized me for being wasteful.
• My clothes at that time were never separate from a plain t-shirt and cotton trousers, simple and without a model, because I needed to be easy to move around to take care of the house and serve Tommy like a dutiful and loyal wife.
• "You're so arrogant," Jenny snapped. "Don't tell me you came here as an escort for one of those big businessmen, because they don't have a companion. Or maybe you're just a secretary who's job is to bring files for your boss?"
• I pointed at her stained dress. "I think, instead of thinking badly of me, you should look in the mirror. Your appearance looks even worse than a secretary of the smallest company. You look like... a dirty office girl?"
• "Don't you dare to--"
• "Oh come on, Jenny, even an office girl can look prettier and neater than you," I said, cutting her off. "Who are you? Are you looking for a sugar daddy to finance your extravagant life?"
• Jenny's face turned bright red and she raised her hand. It was her habit back then, hitting or slapping when she was angry.
• I glared at her. "You want to slap me? Go ahead. I can report you now and make sure you rot in jail if my skin changes color even a little because of your hands."
• "You!"
• "Yes, it's me, Laurie, but watch out for me now, because I won't hesitate to do whatever you did to me two or even three times more painful if you dare to touch me for any reason!"
• "B*tch! You must have gone crazy since my brother divorced you!"
• I laughed arrogantly. "Watch your words, Jenny. If you can't watch your words and behavior, you could end up embarrassing yourself. And I think, your brother divorcing me is a very good thing for me. I shouldn't have to endure so long for a selfish and despicable man like him."
• It seemed like Jenny realized the situation. For a moment, she must have forgotten that now she and I were no longer in a relationship, so whatever violence she did I could report to the police.
• "Go away, Laurie, don't hang around here looking for a rich man who will support you," Jenny said with a very clear mocking tone in her voice. "You really are a b*tch."
• I shrugged. "Want to bet who is the b*tch here?"
• "Go and stay away from my brother!" Jenny snapped again. She sneered at me. "Don't you dare tease him and whine to go back to him."
• "Oh, so your brother is also attending this event? I thought his company had gone bankrupt. Or... He's trying to find investors to add to his capital?" I made sure he heard the sarcasm in my voice. "He must have worked his butt off to support parasites like you, right?!
• I chuckled as I walked out and heard Jenny grumbling in the bathroom.
• I wondered a little why Tommy came with Jenny and not Elle. After all, the woman was a party animal and an attention freak. How could she miss an event this big and give her place to Jenny just like that.
• I went back to the event and met Valerie near the auction room. She looked confused, probably looking for me.
• "I went to the bathroom, and do you know who I met there?" I asked in a half whisper.
• Valerie's eyes widened. "Who?"
• "Jenny."
• "Jenny... Tommy's twin sister?"
• "Yeah. As usual, she tried to intimidate me, thinking she could scare me with her threats."
• Valerie snorted in annoyance. "F*ck! Doesn't she know who you are? Does she think you're still the same old sister-in-law who can be bullied easily?"
• I shrugged and grabbed Valerie's hand. "Okay, let's just leave it alone. Let's go in and take our seats before it's full. The auction will start in half an hour, right?"
• Valerie and I entered the auction room and sat down in the seats that matched the numbers on our invitations.
• It didn't take long for the room to be filled and everyone was enthusiastically following the auction.
• I was very interested when I saw a beautiful set of silverware, and I thought the opening price wasn't too high, so I joined in the bidding.
• "Do you want it that badly?" Valerie asked with furrowed brows. "It's ordinary silverware."
• "I know, but it's nice and unique," I said.
• I heard someone bid higher than me and thought quickly. As Valerie had said, it was ordinary silverware and I thought I'd better stop bidding. So, the silverware went to the highest bidder after my bid.
• The other items on the auction didn't interest me, but since the rules in the auction room were that no one was allowed to leave the premises until the event was over, Valerie and I ended up playing on our phones.
• Valerie opened her email and started reading and replying to incoming emails to pass the time, while I texted a warehouse staff member to discuss work.
• Valerie and I both breathed a sigh of relief when the auction was over an hour later. I stood by a pillar and stretched my body, which was sore from sitting up straight for so long.
• "The event was a little boring," Valerie said. "But luckily, I was able to reply to a few important emails while I waited for it to finish."
• I laughed at her remark. I knew from the beginning that Valerie was a workaholic, but still sometimes I wanted to ask her to stop and take a break.
• "I have to go to the bathroom," Valerie said. "The dinner will start soon and I don't want to hold my pee while I'm eating."
• "You go to the bathroom and I'll find our seats," I said as I took out the envelope that the receptionist gave me when we entered earlier. It was the table number where we would be having dinner. "Table number 22."
• "I'll catch up," Valerie said as she hurried off to the bathroom.
• I entered the dining room, which turned out to be a very large hall filled with many round dining tables arranged elegantly.
• I immediately looked for table number 22 and sat down in the chair marked with my name card. Valerie's name card was three chairs away from me.
• As I was straightening my dress after sitting down, someone pulled out the chair next to me. I looked up to see and was stunned.
• Tommy stared at me with wide eyes and he sat down slowly in the chair next to me.
• "So, I didn't see it wrong. It really is you, Laurie," Tommy said softly, more like a mumble to himself.