Chapter 286: Shelly Lowell’s Hatred

Chapter 286: Chapter 286: Shelly Lowell’s Hatred

Shelly Lowell agreed with Joy Drake. To Shelly, rather than continuing to live such a muddled life, she might as well take a gamble. Besides, Joy had made her a promise: as long as Shelly was willing to become a member of the Drake Family, Joy would find a way to secure a suitable match for her. With the power of the Drakes backing her, Shelly definitely wouldn’t die.

Shelly didn’t want to die! She was supposed to live a brilliant life as a wealthy young lady, but because of Vivian Lowell, she had been reduced to this state! She refused to accept this fate.

"Alright," she said.

Shelly and Joy reached an agreement.

In the time that followed, many things happened in rapid succession. Shelly was brought before Mr. Drake, with Joy acting as the intermediary. At first, Shelly was terrified that her identity would be exposed. However, when she and Mr. Drake took the DNA test, Joy had somehow pulled some strings in the background. When the final results were released, Joy had successfully proven that Shelly was indeed Mr. Drake’s biological granddaughter—at least, according to the official report.

This allowed Shelly to heave a massive sigh of relief. With her biggest worry resolved, all that remained was the upcoming banquet to officially welcome her back to the family. She knew for a fact that Vivian would undoubtedly attend such an event!

Back in the present.

Vivian and Julian Faulkner sat together, quietly observing the spectacle unfold. They listened to the whispers around them and looked at Shelly on the stage. Shelly was looking right back at Vivian. Perhaps the recent string of events had finally forced Shelly to mature; as she stared at Vivian, she painstakingly suppressed the blazing anger in her eyes.

Vivian pursed her lips. Although she still cared somewhat about this ordeal, it wasn’t her place to speak up. This was, after all, the Drake Family’s business. It wouldn’t be appropriate for her to overstep.

At this moment, Eleanor Rhodes hurried over to Vivian’s side. She looked at Shelly on the stage in utter shock and exclaimed, "Vivian... is there some mistake? Why is this happening? How did she become Mr. Drake’s granddaughter?"

Eleanor simply couldn’t believe it.

Vivian shook her head and sighed, comforting her, "Eleanor, since Mr. Drake has chosen to make this public, I believe he must be certain of it in his own heart.

"We are not members of the Drake Family, so it’s best we don’t interfere."

Vivian could sense a conspiracy brewing in the shadows. Rather than getting dragged in and facing unknown dangers, it was better to remain completely detached. She figured that Julian and Mr. Drake must have shared this sentiment; keeping her out of it was a choice made to protect her.

Eleanor still didn’t quite understand. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words faltered on her tongue. Seeing Vivian’s resolute expression, she chose to stay silent.

On the stage, Joy quickly helped Shelly put on her new jewelry. When Shelly presented herself to the crowd once more, everyone broke into applause, tucking away their private suspicions. No matter what, Shelly’s past was firmly in the past. Now, she was Miss Drake. The guests in the audience were destined to never view her the same way again.

After the speeches concluded, the banquet officially commenced. Vivian stared at the exquisite dishes on the table with little appetite, while Shelly was the absolute center of attention, surrounded by a throng of people eager to speak with her.

Vivian wanted no part in the commotion. Just as she was about to lower her head and eat, she spotted Mason Grant.

Yes, it was a beaming Mason, striding straight toward Shelly. He was even holding a bouquet of fresh flowers, though heaven knew where he had procured them.

"Tsk, what a scumbag," Eleanor muttered, having noticed him as well. "When the Lowell Family collapsed and Shelly was down on her luck, he immediately broke off their engagement. Now that she’s Miss Drake, he wants to climb the social ladder again?"

After scoffing at Mason with dripping sarcasm, Eleanor picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks and placed it on Vivian’s plate. She even thoughtfully removed the skin, knowing Vivian disliked it.

"Just ignore him." Vivian had a very poor impression of Mason. "Tonight, we are here as invited guests simply to bear witness to the glory of the Drake Family.

"Whatever happens has nothing to do with us. Once the banquet is over, we’ll just go home.

"As for Mason? The Drake Family isn’t the Lowell Family. I highly doubt he’ll be able to wring any benefits out of them."

He was essentially trying to negotiate with a tiger for its skin; he needed to be careful not to get devoured in the process.

Eleanor was noncommittal. She served Vivian some vegetables and said, "Vivian, this is your favorite stir-fried choy sum. No being a picky eater! Eat up, it’s good for the baby!

"Oh, by the way, I looked it up online the other day, and it says pregnant women need to take folic acid supplements. You’ve been taking them, right?"

Even someone as naturally happy-go-lucky as Eleanor was taking this incredibly seriously. Vivian’s heart warmed, knowing that Eleanor genuinely cared about her wellbeing.

However, Julian, who was sitting right beside Vivian and observing all of this, couldn’t help but cough softly. He then took the initiative to ladle a bowl of chicken soup, placing it gently by Vivian’s hand.

"It’s still a bit hot, so let it cool down before you drink it. Vivian, if you need anything else, you can tell me, too."

He thought to himself that she didn’t have to rely exclusively on Eleanor for everything. Still, he had to admit that having a loyal friend like Eleanor was a wonderful thing for Vivian.

"Mhm, I know," Vivian replied.

Basking in her own quiet happiness, Vivian remained oblivious to the fact that Mason had already reached Shelly’s side of the room.

Today’s events had unfolded very abruptly. When the Grant Family first received the invitation from the Drakes, they were naturally overjoyed. Mason had dressed to the nines and brought his current girlfriend to the banquet. The Grants were desperate to secure a collaboration with the Drake Family. After all, the Grant Family owned several businesses in the beauty sector. If they could just forge a connection with the Drakes... even if they remained on the periphery and only snagged a small piece of the pie, it would be enough to leave the Grant Family ecstatic.

Mason had attended the banquet with exactly this goal in mind, carrying the heavy expectations of the Grants on his shoulders. What he hadn’t anticipated was that the newly minted Miss Drake would turn out to be Shelly.

He wondered why this was happening.

Mason couldn’t believe his eyes. He clearly recalled his intense resistance when Sharon Galahad first told him that the true heiress of the Lowell Family was someone else entirely. Mason had actually thought quite highly of Vivian. She was beautiful, intelligent, and fiercely capable. Even if she wasn’t a Lowell by blood and her background was somewhat lacking, her future achievements were bound to be spectacular. Having a woman like that as his wife definitely wouldn’t embarrass him; her sheer talent was more than enough to bridge the gap in their social standing.

But the Lowell Family had been incredibly overbearing. They assured him that he would still receive Vivian’s professional support, even if he didn’t marry her. With that condition guaranteed, Mason agreed to his family’s demands and began courting Shelly.

To be entirely honest, Mason had been deeply disappointed in Shelly. She lacked worldly refinement and was essentially useless. Even after being thrust into sudden wealth, she couldn’t mask the glaring reality that she was nothing more than an ugly duckling. The two of them barely even had anything to talk about. The vast majority of their time was spent with Mason artificially catering to her, pretending to listen as she rambled about trivial, meaningless nonsense.

Fortunately, Shelly was naive and incredibly easy to string along, meaning Mason didn’t have to expend much energy maintaining the charade of their relationship. Therefore, when the Lowell Family’s empire crumbled, Mason naturally severed all ties with her. Shelly had sought him out frantically during that crisis, begging him to save the Lowells, but Mason coldly opted not to intervene. His assessment of the Lowell Family was stark: without Vivian, they were absolute garbage. He was perfectly content to watch them burn to the ground, reasoning that he might even be able to salvage his romantic relationship with Vivian in the aftermath.

That was what Mason had calculated at the time.

However, reality proved that Vivian was far more ruthless than he had ever imagined!

That was precisely why, when Rachel Faulkner later approached him, he immediately agreed to align with her. Mason simply wanted revenge! He knew full well that Rachel was using him, but it hardly mattered. Theirs was an alliance built entirely on mutual exploitation.

Now, Mason closed his eyes briefly. Staring at the bouquet in his hand, he brushed off his current girlfriend’s desperate attempts to stop him and marched straight up to Shelly. Mason remembered how deeply infatuated Shelly had been with him back when they were together. She had been practically subservient to his every whim. If that lingering affection was still there...

If he could marry Shelly now, wouldn’t that make him the son-in-law of the Drake Family?

The prospect was simply far too alluring to pass up.

Mason and Shelly were finally face-to-face once more. The instant Mason appeared, the chattering crowd surrounding Shelly fell into a heavy, knowing silence. Everyone present was well aware of the romantic history between the two.

"Mr. Grant," someone in the crowd called out first, breaking the ice to greet him.

Mason cast a glance at the man. It was one of his family’s business partners, and they shared a decent working relationship. It seemed the man was also here harboring hopes of landing a cosmetics deal with the Drakes.

"Hello," Mason replied with a polite nod and a practiced smile. He then shifted his gaze back to Shelly, his tone dripping with manufactured tenderness. "Shelly, I never thought I would get to see you again.

"I’m truly overjoyed to see you looking so well. I brought these flowers for you—would you accept them? I don’t mean to impose; I just wanted to... talk to you. Just catch up on old times, that’s all."

In the past, Shelly had obsessed over any gift Mason gave her. No matter what it was, she would accept it with high-profile glee and immediately flaunt it in front of Vivian. Fully aware of this dynamic, Mason fully expected her to play right into his hands again. But the harsh reality was a brutal slap in the face.

Shelly instantly dropped the radiant smile she had been flashing at the other guests. She turned to Mason with a look of utter bewilderment and asked flatly, "Who are you?"

Mason froze.

Clutching the bouquet, he was suddenly stranded in agonizing humiliation. With no way to gracefully retreat, he could only bite the bullet and press on. "I’m Mason. Shelly, we were friends in the past, remember?"

"I don’t know you." Shelly’s eyes were glacial as she delivered her indifferent reply. "I used to live in a foster family, and I’ve spent the last few months in Gallia. I’ve never met you in my life. I’m sorry, but please leave!"

With that, Shelly looked fully prepared to summon security.