Chapter 296: Thoughts

Mason Grant was a self-centered man who prioritized profit above all else; it was absolutely impossible for him to put Shelly Lowell first. And Shelly was exactly the same. What she needed was the kind of person who was madly obsessed with her and could be twisted around her little finger. Mason was clearly not that person.

The only reason Mason had sought Shelly out again was undoubtedly because of her new identity. Both of them harbored ulterior motives; neither had good intentions.

With these thoughts in mind, Vivian Lowell replied to Eleanor Rhodes’s message.

“I remember Mason found a girlfriend before. Could it be that they’ve already broken up? Or are they still together, and Mason is two-timing?”

Vivian wasn’t usually one for gossip, but when it came to Shelly and Mason, she couldn’t help being curious! She felt there was still plenty about this situation she could exploit!

Eleanor must have been on her phone as well, because she replied to Vivian almost immediately.

“Hehe, Vivian, I actually just asked my friend about that,” Eleanor replied. “Apparently, Mason broke up with his girlfriend a few days ago!

“According to Mason’s ex, their relationship was actually going quite well. She had already met Mason’s parents, and the Grants were quite satisfied with her.

“She was also happy with Mason’s background and looks. If nothing unexpected had happened, their two families would have likely formed a marriage alliance. But then, Mason suddenly broke things off without any clear explanation!

“Of course, she wasn’t willing to let it go at first. But later on, Mason gave her family some compensation. Even though she still had some feelings for him, she chose to accept it.”

Vivian understood the situation as soon as she finished reading.

The Drake Family’s homecoming banquet for their newly recognized descendant took place over a month ago. Back then, Shelly was still extremely cold toward Mason. However, Mason obviously wasn’t going to give up just like that—Shelly’s current status was simply too tempting. Having been with her before, Mason surely believed he had what it took to easily win her back!

Mason chose Shelly, but he hadn’t broken up with his girlfriend when he wasn’t completely sure of his success. This was the classic case of keeping one eye on the pot while eating from the bowl. Perhaps recently, Shelly had relented a bit or promised him something. That would have given Mason a sudden boost of confidence, making him think they could get back together, which finally prompted him to end things with his girlfriend.

What a scumbag!

Before securing his ‘next option,’ he kept his girlfriend strung along. Once he secured his new flame, he seamlessly transitioned over!

Vivian had seen plenty of people online complaining about scumbags like him! Many girls devoted their youth and emotions, only to end up with such a bitter outcome. It was no wonder many of them gave up on love entirely!

Mason’s ex had suffered the exact same fate. However, she was relatively calm. Perhaps due to her different upbringing, she accepted the situation since her family ultimately walked away with some benefits. She could still choose to marry into a family of equal standing and wasn’t going to get into a messy, public dispute with Mason; that would have been far too unseemly.

While Vivian was pondering these matters, Eleanor sent another message.

“Vivian, what do you plan to do next?”

What did she plan to do?

Vivian smiled. Looking at the two people in the photos wearing baseball caps and masks, she knew they definitely didn’t want their identities exposed during their date. As it happened, exposing people’s identities was something Vivian was very familiar with. Since they were her sworn enemies, she might as well give them a helping hand!

“Assist them, of course,” Vivian replied. “Eleanor, if I post these photos online, your friend won’t mind, right?”

“No, not at all.” Eleanor replied immediately. “She took the photos as soon as she saw them and was just complaining to me about those two. Do whatever you want with them!

“She’s not afraid! Hah, even if it’s the Drake Family, I think it won’t be that easy for them to get back at her!”

Seeing Eleanor’s reply, Vivian breathed a small sigh of relief. That was good. Aethelburg was a massive city, and many wealthy, influential families kept low profiles. The Drake Family might not know who they were dealing with. If Shelly really was stupid enough to go looking for trouble, that was none of Vivian’s business.

With that in mind, Vivian casually forwarded the photos to Vance Wyatt.

“Vance, I need a favor,” she texted. “The people in these photos are Shelly and Mason. Bet you didn’t expect to see them mixed up with each other again! Help me find a reliable media contact and leak this online!

“As for how to write an eye-catching caption, I don’t think that’s my area of expertise!

“Oh, right, I almost forgot. To get back together with Shelly, Mason just broke up with the girlfriend he’d been dating for months and was almost ready to marry!

“Hmm… although I don’t know the exact situation on the ex-girlfriend’s end, you should still use your discretion!”

The ex-girlfriend might just be an innocent victim. Vivian thought it would be best to try not to drag her into this. It was just that Mason was such a scumbag, and being associated with him… At a time like this, staying out of it probably wouldn’t be easy.

Vance replied very quickly. He deliberately sent an “eating popcorn” meme before adding, “Mrs. Faulkner, you can count on me!”

Vivian was quite reassured. The corners of her lips curled up into a smile, and she went to have lunch.

Over an hour later, Vivian finished lunch and spent some time playing with the golden retriever and Grandma Faulkner in the yard. Then, she headed upstairs to rest and take a nap.

Lying in bed, Vivian decided to play on her phone for a bit before going to sleep. The first thing she did after taking out her phone was surf the internet.

Good heavens! As soon as she opened the browser, Vivian saw overwhelming coverage about Shelly!

Shelly had now changed her name to Shelly Drake. Come to think of it, changing her surname three times in one year was truly a mind-boggling feat!

Shelly and Mason used to be engaged, but due to the Lowell Family’s decline, the engagement fell through. Not long after Shelly went abroad, Mason found a new girlfriend, introduced her to his parents, and was even discussing marriage.

After all, Mason was approaching thirty. Wealthy heirs like him were different from ordinary people. They didn’t need to worry about the costs of marriage and raising children. Basically, once they reached the right age, they would just find someone of equal social standing to marry, have children, and pass on the family business. Mason’s life path was naturally the same.

On the night of the Drake Family’s homecoming banquet, many insiders couldn’t help but cast their gazes toward the two people who had almost gotten married. Who could have predicted the twists of fate? The down-and-out Princess Shelly Lowell had transformed into Shelly Drake!

Was there any possibility that her past engagement with Mason could be fulfilled? If that really happened, Mason could practically be considered as “marrying into wealth,” right?

This was massive gossip. It was so big that even the affluent families in Aethelburg were highly curious. Now that photos of the two strolling intimately with their fingers intertwined had been posted online, it inevitably sparked a lot of speculation.

“Oh my god, Mason and Shelly are real! Even after crossing mountains and rivers and facing so many difficulties, they still ended up together. Boohoo, is my ship finally getting a happy ending?!”

“To the person above, aren’t you a bit too naive? Where is there true love among these wealthy families? It might just be for show!”

“I also think it’s a PR stunt! Hmm… these people generally don’t care much about feelings. But it is strange. No matter how rich the Grant Family is, they are still far inferior to the Drake Family, right? Could Shelly Drake really be that hopelessly romantic?”

“Hopelessly romantic? Hey, to the person above, the internet has a memory. Have you forgotten about Shelly’s past? The leaked photos and the elevator incident… She’s a wicked woman, not some helpless romantic. I advise you not to be too naive!”

“…”

There was a lot of discussion. Some believed Mason and Shelly were true love, others thought it was just a marriage alliance between families, and still others felt they were just playing around. Regardless, the story of their on-and-off relationship was enough for netizens to write a whole novel in their heads, and they were more than happy to let their imaginations run wild.

That was enough.

Where there was discussion, there was traction. Bringing their affair out into the open would also make it clearer what exactly they were trying to do.

Vivian felt deeply satisfied. She let out a yawn and lowered the curtains with the remote control. The room immediately grew much dimmer. She then closed her eyes and settled in for a peaceful nap.

When she woke from her nap, it was past two in the afternoon.

Rubbing her eyes, Vivian noticed that Yuumi was sleeping on the bed with her. The cat was resting right by her feet, its round head twitching as it sensed Vivian waking up.

“MEOW.” Yuumi let out a soft cry and rubbed its head affectionately against Vivian’s foot.

Sitting up, Vivian affectionately stroked Yuumi’s head and cooed, “Did you sneak over to keep me company while I was sleeping? Little baby~ Shall I play with you for a bit?”

“MEOW~”

Whether Yuumi understood her or not, the cat responded cheerfully.

Getting out of bed, Vivian walked over to the cat tree, grabbed a cat teaser wand, and began playing with Yuumi. Yuumi had a very lively personality. When there was someone to play with, the cat loved to run and jump around crazily. But when alone, it was perfectly quiet. Yuumi was truly a very low-maintenance little kitty.

After playing for a while, Vivian felt a bit tired and set the wand aside.

Just then, her phone rang. Checking the screen, she saw it was a call from Eleanor.

“Hello? Eleanor?” Vivian answered.

From the other end of the line came Eleanor’s slightly hurried voice. “Vivian, I just heard that Shelly Lowell… oh wait, she’s Shelly Drake now.

“She’s already found a suitable match, and she’s in the hospital right now undergoing surgery! The Drake Family even arranged for a specialist to fly back from abroad to perform the operation!

“Didn’t you say… Mr. Drake knew what he was doing? Why is he still helping her get the surgery?”