Chapter 124: Chapter 124: The Taste of Being Ignored

Roman Lynch had clearly picked up on the undercurrents swirling around his friend. The moment he saw Nina Walsh chasing after Victor Morgan, he had immediately rushed over.

But by the time he got there, all he saw was Nina Walsh standing alone on the path, looking dejected.

Roman Lynch had prepared a whole lecture for Nina Walsh, but when he saw her standing there on the path, all alone with her back to him, he couldn’t bring himself to say any of it.

Even if Victor Morgan wasn’t married, and even if he knew she liked him, the two of them could never be together.

Putting aside whether Victor Morgan even liked her, just based on their family backgrounds, a family like the Morgans would find it very difficult to accept Nina Walsh.

It wasn’t the arrogance of one family, but the fact that adult society was inherently arrogant.

In youth, you could use brute force and violence as your survival code, a way to make a name for yourself. But in the adult world, it was all about the most vulgar and straightforward things: money and power.

Giving up money and power for freedom and love—that was the stuff of novels and poetry.

So, in the end, Roman Lynch couldn’t bring himself to go up and rebuke Nina Walsh. He just stood behind her and patted her on the shoulder.

“Let’s go back,” Roman Lynch said.

Nina Walsh turned around, the dejection and sorrow on her face impossible to hide.

“Brother, does he not like me at all?” Nina Walsh couldn’t help but ask.

It was a difficult question for Roman Lynch to answer. In the end, all he could offer was the dry reply, “He’s already married.”

To properly host Jessie Sterling, Xavier Warren had specifically instructed the chef in advance to prepare a number of Southaven’s specialty dishes.

He had originally assumed lunch today would be a pleasant affair for everyone. He hadn’t expected this. There was plenty of chatter and laughter, but—maybe he was just being too sensitive—it all sounded a bit forced.

Jessie Sterling was also laughing and joking with the people around her, but whenever Victor Morgan tried to join her conversation, it was as if she’d suddenly disconnected, offering no response whatsoever.

Everyone chose their own seats for the meal. The moment Jessie Sterling sat down, Lynn Jennings and Serena Lynch claimed the spots on her left and right.

Victor Morgan, who had failed to snag the seat next to his wife: “…”

The strange atmosphere was palpable to almost everyone at the table. It was especially noticeable when Victor Morgan realized Jessie Sterling was ignoring him every single time, and a cold, stern aura enveloped him.

Jessie Sterling, however, was eating with gusto.

Even if she was in a bad mood, she wasn’t going to let it ruin her meal.

Besides, the chef at Xavier Warren’s mountain villa really knew his stuff.

“Jessie…”

At first, when Nina Walsh saw Jessie Sterling ignoring Victor Morgan, she had felt a secret flicker of joy.

But soon, as Nina Walsh watched the same Victor Morgan who had always been cold to her get ignored by Jessie Sterling again and again, that little bit of secret delight morphed into sparks of anger, which eventually gathered and erupted into a raging fire.

So, when Jessie Sterling ignored something Victor Morgan said yet again, Nina Walsh finally spoke up.

“Victor was just talking to you…” Nina Walsh said in a small voice. She seemed a little scared when facing Jessie Sterling, but as she spoke, she appeared to muster all her courage, holding Jessie’s gaze until she finished.

As soon as Nina Walsh’s words fell, it was as if someone had hit the pause button on the entire table.

Xavier Warren: “…”

’Who am I? Where am I? Why do I have to be here? To apologize to Jessie Sterling… why couldn’t I have just invited her and Victor Morgan, just the two of them?’

’Why do I always make things so difficult for myself?!’

Xavier Warren was filled with regret.

In that instant, Serena Lynch and Lynn Jennings looked at Nina Walsh in near-perfect unison, their eyes filled with displeasure.

Victor Morgan frowned too, but he didn’t look at Nina Walsh. Instead, his gaze fell on Roman Lynch.

His expression was blunt, as if asking Roman Lynch why he’d bothered bringing someone along if he couldn’t even keep her in line.

Roman Lynch: “…”

The atmosphere seemed to freeze in that moment, as if time itself had stopped.

“Is this young lamb? It’s so tender.”

Breaking the silence was Jessie Sterling’s curious voice.

She looked at Serena Lynch as she asked, acting as if she hadn’t heard a word Nina Walsh had said.

When Serena Lynch realized what was happening, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“It is!” she nodded, then began to explain that it was young lamb shipped directly from the nearby grasslands. It wasn’t gamey at all and had a delicate, milky flavor. “…Putting other things aside, here in Aethelburg, we get to eat this kind of lamb much more easily than you folks from the south. Plus, it’s winter right now. If you like it, I’ll take you to a few old restaurants in Aethelburg that have been around for decades—the kind of places most people can’t find. We’ll go for sliced lamb hot pot, and you can eat your fill!”

Serena Lynch said cheerfully. After speaking, she leaned forward, her gaze skipping over Jessie Sterling to land on Lynn Jennings, who was on Jessie’s other side. “Lynn, you should stay in Aethelburg a few more days too. I’ll take you guys out to eat at all the best and most authentic spots in the city!”

Lynn Jennings smiled and nodded.

What could be more upsetting than being so openly ignored?

This was exactly the situation Nina Walsh now faced.

Especially since Serena Lynch, someone she’d never gotten along with and had always looked down on, was now ganging up with a bunch of outsiders to humiliate her.

Nina Walsh’s face burned with shame.

She couldn’t stop her eyes from filling with disappointment and sorrow as she looked toward Roman Lynch.

Roman Lynch sighed. In that one moment, he found himself on the receiving end of gazes from two different “sisters.”

Serena Lynch had always been assertive, and her gaze was filled with a clear warning.

It was as if to say that if he dared to stand up for Nina Walsh right now, he would have hell to pay later.

Roman Lynch: “…”

He gave Nina Walsh an apologetic look.

Realizing Roman Lynch wasn’t going to step in and speak for her, Nina Walsh couldn’t help but look at the others.

Xavier Warren had been regretting this whole thing since they were at the hot springs; there was no way he was going to stick his neck out for Nina Walsh now.

He didn’t know if it was because he hadn’t seen Nina Walsh in so long, but he felt like he no longer understood this girl he had practically watched grow up.

Out of respect for their past connection, Xavier Warren didn’t reject Nina Walsh outright. He simply took the diplomatic route: he pretended not to see her pleading gaze and avoided eye contact.

As for Victor Morgan, it was as if he hadn’t even noticed her current predicament; his gaze didn’t so much as brush past her.

“Jessie, I was talking to you,” Nina Walsh finally said, unable to hold back any longer. She took a deep breath and looked right at Jessie Sterling.

’She didn’t know what Jessie Sterling had to be so smug about.’

’She was just some lucky girl who’d been born into the right family.’

This feeling of being ignored left her embarrassed and furious, pushing her to the brink of losing her composure.

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