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Chapter 55 Yvonne’s Defeat
The month slipped by quickly.
On the 30th, the weather was beautiful. At noon, the sunlight felt warm on the skin-bright and comforting without being too hot.
Bill asked the guard at Brookhaven Quarters to drive him over to the Schmidt Residence so they could all go together to check out the gold jewelry.
When they arrived, it was the early morning, but Yvonne was already gone.
“Yvonne said a lot of people would be cashing out their Treasury Bonds at the end of the month, so she went early to wait in line,” Zaid explained.
Rubbing his hands together, he turned to Bill with a smile. “Dad, have you had breakfast yet? Yvonne made tuna sandwiches this morning. You should try one.”
The table was set with a full spread, showing how much effort Yvonne had put in.
In the past, Bill might have been touched by her thoughtfulness.
But ever since he’d learned that his precious granddaughter had been mistreated-and that Yvonne had secretly sold off Treasury Bonds for herself-he saw things differently.
What line? It was obvious Yvonne wanted to hide the fact that the bonds had already been sold.
“I ate before I came,” Bill said flatly. Not in the mood, he waved his hand and said, “Let’s go.”
Zaid frowned. “Right now?” he asked, glancing longingly at the table full of breakfast. “But w- we haven’t even eaten yet.”
All that food looked way too good to leave behind.
At that moment, Evelyn stepped in. “It’s fine, Dad. We can take it with us and eat on the road. We’ll be riding in Grandpa’s car-you can snack along the way. Besides, leaving Mom all by herself to stand in line doesn’t feel right. Grandpa wouldn’t want that.”
Bill nodded firmly and played along. “Exactly. You’re a man. How can you let a woman fight her way through a crowd while you sit here at home? That’s shameful.”
Zaid had no choice but to pack a few sandwiches and head out.
The truth was, he didn’t want to go because it embarrassed him.
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Chapter 55 Yvonne’s Defeat
Yvonne had told him the line would be packed, mostly with older folks.
Finished
As a manager at his workplace, he hated the thought of being seen standing shoulder to shoulder with retirees. That would be humiliating.
Yvonne knew his vanity well and used it to her advantage, giving herself the perfect excuse.
But when they finally reached the Treasury Bond center, there was no crowd at all. Not even close. The place was nearly empty-only Yvonne sat on a bench, casually putting on lipstick.
The moment she saw them, her hand slipped. The lipstick streaked across her lips, crooked and messy.
She scrambled to wipe it off as they walked up.
“Yvonne, didn’t you say it would be packed?” Zaid asked, puzzled as he looked around.
Yvonne had gotten good at making things up. She didn’t even flinch. “I don’t know what happened. Strange, isn’t it? Barely anyone came today.”
“I know why,” Evelyn cut in smoothly. “Treasury Bonds have been climbing lately. Nobody wants to cash them out.”
That sharp comment made Yvonne’s heart sink. She knew Evelyn was setting her up again.
But with no better excuse, she forced a stiff smile and nodded.
“Yes, that must be it. My coworkers told me the same. When they heard I planned to cash mine, they tried to talk me out of it. Maybe … maybe we shouldn’t do this after all?”
Bill glared at Yvonne angrily. “Five thousand dollars isn’t worth this nonsense. I already said I’d buy Evelyn a proper wedding gift. If I back out now, I’ll look like a liar. At my age, I won’t be known as one. You think that’s right?”
Yvonne shrank under his glare; she dared not argue with him and quickly pulled money from her purse.
But as she counted it out, her chest thudded. A thought hit her hard, and her jaw clenched so tight she nearly cracked a tooth.
At that moment, she hated Evelyn more than ever.
Now she finally understood why Evelyn had stepped in to cover for her.
It was because Evelyn wanted even more.
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Chapter 55 Yvonne’s Defeat
Finished
Earlier, she claimed the reason no one wanted to sell their bonds was because the value had been climbing fast lately.
If she pulled out just the original 5,000 dollars now, she would have fallen into Evelyn’s little
trap.
Realizing this, Yvonne reluctantly handed 5,300 dollars to Bill.
The extra 300 dollars was the profit the bonds had earned over the years.
“Looks like the trend really is good,” Bill said with a nod.
Though her heart ached, Yvonne forced a smile and agreed. “Yes, that’s why I kept saying it makes no sense to cash them in now.”
After a pause, she quickly remembered Bill’s earlier tone and added sweetly, “But Evelyn’s at the age to get married. It’s right to prepare her wedding gift. Evelyn, this is your grandpa’s love for you. You must remember that.”
Evelyn smiled like the perfect granddaughter. “Yes, I’ll always remember how good Grandpa
is to me.”
Watching Yvonne grin, Bill felt as if he were looking at a little snake-clever and sly, already planning three steps ahead.
She told him they can get more than 5,000 dollars, and sure enough, Yvonne added 300 dollars on top.
After that, the whole group headed to the jewelry store.
At Zaid’s insistence, the money was placed in his hands for safekeeping. Once the purchases were made, whatever was left would be returned to Bill.
Everyone knew why Zaid wanted to hold the money, but no one called him out on it.
Only Zaid seemed proud of himself, puffed up with self-importance. As soon as they stepped into the jewelry shop, he waved at Evelyn like a big shot. “Evelyn, take your time looking around. I’ll pay for everything!”
That need to show off-some things never changed, no matter the lifetime.
Evelyn thought back to her past life. Zaid had always cared more about appearances than her feelings. When Jasmine hit her, he told her to swallow her pride and keep quiet, all so he could keep up the illusion of a perfect family in front of others.
Just remembering that made it impossible for her to feel even the smallest bit of warmth
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Chapter 55 Yvonne’s Defeat
toward him.
Finished
She didn’t bother to answer. Instead, she linked arms with Bill and walked straight over to the section where the gold bars and coins were displayed.
Pointing at them, she said firmly, “Let’s take 5,300 dollars’ worth of these.”
In 1983, gold was still fairly cheap. But by the time the new millennium rolled around, the price would skyrocket, making gold one of the safest investments.
Evelyn had lived through two lifetimes. She knew these things.
Jewelry was pretty but impractical. Gold bars and coins, though, held their value.
She didn’t care for showy trinkets anyway. Buying gold would do two things: take back Bill’s money from Yvonne’s hands and pave the way for the future.
No one ever knew when they might suddenly need cash, and she wanted to be prepared.
Bill didn’t object in the slightest.
If Evelyn never spoke up, that money would probably be gone.
That money had been meant for Evelyn anyway. If she wanted to spend it this way, that was fine with him.
Even Zaid didn’t argue. He liked the feeling of being the one to hand over the money, and that was enough to keep him satisfied.
Only Yvonne grew anxious. “Evelyn,” she said quickly, “we agreed this was supposed to be a wedding gift. If you buy these, you can’t wear them at your wedding! Why don’t you check out the bracelets instead?”
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Reborn for Love and Revenge
