Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Outrageous Hypocrisy

Cecilia Vaughn’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

The rose-colored Maserati stopped, and the doors of the driver’s seat and passenger seat opened in succession, from which emerged two graceful figures, leisurely.

"Oh, what a coincidence, running into a jinx at the school gate."

Chloe Alden raised an eyebrow, looking down at Cecilia Vaughn with a proud and disdainful expression on her domineering face.

From the passenger seat, Fiona Vaughn softly tugged on Chloe Alden’s arm. Her face was mostly hidden by sunglasses and her expression was unclear, but her voice was timid.

"Chloe, don’t talk about my sister like that."

As she spoke, Fiona Vaughn removed her sunglasses and smiled faintly at Cecilia Vaughn, as if trying to please her, with an expression that seemed both surprised and delighted.

"Good morning, sister, are you here for the early class?"

...

Cecilia Vaughn frowned slightly with some distaste as she glanced over Fiona Vaughn’s fragile and beautiful face.

"Move aside, you’re blocking the way."

Seeing Cecilia Vaughn’s cold face, Chloe Alden snorted disdainfully.

"Fiona, stop cozying up to her. That nasty stepsister of yours got you blacklisted by the company. Just seeing her makes me sick."

Fiona Vaughn got blacklisted by ASC Television?

Cecilia Vaughn keenly captured this key information, and only then did she give Fiona Vaughn a somewhat surprised look.

No wonder Fiona had been coming to Stellerton University so frequently lately, a person who usually missed countless classes wouldn’t suddenly change behavior...

Turns out, she was banned by the company.

...

Being reminded of the troubling situation, a hint of resentment flashed in Fiona Vaughn’s beautiful eyes, but she hid it well and quickly changed back to a somewhat helpless smile.

"Chloe, this isn’t really sister’s fault..."

Fiona paused, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Cecilia Vaughn: "Sister, my mom and I have been pushed to this point by you. Can’t you calm down and stop targeting us like this?"

Cecilia Vaughn’s lips curled into a mocking smile.

What a way to say it’s not her own fault, yet her words were filled with grievances, as if Cecilia Vaughn had driven her and her mother to a dead end.

"When heaven is about to place great responsibility on a person, it first exercises their mind with suffering, and if you create trouble on your own, you have to live with it! Fiona Vaughn, this phrase is for you and Florence Warner, think it over yourself!"

With that, Cecilia Vaughn didn’t even spare them another glance, striding directly towards the school gate and leaving!

...

Chloe Alden watched Cecilia Vaughn’s back, feeling nothing but disgust.

"Hmph, Fiona, did you hear that! She still dares to retort like that! Adding insult to injury!"

"Sister never liked me, I just didn’t expect things would get this bad..."

Fiona Vaughn’s eyes reddened, her voice growing weaker, as if she were completely helpless.

Seeing her friend being bullied like this made Chloe Alden even angrier. She stared at Cecilia Vaughn’s departing figure, wishing she could burn a hole in it.

Only then did she notice the red food box in Cecilia Vaughn’s hand.

The exquisitely elegant red food box had a long, tassel-shaped yellow pendant hanging from the handle, full of an antique charm.

"Hey, Fiona, look at that yellow pendant tassel, it looks like the emblem from Splendid Pavilion!"

"Splendid Pavilion? Are you saying that food box is from Splendid Pavilion?"

A flash of surprise crossed Fiona Vaughn’s watery eyes as she also stared at the box Cecilia Vaughn was carrying, who hadn’t gone too far, so Fiona got a clear look.

Indeed, it was unmistakably the emblem of Splendid Pavilion.

Except...

Splendid Pavilion is the most famous high-end Cantonese restaurant in Stellerton, and their food is always in limited supply, with customers flocking to get it.

In Stellerton, many people enjoy Cantonese morning tea, and Splendid Pavilion’s morning tea is highly praised, with tables filled as soon as the door opens at seven, so even the wealthiest customers can’t get in later.

Splendid Pavilion can’t even accommodate the in-house guests, yet Cecilia Vaughn could still get someone to package up morning tea?

How likely is that?

...

Fiona Vaughn thought about it and exchanged a suspicious glance with Chloe Alden.

"Could it be that the rules at Splendid Pavilion have changed? Can you now take food away in the morning?"

Chloe Alden frowned, clearly also finding it unrealistic.

"Not likely..."

Both she and Fiona Vaughn loved Splendid Pavilion’s food, but it generally required a reservation two days in advance, as the on-site queue often had hundreds of people, which was just too tiring.

Thinking about the food box with the yellow tassel, with undoubtedly delicious snacks inside, Chloe Alden grew more and more envious, and having only had a cup of yogurt for breakfast, she was salivating even more.

"Fiona, why don’t we go to Splendid Pavilion and have a bite? What’s the point of attending this class anyway? You’re a senior and a star, it’s not a big deal if you miss a class, is it?"

If Cecilia Vaughn could casually partake in such delicacies, why couldn’t they?

Prompted by Chloe Alden’s suggestion, Fiona Vaughn also couldn’t help but think of the many delicious offerings at Splendid Pavilion.

Be it shrimp wontons, chicken and scallop congee, or various Cantonese pastries, Splendid Pavilion’s craftsmanship was unique in Stellerton and left diners wanting more.

"Sure, let’s go!"

Not being fond of attending classes anyway, Fiona frequently skipped them. If not for being blacklisted by the company, who would have wanted to show up here?

...

Chloe Alden drove her Maserati and made a sharp U-turn, heading directly for Splendid Pavilion.

The two of them were looking forward to the taste of delicious food, but as soon as they arrived, they saw nearly a hundred people lined up in front of Splendid Pavilion.

It didn’t look like they had expanded their supply at all!

Seeing the long queue, Fiona Vaughn furrowed her finely shaped brows, having no interest in waiting in line.

"Chloe, did we get it wrong? Splendid Pavilion seems to have never allowed takeaway, and I’ve never seen anyone use that food box before. Maybe the pendant just looks like Splendid Pavilion’s emblem?"

Chloe Alden hesitated for a moment, glancing at the emblem over Splendid Pavilion’s entrance.

"I think that pendant looks exactly the same as this emblem. There’s no way we both saw it wrong, right?"

Fiona Vaughn thought for a moment, then walked over to the hostess at the service desk.

"Hi, could you tell me if your restaurant now offers food packaging services?"

The hostess smiled politely but stayed cold and shook her head at Fiona Vaughn.

"We don’t offer that service for now, ma’am. If you like our snacks, you can queue over there."

"..."

Fiona Vaughn exchanged a glance with Chloe Alden, and after seeing all those delectable dishes on the menu, they ended up paying extra money to find a passerby to hold a spot for them in line.

By the time it was about to be their turn, it was already almost noon.

Suddenly, a dark-skinned, tall man walked up to the service desk.

The previously indifferent hostess’s eyes lit up instantly and she respectfully handed over a prepared red food box to him.

"Special Assistant, Young Madam loved the breakfast. Here’s the lunch the boss wants you to bring her."

Chloe Alden saw that food box, identical to the morning’s, and was instantly fuming.

"This is outrageous, didn’t you say no takeaways were allowed?!"