The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!-Chapter 30: Jumping Jackals

Kiki couldn’t bring herself to meet Quentin Rowe’s eyes; at this moment, she felt just like a ridiculous clown. The joy from being praised was completely washed away by an unspeakable shame.

She originally wanted to win the old lady’s favor, but who would have thought it would turn into such a farce.

Later, Yolanda Sawyer joined the younger ones for a chat, holding four-year-old Woody Moss in her arms.

Woody held a Rubik’s cube in his hands, his chubby little fingers fiddling with the toy, his eyes big like black grapes unblinkingly watching Maya Monroe.

Yolanda Sawyer patted his soft hair, "Woody, why are you staring at your sister-in-law?"

"Pretty... Sister-in-law is pretty!"

This remark made everyone laugh.

Jessica Young, sitting next to Yolanda, said, "Woody is quite precocious; so young and already knows what’s pretty."

"This child is clever..." Yolanda sighed, "My body is getting weaker, I just wonder when I can hold a great-grandchild..."

As she finished speaking, Yolanda casually glanced at Ian Rowe.

"What nonsense are you talking about, old lady? You will live a long life, in a few years Eric and Hector will both be married, and the little ones will be around you."

"I hope so..."

"Woody wants sister-in-law to hold!" Woody said, stretching out his hand, exposing a lotus root-like arm.

"You have to see if your sister-in-law is willing to hold you," Yolanda said, looking toward Maya.

Maya had never been fond of children; she found them too troublesome. Just as she was about to refuse casually, Quentin walked over to Woody, picked him up, and said, "What on earth are you fussing about? Haven’t I told you enough, close to ink turns black. Aren’t you afraid of picking up bad habits!"

Woody had never been scolded by Quentin before; his little mouth puckered, and crystal tears were about to roll down.

Yolanda scolded, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Maya saw that Quentin didn’t want her to hold the child and had indirectly insulted her, which instantly got her riled up.

"Woody, don’t cry, come, sister-in-law will hold you!"

Woody’s eyes opened wide and he immediately stopped sobbing.

Quentin didn’t want to let go, but under Yolanda’s warning gaze, he had to release Woody.

Maya took Woody into her arms.

Gotta say, this kid was quite heavy.

Woody reached out his chubby hand and grabbed Maya’s hair, not using much force, just for fun.

Quentin, angered by Maya earlier, felt his rage build when he saw his son so obediently lying in someone else’s arms.

Maya taunted, "It’s fine if he picks up bad habits; holding him for a bit won’t matter, right? Isn’t there a saying, ’Close to vermillion turns red’?"

Quentin was infuriated; he truly didn’t expect Maya to be so sharp-tongued!

Woody seemed to really like Maya; he was lying on her shoulder, intently playing with her hair, ignoring his usually favorite Rubik’s cube thrown to the floor.

Ian noticed Woody’s hand constantly moving around Maya’s neck, seemingly sliding downward, and he spoke sharply, "Let me hold him!"

Woody saw Ian’s stern face and his short legs frantically kicked, "Woody doesn’t want! Woody doesn’t want him to hold!"

This was Ian’s first time wanting to hold Woody. Quentin thought it would be a good chance for the brothers to bond a little. Ian had control of the Rowe family, an influential figure; having a good relationship with him would surely benefit them.

So Quentin said to Woody, "Woody, let your brother hold you. Aren’t you the most obedient to Mom?"

Reluctantly, Woody hung his head.

At four years old, Woody’s impression of people around him was quite instinctual. Ian’s constant stern face made him seem like The King of Hell, even his smile sent chills down people’s spines. Woody was simply terrified of him.

Maya, feeling her elbows tiring, handed Woody over.

Woody hadn’t expected to end up in Ian’s arms in the blink of an eye; he didn’t even have time to cry.

"Woody doesn’t want to be held! Woody is a man, doesn’t need to be held!"

Ian placed him down immediately and even praised him, "Good boy."

Woody found the praise cold, and he immediately scurried over to Quentin’s side, grabbing Quentin’s pant leg to hide behind, only his little head poking out.

Kiki found an excuse to leave; staying there made her feel uneasy, unable to join in the conversation, feeling like she was on pins and needles.

Quentin merely responded indifferently, but Kiki couldn’t help but feel that Quentin’s attitude towards her had turned somewhat cold.

Suppressing her grievance, Kiki quietly left.

Kiki knew that the Rowe family had many rules, so she didn’t dare go too far. Raised in the countryside, her biggest fear was being told she had no manners.

Suddenly, a message arrived. Kiki looked down to see it was from Ethan Grant.

Having ignored him for some time now, she found solace in reaching out to him while feeling down.

Kiki exchanged a few messages with him, and Ethan, thrilled by her initiation, promised to make Maya Monroe pay for bullying her.

The moment he said that, Kiki lost interest in continuing the chat. Just thinking about Ethan cowering before Maya made her want to sever ties with him forever.

After staying outside for a while and realizing no one had come looking for her, Kiki felt somewhat dejected.

She headed upstairs and passed by Eric Rowe at the corner.

His sideways glance startled her, making her nearly stumble down the stairs.

Gripping the handrail tightly, tears welled up in her eyes as she accused him, "How can you be so indifferent? I almost fell and you didn’t even help! Do people like you really not care about others’ lives?"

Eric paused, looking back at her coolly, "I wasn’t the one who pushed you. If you fall and die today, what’s that got to do with me?"

"You... how can you be so heartless..."

Kiki, still clad in her carefully chosen dress, displayed her sorrow, instantly becoming pitiful and helpless.

Eric’s voice remained cold, "I initially admired you thinking you had talent, but never expected you’d falsely accuse our sister-in-law. Your intentions for coming here weren’t pure either, were they? You critique others’ integrity, yet I see you’re the truly vicious one!"

"You... you..."