Cara Preston was about to say more, but Vera Xavier looked into her eyes and said expressionlessly, "Get out!"

Cara Preston met her gaze. Those eyes held an extreme, detached coldness and layers of murderous intent. She instantly felt as if she’d been plunged into an ice cellar. This side of Vera Xavier made fear instinctively rise in her heart, and she shivered.

Cara Preston didn’t dare to look at Vera Xavier’s eyes again. Instead, she looked at Zachary Preston and said, "Dad, I’ll come see you later!"

With that, she scurried away.

After leaving, she didn’t go to the Xavier family home, but instead returned to the compound.

Her initiative in reporting Rona Langdon had won her a good reputation. Furthermore, Zachary Preston and Rona Langdon were now divorced, and she hadn’t explicitly stated who she would live with. As a result, the guards at the compound found it difficult to stop her from entering.

She now had a huge sum of money on her, which everyone assumed Rona Langdon had taken. Therefore, she couldn’t use the money yet and had to find a proper place to hide it. The most dangerous place is the safest place; hiding it at the Preston family home was the perfect solution.

’There’s no way I’m going back to the Xavier family in the countryside. Even with the Preston family in its current state, it’s still far better than some rural village in my eyes. I will absolutely not mix with that bunch of country bumpkins!’

Vera Xavier received a message from Jack Judd telling her that Cara Preston had returned to the compound. She immediately knew what Cara was plotting.

Vera Xavier smiled coldly. ’Cara Preston is such a good actress, claiming she’s turned over a new leaf and wants to start fresh. Fine. I’ll be happy to grant her that wish!’

When Vera Xavier returned to the Preston family home, she found Cara Preston, of all things, simmering bone broth. The moment Cara saw her enter, she quickly smiled and said, "Sis, I’ve finished making dinner. I was just about to bring it over to you."

Vera Xavier glanced over. There were three or four dishes on the table—a surprisingly lavish spread.

She looked at Cara Preston and asked, "Where did you get the money for groceries?"

Cara Preston, seemingly having forgotten the morning’s confrontation, leaned in and whispered intimately to Vera Xavier, "Back when I was at the Langdon’s, Mom gave me a little spending money to try and win me over."

"Rona Langdon was so good to you, yet you still reported her," Vera Xavier said with a smirk. "Cara Preston, you’re a special kind of heartless."

The smile on Cara Preston’s face froze. She eventually lowered her head and said, "No matter how good she was to me, it couldn’t outweigh her own wickedness. I was just standing on the side of justice and doing the right thing!!"

She seemed a bit embarrassed as she spoke, then continued, "Sis, I know I’ve done many things to wrong you in the past, but Mom was the one who put me up to all of it. Thinking about it now, I’m so full of regret! I promise I’ll treat you well from now on, and I’ll never do anything to hurt you again!"

As she finished speaking, a glimmer of tears appeared in her eyes, and her gaze toward Vera Xavier seemed full of genuine, deep regret.

Vera Xavier said coldly, "I’ve told you before, don’t call me ’Sis.’ I don’t have a scumbag like you for a sister."

Cara Preston’s hands clenched into fists. ’I’ve already humbled myself this much for Vera, and she *still* won’t forgive me! How infuriating!’

Vera Xavier shot her a glance. "Weren’t you sincere about taking care of Dad? Then hurry up and bring him his dinner."

Cara Preston quickly agreed. After hastily packing up the food, she subconsciously glanced toward a corner of the courtyard as she headed out the door.

She thought her glance was subtle, but to Vera Xavier, it couldn’t have been more obvious.