Rona Langdon had always been loud, and she had no intention of holding back now. Her shout was so powerful that almost everyone in the entire residential compound knew Vera Xavier, the runaway bride, had returned.
Cara Preston's eyes shifted, and she said sweetly, "Vera, you love Wesley Kane so much, you would never run away from the wedding. Did some bad guys kidnap you? If you've been wronged in any way, just tell us. Mom and Dad will stand up for you."
At first glance, her words seemed to be in Vera's defense, but the underlying meaning was horrifying. One could easily imagine what would happen to a beautiful young woman kidnapped by villains.
Cara Preston had malicious intentions.
Vera shook her head. "Nobody kidnapped me. I ran away from the wedding myself."
Cara Preston was stunned for a moment. Rona Langdon was about to launch into a tirade, but Vera cut her off, turning to Zachary Preston. "Dad, I ran away because I want to study. I don't want to get married."
Rona Langdon finally erupted. "You? You want to study?! Just look at yourself! You're always dead last in the entire school on every exam! Because of you, even Cara gets mocked by her classmates! And someone like you still has the nerve to talk about studying!"
Cara chimed in, "That's right, sister. You get a zero on every test. For you, studying is just a waste of time!"
Vera looked at Cara. "Don't you know exactly why I get a zero on every test?"
Cara's expression froze. In the past, before every exam, she would whisper in Vera's ear, "Sister, no matter how well you do, Mom will never let you go to college. She'd rather you go work in a factory and earn money for the family."
The Vera of the past had believed her. Wanting to please Rona Langdon, she had deliberately sabotaged her own exams every single time.
Tears welled up in Cara's eyes. "Sister, what are you implying? You're the one who writes on your test paper, not me. How could I possibly know why you get a zero?"
She had a naturally delicate appearance, and now, with tears brimming at the corners of her eyes, she looked heartbreakingly pitiful—as if Vera had been the one bullying her.
Rona Langdon's heart ached seeing this, and she immediately rounded on Vera. "You're not cut out for school, and you dare blame Cara! Vera Xavier, how can you be so shameless!"
"Enough!" Zachary Preston finally couldn't take it anymore. "Whatever the case, Vera is back now. Let's take this inside!"
Several neighbors were craning their necks to watch from outside the courtyard. Feeling the humiliation, Rona Langdon began to shove Vera while cursing, "You utter disgrace! How did I ever give birth to such a worthless thing!"
Vera knew Rona's personality. 'Arguing with her now would be pointless. It would only provoke another round of scolding and torment. She was in too weak a position at the moment; there was no need for a direct confrontation.'
Once the family was inside, Rona Langdon slammed the main door shut, her expression even darker and uglier than before. She said bluntly, "Tomorrow, you're going to the Kane family's house. There's no room for you in this one!"
Vera said softly, "Wesley Kane and I never got a marriage license, nor did we have a formal wedding ceremony."
Her meaning was clear: under these circumstances, she had no grounds whatsoever to move into the Kane family's home.
Rona Langdon was about to start cursing again when Zachary Preston asked Vera, "Do you really want to study and not get married?"
As her father, Zachary felt he had to get to the bottom of this.