?<strong>Chapter 898:</strong>


    Carrie had just changed intofortable clothes and snuggled into bed, reaching for her phone to silence it when Marina’s name lit up the screen. She sighed lightly but answered anyway.


    “Carrie, are you okay?” Marina’s anxious voice came through. “I heard you had a conflict with that fake heiress from the Hinks family!”


    Carrie blinked, slightly surprised. It was normal for Marina to be informed about most things—the upper-ss social circles in Isonridge were small and intertwined. But Alethea was visiting here for the first time, and people in Isonridge had long cut ties with Aliza. How had the news spread so fast?


    Carrie wasn’t concerned about Marina knowing. What worried her was the possibility that her family might hear about it.


    She shifted slightly, resting her head on her hand. “It’s nothing,” she said, her tone light. “She wanted the gown my aunt ordered for me.”


    Marina huffed, indignation clear in her voice. “That woman is so used to unting her wealth in Egoshire! And now she’s doing it here, too? Does she really think she’s one of the Hinks family?”


    Carrie rubbed her temples, suppressing a tired sigh. “We don’t have much to do with her anyway. Don’t worry too much about it.” But something nagged at her. She asked casually, “How did you find out?”


    “Aliza was bragging about it like gossip, trying to make herself seem important. And the people around her? They turned around and used it to curry favor with me.”


    Carrie exhaled, relieved. If the information had spread through Aliza’s circle, it was unlikely that her cousins would hear about it. Men weren’t interested in petty socialite gossip.


    Still, she warned, “Don’t let my cousin know.”


    Step into fiction with galnovels .


    “Okay, sure.” Marina understood Carrie well enough now to respect her boundaries. Besides, if the situation escted, it could impact the Morrison family, and she had no intention of making things worse.


    But then, something urred to her. “Carrie, Alethea bought your gown—what are you going to wear to the awards ceremony?”


    Carrie’s tone was indifferent. “I’ll just pick something else from my closet.”


    After all, her wardrobe was practically a luxury boutique.


    “Alright, got it!” Marina said, suddenly sounding rushed. “I have to go—talkter!” Before Carrie could respond, the call ended abruptly.


    Carrie didn’t mind. She hadn’t had the energy to chat much anyway. She muted her phone, set it beside her pillow, turned the air conditioner to the lowest setting, and tucked her hands beneath the nket.


    Within minutes, she drifted off to sleep.


    When Alethea returned home, she expected nothing unusual. But stepping into the living room, she froze. There, seated on the sofa alongside the Hinks couple, was a man.


    He wore a simple sportswear outfit, his posture rxed, a refined yet gentle smile on his face. His eyes sparkled, bright like stars in the night sky. And with just one nce, Alethea’s world stopped.


    It had been so many years, yet she recognized him instantly. He was the boy who had once volunteered at the orphanage—the only person who had ever been kind to her before the Hinks family adopted her.


    Back then, Alethea had been small and frail, often bullied by the other children. Couples looking to adopt never chose her—they preferred livelier, more outgoing kids.


    .


    .


    .