Chapter 777

The Vance mansion felt unusually spacious now.

With Julian Evans and his mother having moved out, the vast estate was left with only Evelyn Ross and Alexander Vance as its masters, plus Natalie Castillo.

Neither Alexander nor Evelyn were talkative people, and Natalie had a fiery temper, unable to resist sniping at Mia Truman whenever she saw her. To properly host the Truman family guests, Evelyn had specifically contacted Ethan Valentine, hoping he could come over and help with the socializing.

Ethan Valentine and Kiki Cortez usually spent their time training at the Cortez Sect, so their schedules were relatively flexible.

Unexpectedly, Ethan immediately shared this matter in the Valentine family group chat.

Once the message went out, the other brothers couldn't sit still and all expressed their desire to come over.

Spencer Valentine was the first to jump in, saying he wanted to come—his girlfriend Natalie Castillo was here, after all.

Preston Valentine also came, bringing Joanna Sterling with him.

Marcus Valentine and Mina Sherwood didn't come. Mina's pregSterlingcy was quite advanced, making travel inconvenient, and Evelyn wasn't comfortable having her meet strangers, worried she might be targeted by the Sterling Family.

The group arrived at the Vance mansion in a lively procession.

Seeing this, Mia Truman immediately pouted. "Evelyn, with so many guests today, will you still have time to entertain me?"

Evelyn raised an eyebrow and smiled. "These are all family. They're here specifically to help me entertain you."

Mia's eyes lit up. "That's wonderful!"

Natalie had long since forgotten about bickering with Mia. She had already sidled up to Spencer, offering him the sunflower seeds in her hand while chattering nonstop.

Mia glanced over. "Is that Spencer? Natalie's boyfriend?"

Evelyn paused, then nodded.

If Spencer was happy with it, she couldn't very well stop him.

Mia curled her lip. "Hmph, if I were meaner, I'd go seduce Spencer and steal her man. Let's see if she'd still have the energy to fight with me over you!"

Evelyn was speechless.

She really couldn't keep up with the thought processes of these young socialites.

The lively group moved into the living room.

Everyone found their own amusement without needing the hosts to specifically entertain them, which actually avoided the awkwardness of forced small talk.

No matter how aloof, reserved, or disinclined to games Sebastian Truman was, after being pulled by the Valentine brothers, he eventually ended up at the card table.

Evelyn and Alexander exchanged a look.

Evelyn raised an eyebrow triumphantly.

Alexander chuckled softly.

Just then, Cecilia Evans returned to the living room with Aaron Truman after giving him a tour of the mansion.

As soon as they entered, they saw the room full of people.

The men were playing cards and chatting, the women were drinking tea and appreciating scents, the atmosphere warm and harmonious.

The two of them standing at the entrance seemed out of place instead.

Aaron was fine; he instinctively wanted to walk towards Sebastian—it was easier for men to blend in. Just go over, say hello, and naturally join.

But before he could take a step, Cecilia spoke up. "If you didn't know better, you'd think this was the Valentine residence, not the Vance home."

Her words instantly brought a moment of silence to the living room.

The sarcasm in her tone was obvious to everyone.

Aaron quickly tugged her hand, signaling her to say less.

Cecilia lowered her eyes and closed her mouth.

Beside them, Kiki asked curiously, "Who is she?"

Natalie explained, "Aaron's wife. Oh, and also the former illegitimate daughter of the Vance family's eldest branch."

Kiki made an understanding sound. "An illegitimate daughter. I thought she was the legitimate Vance heiress."

Cecilia's face stiffened.

This was throwing her own words right back at her.

Her chest heaved, her eyes reddened as she looked at Aaron.

Aaron grabbed her arm firmly. "Say less."

Cecilia finally lowered her head, following Aaron with a wronged expression.

Aaron also felt it inappropriate to go to Sebastian's side now—that was where all the men were.

He simply led Cecilia to sit on a nearby sofa.

The two of them sitting alone made it seem like they were being isolated by the group.

Their entrance had made the atmosphere in the living room subtly tense.

Evelyn and Alexander exchanged another glance.

Both were decent people who wouldn't do something like asking guests to leave. Moreover, Cecilia had colon cancer and didn't have much time left.

They couldn't be bothered to argue with her.

Evelyn stood up. "It's about time. Shall we have dinner?"

"Great!"

Natalie was the first to respond. "I've been smelling the delicious aromas from the kitchen for ages. Finally, we can eat!"

Mia pouted. "You sneaked into the kitchen earlier. Didn't you snack a lot?"

"Of course not! Am I that kind of person? Absolutely not!" Natalie wiped her greasy little mouth, firmly denying it.

Mia was speechless.

Everyone moved to the dining room.

The long dining table was laden with food, everyone taking seats on either side.

Cecilia stared at the dishes on the table and, when no one was paying attention, quietly slipped into the kitchen.

The kitchen staff were busy.

Her gaze fell on the individual servings of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall—

In the delicate stew pots, the milky-white broth simmered gently, its aroma wafting through the air.

She looked left and right, then quickly pulled a small packet of powder from her pocket, swiftly sprinkling it into one of the stew pots.

The powder dissolved upon contact with the soup, disappearing without a trace.

A barely perceptible cold smile curled at the corner of Cecilia's lips as she turned and walked out as if nothing had happened.