The Cherished Wife

Rowena and Teresa could not contain their laughter after Winter's outrageous claim. Winter got mad when she saw Noelle's friends cracking up together. "Noelle, are your friends always this rude?" Noelle blinked innocently. "Are they not allowed to laugh/ Would you rather they cried, sis?" "You..."

"I think you should go back to shopping with your mother-in-law. Saint Di is a top-notch brand here in Zyphonia, and the clothes are quality stuff. They'd really suit you. Oh, and why don't you try on the outfits the ladies picked out earlier? I'm feeling generous today because Collosus Group gave me a hefty bonus for the new year, so it's on me!"

Emilia's entourage of rich ladies perked up at that. Truth be told, they did not really care who the clothes came from. If it was free, they were all for it. Despite Winter's bragging, they had hit up plenty of stores without her buying a thing. It was only when they got to Saint Di that Winter finally brought out her purse.

Initially, they were clueless about what was going on, but after Noelle spelled it out for them, the pieces fell into place. Winter was not trying to give them a gift. She was obviously angling for some free brownie points with the magnificent Saint Di. On the other hand, Noelle was the real deal-she did not hesitate to whip out her credit card when she wanted something.

"Isn't this Winter's lovely sister? She's such a gem, so beautiful and sweet! Well, we can't decline her kind offer!"

"Whatever makes you happy!" Noelle grinned. "Dear family friends, go ahead and pick out a few outfits! It's not every day we get to celebrate the new year, so let's celebrate in style!"

saw how Noelle had charmed her friends while Winter stood by helplessly. For the first time, Emilia felt like she had been metaphorically slapped, and it

that little troublemaker, was obviously doing this on purpose. "You aren't exactly rich despite your job at Colossus Group, so splurging on so

and Teresa thought Noelle was being a bit too spendthrifty and pulled at her sleeve. "Just because you've

laughed it off. "Don't worry about it.

Are you really going to do

curious to hear the next wild story Winter was

with insinuation, "So, you got

Winter's jab was crystal clear: she was accusing Noelle of being a

into a knowing smile. "Sister, did you forget? You and Mom set me