This Time, I'll Be the Villain's Favorite Daughter novel Chapter 211

Chapter 211 Playing Games

Toby and George left one after the other.

The three kids were still on the sofa, deep in their game. Alfred and Lawrence had developed a genu impressive rhythm together, and Maya had quietly abandoned any hope of contributing meaningful

the team.

Instead, she’d turned her attention to her gifts, examining them one by one with quiet contentment.

Wendy finished tidying the living room and let her gaze settle on Maya.

She had always been sharply observant.

She’d noticed it earlier, when Maya brought Lawrence in from the cold and poked her head into the kitchen. The tip of her nose had been pink, and her lashes had been just slightly damp.

Wendy hadn’t said anything at the time.

It would’ve killed the mood, and the birthday had to come first.

“Maya, did you have a good time today?”

Raymond was watching her too.

Maya caught both of their gazes and blinked, then let her eyes curve into a quiet smile. “Yeah.”

“But you were crying earlier.”

Wendy took her hand and steered her gently away from the sofa and the two absorbed boys, guiding her toward the bedroom and lowering her voice. “What happened? Will you talk to me?”

Maya didn’t resist. She let herself be led into her parents‘ room without argument.

T “You’ve always been such a sensible, good kid,” Wendy began, still finding her footing with the words.

“But I’ve been wanting to say this for a while. You’re allowed to lean on us, you know.

“Whatever it is, you can tell me. I’ll always be on your side.”

Everyone got tangled up in their feelings sometimes, stuck and unable to move forward.

Wendy wanted her daughter to be happier, and for that, she was fiercely determined to clear every obstacle out of Maya’s path.

Wendy had barely crossed the threshold when Raymond followed her in

The two of them had apparently decided together that tonight was the night for a real conversation.

Maya held her breath for a second, then caught herself being tense and deliberately let it go.

This Time, Be the Villain’s Favorite Daughter

Chapter 209 Presents

George drifted over and tilted his head to get a proper look, letting out a low, drawn–out sound of gen surprise.

He spent most of his time running around causing chaos in the outside world, but his eye for valuable things had always been sharp.

“You had a crown made out of taaffeite? Do you have any idea how much that costs? And you actually h someone cut a collector–grade stone like that?” He stared at Toby with undisguised incredulity. “You ridiculous, obscenely wealthy person.”

Toby didn’t look at him. His attention stayed on the little crown. “Do you like it?”

The crown was delicate and compact, its base color so faint it hovered somewhere between ivory and champagne. The edges were built up in layered tiers that curved and folded inward like the petals of a r halfway through blooming.

The gemstones nestled at the center of those petals caught the light in the palest shade of pink, shifting toward a soft lavender depending on the angle. Every edge was gently rounded, the whole piece shaped like a single half–bloomed rose resting in someone’s hair.

No girl in the world would say no to a gift like that.

Not one.

Maya had gone completely still just looking at it.

“I love it, it’s beautiful!” Her voice jumped up a full register. She lifted the crown and her eyes went bright. “Put it on for me.”

Toby was visibly pleased with that reaction.

He took the crown from her and settled it carefully onto her head, adjusting it until it sat exactly right, and then stepped back to look.

It was genuinely lovely.

Crowns were made for moments like this, on a small face, the effect was striking.

She had naturally wavy hair with a faint warm–brown tint, fair skin, and features that leaned unmistakably sweet. With the crown in place, the whole picture looked like something rendered in oils, delicate and richly detailed.

Toby had no further objections to the crown whatsoever. He pulled out his phone, took a photo without deliberating, and posted it.

Adorable.

George stared at his selfish, sharp–tongued little brother, who was currently standing there looking for all the world like a man completely and helplessly devoted to spoiling his little sister.

Chapter 209 Presents

Terrifying.

He was never going to lethat happen to him.

Of all the gifts on the table, Toby’s was unquestionably the most expensive. But their mother’s came in surprisingly close second.

Wendy had retrieved something from her earlier years.

“I don’t remember exactly which royal family it was. She hired me for a job, and we got along wonderf This set was her parting gift to me.

“You’re still young, so you can wait until you’re grown to wear it. You’re going to look stunning.”

The earrings and necklace were a deep, rich forest green. Royal preces always had that layered, intricate quality that somehow never felt heavy. The entire set was gold filigree wrapped around glowing dark emerald, ornate without being oppressive, and genuinely beautiful.

Wendy rarely wore jewelry herself.

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She held the set up against Maya and felt profoundly satisfied by what she saw.

She could already picture exactly what Maya would look like in it someday.

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