Watching You Burn In Regret novel Chapter 70

Ever since they were little, Carla just couldn't stand to see Seren outshine her—smarter, more talented, always the center of attention.

She'd schemed for years to push Seren down, working tirelessly until Seren became the cautionary tale everyone whispered about, the scapegoat everyone blamed.

But she never expected Seren to make a comeback, much less by clinging to the Crestwell family of all people.

Now, the thought of Seren swooping in to snatch away the shares of Rutledge Group that should've been hers made Carla clench her jaw, her eyes burning with resentment and frustration.

"When did Seren get back?"

The question came from Susan, Nadine's mother.

Susan hadn't seen Seren in three years—it took her a moment after Seren left the room to realize who she'd been.

She'd missed Seren at Carla's last birthday party—work had kept her late—so she had no idea Seren had returned to Seaside City.

"She's been back for days," Nadine replied offhandedly.

Nadine had actually thought about texting Seren, inviting her to join them—the seat beside her was still empty.

But out of the corner of her eye, she saw Swain and his friends nearby.

She hesitated. Last time, Seren had abruptly moved out of her place, and it was because of those three.

Nadine never learned the details, but the whole thing left her bitter toward Swain and company.

Even though she had come to the auction hall with them, Nadine hadn't said a word to them since they arrived—her icy silence spoke volumes.

Susan glanced in surprise at Zena, who was sitting nearby. "How come you never mentioned Seren was back?"

She and Zena had chatted over the phone plenty these past few days, but Zena hadn't uttered a word about Seren's return.

And this wasn't exactly a trivial detail.

Zena's reply was cool and dismissive. "It's hardly something to be proud of. No need to bring it up."

Zena doted on her two sons and one daughter at home, but when it came to Seren, she barely seemed to care.

Even Susan, as an outsider, found Zena's blatant favoritism hard to swallow.

Weren't all children supposed to be loved equally?

If anything, Susan thought Zena should have favored Seren more—Seren had spent her childhood tucked away in Rutledge Manor, deprived of her parents' affection for years.

Spoiling her a little now would only be making up for lost time.

She'd never understood Zena's thinking, though she'd tried to talk to her about it before. Zena refused to listen, and Susan knew it wasn't her place to interfere.

After all, family matters were private affairs.

They might have been sisters, but each of them had their own household. Susan knew better than to overstep her bounds.