Whispers of Destiny: His Belated Love novel Chapter 66

The next day was Saturday; Rosemary had no work, so she slept in until eleven before she hit up Yolanda for some grub.

Last night, Maxwell got her so riled up that she almost burst a blood vessel, and today she's still feeling all kinds of choked up. It just goes to show that staying clear of douchebags is the secret to a long life!

They decided to go for some cuisine at a spot owned by one of Yolanda’s clients – she wanted to show some support.

Standing at the grand entrance of the restaurant, Yolanda clutched her wallet and grumbled, “This is gonna cost me an arm and a leg. Their food costs an absolute bomb. If it wasn’t for showing my face, I’d give this place a wide berth from fifty meters out.”

Rosemary chuckled lightly, "Otherwise, how’s he gonna splurge on antiques?"

"That’s true," Yolanda agreed, linking arms with her. "Come on, let’s strut in and show off my ‘money's no object’ moment."

The restaurant boasted a 360-degree panoramic glass design, offering a clear view from the outside. They were about to walk in when Rosemary stopped dead in her tracks; her eyebrows knitted together tightly as she saw someone sitting at a window seat.

Yolanda’s expression soured too, and her voice dripped with disdain, "When did she get back in town?"

Rosemary shook her head, clueless.

The person at the seat was none other than her half-sister, Stacey Chambers. After her mother died in a car accident, her father remarried in a heartbeat, bringing in a stepmom with a daughter two years younger than Rosemary.

Yolanda made a face like she'd just tasted something foul, "Let's go. Hopefully, she won’t come over to make an unwanted scene."

She deliberately chose a spot far from Stacey, but someone just had no shame nor ability to read the room. They had barely ordered when the woman approached, feigning surprise, "Rosemary, is that really you?"

Rosemary couldn’t be bothered to engage. There was never any sisterly love between them, and things had gotten downright nasty three years ago, almost to the point of no return. Now, seeing her only brought on a wave of disgust.

With a fiery temper, Yolanda couldn’t stand Stacey's scheming and social-climbing ways. Without mincing words, she shot back, "Don’t come over here trying to play the family card. Even if you’ve got a thick skin, you should at least have the decency to notice that you’re not welcome."

"Playing the family card?" Stacey looked down on Rosemary with a scoff, "Her entire wardrobe isn’t worth as much as my coat. Why would I need to climb up to her?"

Since her fallout with Maxwell, Rosemary hardly ever splurged on luxury brands. There was no need, and it wasn’t practical for work. But Stacey always had a thing for the high life, even dressing to the nines for a trip to the farmers market. Back when the Chambers were flying high, Stacey owned a bag collection that took up two whole walls.

When they went bankrupt, and creditors were hounding them, Stacey refused to part with her treasures to pay off debts. Eventually, things got so bad that their deadbeat dad whisked them abroad, leaving Rosemary alone to deal with the aggressive creditors.

Now, seeing Stacey decked out in luxury, Rosemary had a complex emotion welling up in her. It wasn't jealousy, just a reflection on their starkly different circumstances. As daughters of the Chambers family, she had to sacrifice her marriage to pay off debts while Stacey lived carefree under their father's wing.

Rosemary’s gaze finally landed on the employee badge that Stacey wore – Vice President of Stellar Group.

So she was not only back in the country but also sitting pretty as the company's second in command.

Yolanda stared at Stacey with a contemptuous look, as if she was viewing a pile of stinking trash, "Of course you don’t need to climb up to anyone when you’ve got a shameless, vile father who ran his own company into the ground and then took out loans in his own daughter’s name. So low; it’s a wonder he hasn’t been struck by lightning."