Chapter 207

“Come on, Victoria, you need to think about this family and the bigger picture,” someone said, trying to hit me with some big life lesson.

I kept eating and shot her a look. “Have you ever heard the saying? If someone tells you to think about the bigger picture, it means you’re not actually part of it. And when they say it’s for your own good, it’s usually for theirs. Like, did Sally offer you something for this?”

“Victoria, don’t be so disrespectful in front of your elders,” Sally said, her face flushed with anger. Guess I struck a nerve.

I just replied coolly, “It’s true. People who tell others to just suck it up always get what’s coming to them.”

As soon as I said that, the whole room went dead silent. Sally was fuming. “Victoria, what’s with your attitude? I invited these relatives to give you some good advice, and you not only ignore them, but you’re cursing them, too? Do you really think you’re irreplaceable as my daughter-in-law?”

Seeing Sally finally snap, I kept my cool and said, “Sally, they're not me, at all. Do you honestly think your own marriages are that happy? They haven’t lived my life, so it’s easy for them to just judge me. Let me ask you–what are the actual perks? I’ll listen,” I said with a smile, glancing around at them. “But don’t give me any fake answers. I’ll know.”

One of the women immediately grabbed her fork. “Come on, guys, try this roast chicken. It’s even better than what my housekeeper makes.”

So everyone just buried their heads in their food, while Sally looked like she was really pissed off and frustrated.

Once I finished eating, I made my exit. Sally didn’t even bother to stop me. The moment I stepped out, I felt instantly lighter, like all the stress just melted away.

It turned out that clapping back at people was actually a great cure for anxiety and depression.

The way I acted at dinner totally blew up my old image. I was pretty sure that after tonight, nobody was going to call me the sweet, obedient, perfect wife anymore. They’d just say I’d got a tongue like a razor.

I didn’t expect that word would get to Jared by just after 8 p.m.

When Jared called, he was already laughing on the other end. I was just sitting there, totally lost, until I finally got impatient and said, “Are you done? If you’ve got something to say, spit it out.”

Jared finally stopped laughing and said, “Did you really manage to offend all of my mom’s relatives?”

“How do you know?” I frowned. Since when did Jared turn into a gossip?

“My mom’s so mad she’s about to cry. She’s venting to her friend, and I heard the whole thing,” Jared said.

“I made your mom this mad, and you’re not upset?” I was honestly surprised. Jared used to always tell me to be understanding because she was our elder, even if I had the slightest disagreement with her. What happened to him?

Jared let out a sigh. “Sure, my mom’s upset, but I think you’ve got a point. Especially what you said about people thinking others have it good… just because they don’t really know them. That’s the truth.”

“I don’t want to hear any of this life advice. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up,” I said coldly.

“Victoria, you used to suppress who you really are just to please me, and it made me think you were just an emotionless beauty. But now I realize you're actually really fun and lively,” Jared said, eager to compliment me.

“So?” I asked.