Chapter 248
Una said nothing more to Giselle and simply walked over to a nearby seat. Stanley followed and sat beside her, instructing his assistant to buy some medicine for the swelling. He then tried to console Una with a few words. On the other side, Claire cast a deep look at Giselle. Watching Giselle slap Una had been oddly satisfying for her. She, too, quietly took a seat, maintaining her usual invisible, low-profile demeanor. For those who didn’t know the truth about the real and fake daughters of the Woodward family, it was impossible to tell that Claire was, in fact, the true heiress.
Phoebe had been observing the group the entire time. She noted that Giselle’s personality matched what her facial features had indicated—hot-tempered and impulsive. But at least she was the type to settle scores immediately, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Interestingly, the signs of trouble surrounding Giselle had now disappeared from her face. It seemed she wouldn’t be falling for Una’s tricks again.
What truly surprised Phoebe, however, was Una. From where she sat, she could see Stanley constantly trying to comfort Una. Yet, Una’s expression was filled with impatience. She didn’t even acknowledge him, maintaining an air of arrogance. This was enough for Phoebe to determine that Una held the dominant position in their relationship. Stanley’s attempts to appease her weren’t out of affection, but rather out of subservience. Moreover, Una’s demeanor was completely different from that of Sienna and Edith. If those two had been in Una’s position today, they would have cried their eyes out by now, deliberately putting on a pitiful act. But Una? Aside from the initial screams from being hit, she hadn’t shed a single tear. Once it was over, she simply fixed her hair and straightened her clothes, appearing perfectly composed. She even had the mind to plant seeds of discord among Emmett’s people, attempting to turn the situation in her favor. Recognizing that reconciliation was impossible after today’s confrontation, she had decisively thrown out threats against Giselle. This proved that Una and Sienna operated on entirely different levels.
Sienna and Edith were like parasitic vines, relying on others to climb upward. Without support, they would wither away. But Una? She was a carnivorous plant—one that thrived by devouring others. Phoebe also noticed that Stanley’s luck was nearly depleted. It wasn’t like Cain’s situation, where Sienna had sweet-talked him into willingly giving up his luck. No, Una had forcibly taken it from Stanley.
At that moment, Phoebe understood. Una wasn’t just after Stanley’s or the Woodward family’s luck—she wanted complete control over the entire Woodward family and the Woodward Groups. No wonder Stanley didn’t seem like someone blessed with great fortune. From a fortune-telling perspective, if not for Una’s influence, Stanley would have been just another rich playboy who spent his days indulging in leisure. The Woodward family, without Una, wouldn’t have been able to rise so quickly to become a near rival to the Vaughan Group. They would have remained a third-rate jewelry company—not wealthy enough to enter the highest elite circles, but still doing well enough to get by. But now, with Una in control, the Woodward family looked like it was flourishing, but beneath the surface, it was teetering on the edge of a cliff.
Phoebe could more or less guess Una’s plan. By taking control of the Woodward family, her true goal was to secure a stable source of emeralds. With time, she could push the Woodward family into greater prominence, slowly building its strength. In doing so, she could siphon off emeralds for her own use—without drawing the attention of the Horoscope Association or other special agencies. Phoebe had to admit, the mastermind behind Una—her so-called “father”—was playing a long and patient game.
At that moment, Una’s gaze locked onto Phoebe. Phoebe lifted her eyes and immediately caught the sharp, venomous look in Una’s. She raised an eyebrow. “So, because I ruined your plans, you’re adding me to your enemy list too?” In response, Phoebe gave Una a smirk—half-amused, half-taunting. Una froze for a split second before quickly looking away. She had initially only come here out of curiosity. She had heard that someone had removed the dark energy from Remy, and she wanted to see this horoscope master for herself. She hadn’t expected it to be Phoebe, the actress who had been gaining significant attention lately. Now that she knew Phoebe was the one who had ruined her plans, she certainly wouldn’t let it slide. Once they reached the border, losing one or two people wasn’t unheard of. Even if she was a big star, so what?
Meanwhile, Claire, who had been sitting behind Una, also glanced at Phoebe, her expression filled with conflicted emotions. But the moment Phoebe looked back at her, she quickly concealed her thoughts and lowered her head. This only made Phoebe more interested in her. The rest of the wait in the lounge passed in silence. Once they boarded, Phoebe and Maddox sat together. Mid-flight, Phoebe got up to use the restroom. The front restroom was occupied, so she walked toward the one in the economy section.
A moment later, Claire pressed a hand to her stomach, got up as well, and went to the front restroom. Finding it occupied, she hesitated for a moment, then turned around and headed toward the back, seemingly in a hurry. Her movements didn’t draw much attention from the others. When she reached the restroom, Phoebe had just opened the door. Seeing Claire, Phoebe wasn’t surprised. She looked at her and asked, “Want to come in?” Claire hesitated briefly, then, without further hesitation, stepped inside and quickly shut the door behind her. Since the business class and economy class sections were separated by a curtain, Una and the others wouldn’t be able to see them.
Claire was the first to speak. “You’re Phoebe, right?” she asked. “Can you stay out of the Woodward family’s affairs?” Phoebe raised an eyebrow. “Can I ask why?”
“Can you leave the talisman alone?”
Claire pursed her lips, remaining silent. Phoebe continued, “You do realize your luck is connected to Una’s, don’t you? Why are you willingly supplying her with luck? Let me guess—without your luck, she wouldn’t be so skilled at gambling on jade stones, would she?” She then added meaningfully, “And you’re doing all of this… just because Una used to protect you in school and social circles?”
Claire stiffened, eyes widening as she snapped her gaze to Phoebe. “You investigated us?”
Phoebe didn’t deny it. “I simply looked into the Woodward family because it’s connected to the Vaughan family.” Before coming here, she had asked Brenda’s private investigator to dig into the Woodward family. She had found out that when Claire first returned to the Woodward family, she had been treated coldly. Her birth parents and brother had disliked her, thinking she was beneath them, unfit for high society. The Woodward family had not only been indifferent to Claire but had also financially neglected her. Compared to the way they treated Una, it was night and day. Claire had fought back. She had even directly opposed Una multiple times. But in the end, Una had outmaneuvered her. Despite being the true heiress, Claire had been the one with the worst reputation. And the harshest oppression hadn’t even come from Una—but from her own family. Claire had rebelled before. She had even run away from home for a while. But when the Woodward family brought her back, something changed. She stopped resisting Una. Instead, she began trailing behind her like a shadow, fading into the background. Something must have happened. Phoebe was certain that whatever had caused Claire’s shift was also the reason she willingly supplied Una with luck.
Claire stared at Phoebe for a long moment, then bit her lip. “What exactly do you want to know?” Claire said.