Chapter 52: Vanessa Ward Couldn't Help but Smirk

Vanessa Ward couldn't help but smirk when Elena Ward agreed. She discreetly touched the money pouch hidden in her clothes, its weight bringing her comfort. With this sum, her future was finally secure.

The thought of Calvin Ward and Agnes Ward's reactions when they discovered the missing money made Vanessa uneasy. But she quickly straightened her back—after all, her brothers were the favorites in the family. As a daughter, she had always been dispensable. If not for Elena, an outsider, standing in the way, she might not even have had this much presence.

"When trouble comes, Father and Mother will always protect their sons first," Vanessa thought, biting her lip. "I won't just sit around and wait for disaster."

She refused to marry that gambler, Derek Harlan, and spend her life trapped in a backwater village. This time, she would fight for herself.

As for Elena... A shadow of malice flickered in Vanessa's eyes.

After the bus arrived at its stop, Elena politely bid farewell to Mayor Martin Reed and his wife. Vanessa followed closely behind, carrying a bulky bundle on her back.

Elena held only an old cloth bag. In this era, plastic bags were still a rarity, and villagers mostly used handwoven bamboo baskets.

Standing by the roadside, Elena felt lost. She hadn’t been to town since Grace Cooper's wedding. She only vaguely remembered that Grace's husband, Henry Cooper, was a carpenter who lived near the market.

"What are you spacing out for?" Vanessa snapped impatiently, eyeing Elena with suspicion.

"Do you know the way?" Elena shot back.

"N-No!"

"Then why the rush?" Elena scoffed. It was laughable how Vanessa still acted so superior.

"Can’t you ask for directions? What’s the point of having a mouth?" Vanessa retorted out of habit.

Elena ignored her and walked away. If not for the need to extract information, she wouldn’t have traveled with Vanessa in the first place.

"Wait for me!" Vanessa hurried after her.

After confirming the market’s location, Elena spotted a row of neat single-story houses. In this era, most town residences were cave-style dwellings like these—only government offices had multi-story buildings.

"Excuse me, ma'am, could you tell me where Grace Cooper lives?" Elena stopped a woman pouring water outside.

"Third row, middle—sixth or seventh house, I think," the woman kindly pointed out.

Elena’s heart tightened with nervousness. It had been two lifetimes since she’d last seen her second sister. The only memory left was Grace smiling at her with a thick braid swaying.

"Quit dawdling!" Vanessa shoved her abruptly.

"Touch me again and see what happens!" Elena snapped. If not for her drained healing force, Vanessa would’ve regretted it.

Only then did Vanessa remember Elena wasn’t the same pushover anymore. She withdrew her hand resentfully.

As they approached the row of houses, loud commotion reached them. A crowd had gathered, and from within came a child’s cries and a woman’s furious shouting.

"That Mrs. Laura Bennett is too much!"

"Grace is just too soft-hearted..."

"Without a man at home, she’s at a disadvantage."

The murmurs rose and fell. Elena’s chest clenched. She pushed through the crowd to see what was happening.