Part 3The Matriarch's Match

Early the next morning, Mia came visiting with two boxes of tea leaves.

She said the tea was specially picked and gifted to her by the villagers when she was doing volunteer teaching in a rural area, representing a heart of gold.

"Auntie, Victoria, the old tea trees in the mountains are over a hundred years old. Although the tea isn't famous, the taste is definitely good."

Accepting the gift, we expressed our thanks.

My mother, who had sworn not to be polite to Mia, received the gift she despised and politely said, "That's very thoughtful."

Only when she buried her head to drink her own expensive tea did the undisguised disgust spill from the corner of her eyes.

"Auntie, you take such good care of yourself!" Mia familiarly sat next to my mother, her eyes curving in a warm smile. "If I saw you and Alex shopping together, I would definitely misunderstand and think he was secretly dating a new girlfriend. You look so young!"

"Really?" my mother said nonchalantly. "Just good genes. I don't need any special care."

"Come on, Mom, you really know how to pretend," my brother said, holding up a hand to show a number. "You spend at least this much on skincare every year."

With the lie exposed on the spot, my mother couldn't save face.

She glared at my brother, preparing to scold him.

Mia beat her to it, raising her voice, putting on a stern face, and seriously reprimanding him: "Alex! Watch how you speak! Apologize to Auntie right now!"

In front of my mother, my brother always had to assert his dominance. He was used to acting entitled; how could he possibly apologize?

Seeing him refuse to apologize, Mia put her hands on her hips and glared. "You're not even listening to me now, are you? Fine! Let's see if I ever pay attention to you again!"

My brother pouted, helplessly conceding, "Yes, yes, yes. The Queen has ordered, how dare I not listen? I apologize to Mom. Mom, I'm sorrrry~~"

My mother's face turned green then pale.

She wanted to lose her temper but was afraid of upsetting my brother.

She wanted to keep up her fake smile, but she was so angry inside she couldn't actually smile.

Consequently, her expression was fractured and quite spectacular.

Seeing my brother yield, a hint of smugness flashed across Mia's face. She hugged my mother's arm, saying affectionately, "Auntie, if Alex ever makes you unhappy, just tell me. I'll teach him a lesson for you."

Killing someone's spirit—that's what this was.

My mother was so angry her hair was practically standing on end, yet she had to force herself to remain composed.

Mia brazenly showed off how love-struck my brother was over her, feeling very pleased with herself.

Drinking my coffee, I thought this little drama deserved a return gift.

I took her to the walk-in closet, pointed to a wall of unopened designer bags, and said, "I only got back yesterday and was tight on time, so I didn't prepare a gift for you. See if you like any of these bags. Pick whatever you want as a welcome gift."

Looking at the wall of bags, Mia's eyes went wide.

She feigned politeness: "Thank you, Victoria, but these bags are too expensive. I couldn't possibly."

She probably thought I would exchange pleasantries, go back and forth, and finally insist on giving her a bag.

Instead, I said cleanly, "You're right. I wasn't being thoughtful enough. Never mind then."

Mia's expression almost cracked.

She forced a dry laugh, "T-thank you, Victoria."

I smiled, waved my hand, and generously said, "You're welcome."