Chapter 17: Chapter 17: You Have a Mouth, So Do I

Mrs. Reed was making good on her word, using the Reed family’s power to get her kicked out of the hospital, kicked out of this neighborhood, and ultimately, kicked out of Aethelgard.

Yvonne Sutton walked over and asked them to step aside.

"Yvonne Sutton, I want you to move out right now. Don’t disturb my daughter-in-law’s pregnancy!" Mrs. Reed said coldly.

Yvonne tilted her head and asked the property manager, "Is this property also owned by the Reed family?"

The property manager, thoroughly annoyed with Mrs. Reed, replied immediately, "Seacliff was developed by Seacliff Real Estate. The Reed Group has no investment here."

"Then does she call the shots?"

"Well, we can’t just evict someone for no reason, even if you are only renting here."

Yvonne nodded, then used her fingerprint to unlock the door and shut it right in Mrs. Reed’s face.

"Here’s a suggestion for Mrs. Reed: if you want me gone, you should just buy this entire villa complex. After all, the Reed family is so wealthy and powerful, it should be simple for you."

After saying her piece, Yvonne turned and walked into her house.

"Yvonne Sutton! The only reason you can live here is because you’re spending my son’s money! Have you no shame? My son is getting married, and you’re still clinging to him shamelessly!" Mrs. Reed shouted.

Yvonne couldn’t be bothered to engage with her. Once inside, she started planning how to renovate the house.

Early the next morning, Mr. Webb came over and took her to a building materials market. She didn’t know much about this stuff, but she felt that a house was for living in, not for showing off, so comfort was the most important thing.

She browsed the building materials market and then a home furnishings market, ultimately deciding to do the decorating herself.

In reality, the house’s structural renovations were already complete. It just needed a splash of color. The interior decorating would come after that was done, so she had plenty of time to browse.

After a full day of shopping, all she brought back were a few cans of eco-friendly paint.

"Miss Sutton, Mr. Shaw has some friends who are designers. Would you like me to ask them to help with the design? They can do English, French, Chinese, or whatever style you like," Mr. Webb asked as he helped her unload the paint cans.

Yvonne shook her head. "Something simple is fine. It doesn’t need to be any particular style."

"Should I contact some workers for you, then?"

"No, thank you. I’ll try doing it myself first."

"Can you manage it on your own?"

"I’m not sure, but I want to give it a try."

After Mr. Webb left, Yvonne started clearing things out of the house, moving whatever she could so it wouldn’t get dirty. Looking at the existing decor, she guessed that Wyatt Shaw, like her, wasn’t a fan of overly complicated things.

’Since neither of us likes it, simple is the way to go. But simple can still be warm and cozy.’

’Besides, I’m not going to use his card. It’s not about being self-righteous... it’s just that when you’re partners making a life together, you never know when you might go your separate ways. It’s better to keep things even, with no debts owed.’

There wasn’t much in the house; the larger items just needed to be covered with plastic sheeting. By the time she was more or less finished, it was already dark. She decided to start painting tomorrow.

Too lazy to cook dinner, she made a cup of instant noodles and set up a table in the yard to eat. As she ate, she thought about how she could transform the small yard—maybe add a flower bed, plant some flowers, and build a small pavilion where she could drink tea and chat on lazy days.

This thought made her realize that in the eight years she had lived in Vincent Reed’s villa, she had never once thought of remodeling it to suit her own tastes.

Just then, her phone buzzed. It was a video from Mina Adler.

"The Reed family is really something else. I can’t believe they still won’t leave you alone."

Yvonne opened the video. It showed Wendy Winters at a brand event, with Mrs. Reed accompanying her. A gossip columnist was interviewing Mrs. Reed, asking for her thoughts on Vincent Reed’s public apology.

Mrs. Reed first let out a cold laugh, then said, "Men will be men. Who can settle down right away? They always need to sample something new. With his status, countless women throw themselves at him. He just picked one he found attractive from the bunch. They called it ’dating,’ but it was just him spending money to have a little fun. But that one’s a doctor, she’s clever. She knew to take as much as she could while she had the chance. ’Girlfriend’? She’s just flattering herself. If she really was his girlfriend, then she should return everything she’s taken from my son."

Yvonne didn’t even have to go online to know the video had probably gone viral, and that the comments section would be a landslide of people cursing her out in the nastiest ways imaginable.

She had already moved on, but they just refused to let her go.

A car pulled up across the street. Vincent Reed got out of the driver’s seat, followed by Wendy Winters and Mrs. Reed from the back.

Yvonne took a deep breath, strode out of her yard, and marched toward them.

"Yvonne, you... you live across the street from us?" Wendy Winters asked, a look of shock on her face, as if she’d only just realized it.

Yvonne ignored her, her gaze sweeping past Mrs. Reed before landing on Vincent Reed.

"Your mother says I’ve taken quite a lot from you. So why don’t you tell me, what exactly have I taken?"

Vincent Reed frowned. "Don’t start trouble." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Who’s the one starting trouble? We already broke up—it was a clean break—but your mother refuses to leave me alone! Everyone is here now, so I want you to make things clear. Don’t act like I’m the one who took advantage of you!" Yvonne said angrily.

"Hah! What right do you have to question my son? If it weren’t for him, would you have been able to live in that villa for eight years?" Mrs. Reed said, pointing a finger right in Yvonne’s face.

"I lived in his villa, that’s true, but I paid for all the daily expenses, which was more than enough to cover the rent!" Yvonne retorted.

"You—You got into Riverdale General Hospital because of my son’s connections. There’s no denying that, is there?"

"I got in by passing the entrance exam myself! Besides, at the time, your son was in a huge fight with the Reed family. What help could he have possibly given me?!"

"Hah! And I suppose in all those years my son never gave you any expensive jewelry, clothes, or designer bags?"

Yvonne looked at Vincent Reed, a corner of her mouth twitching into a smirk. "Actually, there was something."

Mrs. Reed sneered. "See? I knew it."

Yvonne turned, walked over to a trash can, and pulled out an aluminum can. She ripped off the pull-tab, walked back to Vincent Reed, and threw the tab at him.

"Not long ago, your son proposed to me with the pull-tab from a soda can. I threw it away then, and now I’m giving it back!"

Mrs. Reed, who had been ready to unleash a torrent of insults at Yvonne, was suddenly choked speechless. Vincent Reed stared at her, his jawline clenched tight, his eyes dark and cold.

She took two steps back and turned to Mrs. Reed. "So don’t you ever say I took advantage of your son again. You have a voice, and so do I. If you push me, we can take this debate to social media and see who trends."

"And the house you’re living in now? Isn’t that my son’s?"

"Hah! The house I live in belongs to my fiancé. It has absolutely nothing to do with your son!"

"What are you talking about? You’re getting married?"

"That’s right. Very soon."

Mrs. Reed scoffed. "You’re quick to come up with a cover story. I’d like to see who would marry someone like you. They must not be afraid of embarrassment."

"Then you just wait and see."

Yvonne turned to leave, but Wendy Winters called out to her again.

"Yvonne, so we’re neighbors now. How convenient! On the way home, I was just telling Vincent that since you’re unemployed, you must be desperate to find a new job. And as it happens, I’m looking for a nanny. You were an OB/GYN, and Vincent says you’re a good cook, too. You’d be perfect for taking care of me."