The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!-Chapter 208: Are You Really Maya Monroe?

Kiki’s expression froze, and she awkwardly withdrew her chopsticks.

How could she not notice? Joel’s rejection was already so clear.

Then seeing Leo avoiding all the dishes she picked, her expression turned even more awkward. Why were they all giving her a hard time!

"Leo..."

Leo turned his head, his face as usual, still gentle as before, but his eyes were a bit cold: "What’s up?"

For some reason, seeing his current reaction made Kiki’s heart turn cold. She shook her head and forced a smile: "It’s nothing..."

She wouldn’t ask anything else because she didn’t want to humiliate herself further.

On the other hand, Maya was happily enjoying the dishes being offered to her by Monica and Jasper, oblivious to the surrounding situation.

"Maya, how is it? Does it taste good? Ever since you last came, I’ve had the chef remember your taste preferences."

"Delicious, delicious..." Her voice was slightly muffled, focused on her food, and hardly looking up.

Monica was right beside Maya, looking at her lovingly, her heart melting.

It had been a rare moment for Maya to be so well-behaved, and in a trance, Monica seemed to see Maya as a child again. Back then, she was a chubby little thing, adorably well-behaved.

The bratty demeanor had dissipated a lot, and she even had a sense of calmness.

Monica felt a mix of affection and heartache, unconsciously patting Maya’s head.

Seeing that Maya didn’t reject it, she gently rubbed her head a few more times.

A soft touch came from the top of her head, cautious, and Maya imagined Monica’s palm must be warm and dry, carrying the moist freshness and vitality of spring.

She paused slightly, then picked some food for Monica.

As long as it didn’t interfere with the plot, she wanted to be a little nicer to Monica.

Monica was stunned, looking incredulously at the greens on her plate, and then hugged Maya, praising her with heartfelt compliments.

Kiki sat nearby, her grip on the knife and fork almost causing them to stab into the table.

"Maya really has grown up." Jasper remarked, then with a smile said, "Aren’t you going to serve me some, too?"

Maya picked some food for Jasper as well.

By the end of the meal, the atmosphere was relatively harmonious.

Suddenly, Kiki cried out in pain, clutching her forehead.

Monica was startled, quickly asking her what was wrong.

Kiki bit her lip, looking pitiful: "I, I suddenly feel a terrible headache..."

As soon as she said that, Monica and Jasper hurried to help Kiki upstairs, accompanied by a few servants. Leo and Joel followed them upstairs, too.

As they left, Maya heard Monica say something to her, but the details were unclear due to the noisy environment.

Kiki was helped upstairs to see a doctor, leaving only Maya at the table.

She sat in her place, leisurely finishing her meal, and only when she felt full did she rub her belly.

Just as Maya was about to get up, a familiar voice came from beside her.

"Lobster shells... did you eat lobster?"

Maya turned her head to see Leo, who had appeared at some point, standing quite close.

Maya subtly moved back a little: "Yes."

Leo’s gaze fixed on her face, silent for a while, with a slightly complex expression.

"What’s the matter?" Maya had a vague feeling that this was not a simple matter.

Seeing her guarded expression, Leo quickly collected his emotions, feigning indifference: "I remember... you didn’t like lobster, right?" He added, "You’ve disliked it since childhood, never touching it."

Even though she could access the original owner’s memories, Maya obviously couldn’t perfectly align with the original owner’s tastes on minor matters like food.

Maya’s inner alarm bells rang loudly, but she maintained a calm exterior, even appearing somewhat at ease. She squinted her eyes: "A person’s preferences aren’t set in stone. Just because I didn’t like it before doesn’t mean I feel the same now. I only realized the deliciousness of lobster after trying it."

"If you paid attention to me, you’d notice it’s not just lobster. I’ve tried many foods I didn’t like."

"One of life’s greatest pleasures is trying new things. It’s a shame I only understood this now."

Leo’s eyes were clear and piercing, staring straight at Maya. Suddenly, he chuckled softly:

"I see, it’s my fault I overlooked you. You’re right; everyone’s preferences and choices change over time. What wasn’t liked before may not necessarily be disliked now..." He drew out the last sentence, his tone carrying a hint of implication.

Maya simply nodded.

"Oh, it’s just a lobster, yet you two can talk about it for so long." Joel was leaning against the side of the staircase, slowly stepping down.

"Boring, I thought you were discussing something interesting!"

Joel came over, his gaze resting on Maya: "Do you like eating lobster?"

"Not particularly."

He responded vaguely, "I thought I could brag about it to Brother Rong."

"By the way." He slightly raised his chin, returning to his previous unserious demeanor, his upright clothes failing to disguise his slouchy attitude.

"Your sister is sick, aren’t you going to see her?"

"No." Her answer was straightforward and crisp.

Joel couldn’t help but chuckle, casually remarking, "Your sisterly relationship... huh, interesting..."

Maya could easily guess with her eyes closed that Kiki was pretending to be sick. Even if she weren’t, Maya felt no obligation to visit her.

Maya sat on the sofa downstairs for a while, until she saw Monica coming down the stairs.

After a brief conversation with Monica, Maya mentioned she needed to return to the company for some work.

Before leaving, Maya inevitably stopped by to see Kiki. Kiki was lying on an exquisitely decorated bed, looking sickly.

Maya first admired Kiki’s acting skills, then glanced around, feeling that Kiki’s room was so dreamy, exuding a full princess vibe.

"Mom, I just asked Aunt Zhang for some porridge, but she hasn’t brought it yet. Could you help me hurry her up?"

Monica got up, reminding them to have a good chat before she left.

After Monica left, Kiki dropped her sickly facade, her eyes dark and brooding: "Maya, why are you here?"

Maya sat down beside her, chuckling coldly: "What do you think? This is my home."

Kiki chuckled lightly, her gaze fixed on Maya: "Maya..." She narrowed her eyes slightly: 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Are you really Maya?"

"Why have you changed so much? You weren’t like this before. Back then, I could mess with you easily."

"You have no idea how ridiculous you were, like an easily agitated fool!"