Tom immediately slammed his cup down heavily and said, "I gave her permission. What's the problem?"

Jane stared at him, anger simmering. "Without my permission, what right does she have to enter my room and touch my things?"

"Jane, this is the Howard family's residence. Hailey is my fiancee. She can enter any room in the Howard family's residence as she pleases."

Jane felt as though a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her.

Hailey softly "scolded" him, her voice gentle. "Tom, how could you talk to Jane like that? You'll make her sad."

Then she turned to Jane and explained, "Jane, the household staff told me that Tom's clothes and shoes had always been stored in your room. You've got so many clothes, and he was taking up half your closet, leaving no space for you. So I took the initiative to move all his clothes to our bedroom."

Jane recalled how clingy Tom used to be with her.

Because of him, she had never even received a love letter in her entire life. He had scared off any potential admirers.

Later, he had even moved his clothes into her bedroom, claiming it was so she could choose his outfits and ties every morning.

She knew his wardrobe better than he did.

Jane quickly ran upstairs and dashed into her room.

The chaos inside made her think her room had been ransacked by burglars.

Her clothes, shoes, and makeup were strewn everywhere, the mess overwhelming.

Pointing at the disaster, she angrily questioned Hailey, "Is this how you 'move clothes'?"

Hailey's eyes turned red, and she stammered, "I'm sorry, Jane, it was an accident..."

"An accident that left my room looking like a mess? Your accidents are truly extraordinary!"

Tom frowned and reprimanded her. "Jane, watch your tone!"

Jane let out a bitter laugh. "So, even when I've done nothing wrong, it's still my fault, isn't it?"

"Hailey is your future sister-in-law. You should respect her."

"Tom, why don't you come and see for yourself?"

Tom walked upstairs, and for a brief moment, his expression froze when he saw the mess.

But only for a moment.

The next second, he looked at Hailey with a fond smile and chuckled. "Let's leave the cleaning to the servants from now on."

"But I don't want anyone else touching my clothes, especially... my nightgowns."

She emphasized the word "nightgowns," her cheeks flushing a deep red.

Tom nodded helplessly. "Alright, I'll handle it from now on. You can just sit back and relax, okay?"

Hailey playfully stuck out her tongue. "Tom, am I a bit silly?"

"It's fine. With me here, you can be as silly as you want."

Jane closed her eyes, overwhelmed by disgust.

She had never hated the notion of a resignation notice period more.

If it weren't for it, she would already be on the other side of the ocean, free from this nauseating scene.

"Jane, tell me how much Hailey damaged—clothes, equipment, everything. I'll compensate you."

Jane couldn't help but laugh.

Tom was going to solve the problem by paying her money?

He was using such a solution on Jane?

Hailey even nudged her arm and whispered, "Jane, you can ask for more. He’ll pay you whatever the amount you come up with because I was the one who caused the mess."

Tom looked at Hailey indulgently. "Are you siding with an ousider to rip your husband off?"

Hailey made a silly face. "Well, I'll soon be Jane's sister-in-law. Since I’m older, then I’ll have to take care of her!"

Jane sneered. ‘Siding with outsiders? I’m the outsider now?’

Yes, they were the closest pair now.

She, an adopted daughter of the Howard family, was indeed nothing more than an outsider.

Her phone suddenly rang.

It was Mr. Westwood.

Forcing herself to calm down, she answered, "Mr. Westwood?"

Mr. Westwood's voice came through the line. "Jane, I remember that your bird photography project was exceptional. The magazine's editor-in-chief wants to see the original negatives. Can you send them over?"

"Of course, Mr. Westwood. Just give me a moment."

Jane returned to her room.

She habitually stored her negatives in a locked drawer.

When she reached for the key, she realized the cabinet was wet.

"Jane, I'm so sorry," Hailey chimed in from behind her. "I accidentally spilled coffee earlier. I didn't want to stain your cabinet, so I cleaned it with water..."

The more Jane listened, the colder her heart grew.

Ignoring Hailey, she quickly unlocked the drawer.

When she pulled it open, her heart sank completely.

Rows upon rows of negatives were soaked.

Some had already unraveled, others were discolored, and many were tangled together. The water had turned brown from the damage.

These were three years' worth of photography work—all destroyed.

Jane trembled with anger, unable to speak.

At some point, Tom had entered the room. When he saw the state of the drawer, he said indifferently, "Calculate the cost of these negatives. I'll pay for them as well for Hailey."

Jane finally exploded. "Can she even afford it? She might not have any idea what these negatives mean to me but do you not know either?"

Tom frowned slightly. "The negatives are ruined now. Losing your temper won't change that. Hailey only wanted to help me organize my clothes. Spilling the coffee was just an accident."

"An accident? So an accident just wipes everything clean? If you accidentally kill someone while driving, is a simple apology enough to settle it?"

"Jane!" Tom's tone turned harsh. "Don't be unreasonable. Negatives and human lives aren't the same! If the photos are gone, just take more. It's not that serious."

On the other end of the phone, Mr. Westwood, concerned by the raised voices, asked, "Jane, is everything okay at home?"

Jane took a deep breath and replied, "Mr. Westwood, I'm afraid I can't provide the negatives for now. I'll find time to retake the photos and send them to you."

"That's fine. Don't rush. The visa process will take at least 2 weeks anyway."

"Alright."

Tom, catching the word "visa," asked sharply, "Visa? Are you going abroad?"

Jane hung up the phone.

She calmed herself for a moment, then silently began cleaning up the mess on the floor. "Mr. Westwood's visa expired. He's too old to travel back and forth, so he asked me to help him with it."

Tom asked suspiciously, "Isn't Mr. Westwood's daughter in the country? Why doesn't he ask her to handle it?"

Jane replied sharply, "Why don't you give his daughter a call and ask her?"

"I don’t have the time."

"Then stop asking so many questions."

Jane spent the entire night tidying up the bedroom.

Jane decided not to take the clothes and shoes that were ruined by Hailey away. She simply piled them up in the corner of the wardrobe.

She managed to save a few rolls of film.

However, the negatives had been soaked in water, causing severe distortion, so they were no longer usable.

As for the bottles and jars of cosmetics, the liquids were mostly drained, and the powders had been soaked through, rendering them unusable as well.

Hailey. [Today is just a warning.]

Hailey sent her a message.

It stayed for two minutes.

Just before the two-minute mark, it was recalled.

This way, Jane could still see it but there would be no evidence left behind.

However, after the previous incident, Jane had been cautious.

The moment she received the message, she took a screenshot.

She sneered and sent the screenshot to Hailey.

This time, Hailey did not respond for a long while.

Jane truly wanted to laugh.

Did she really think her tricks could work repeatedly without her being on guard at all?

Hailey was underestimating her too much.

After about ten minutes, Hailey finally replied.

Hailey. [What’s the meaning of this?]

Jane. [Nothing, just a warning.]

After sending this, she turned off her phone.

She didn’t care if Hailey would recall her messages or not.

She no longer cared about how Tom would react after seeing it.

Since the day she decided to leave, she should no longer have any expectations from him.

The next morning, during breakfast, Linda noticed that Jane’s face looked off and asked with concern, "Jane, did you not sleep all night? Why do you look so bad?"

Jane muttered nodded and said, "I didn't sleep well, but it's fine. A few days of rest and I'll be fine."

Linda said, "That's right, you need to take good care of yourself these days. You'll be busy with Tom's wedding."

Jane looked up. "Has their wedding been set for a date?"

"Yes, it's next weekend. Didn't Tom tell you? That boy used to tell you everything, even the smallest matters, but he didn't mention such a big event like his wedding. I can’t believe that..."

Next weekend.

Jane looked at the calendar.

That day happened to be the day she was leaving.

At that moment, Tom and Hailey came out of the bedroom.

Hailey acted as though nothing had happened, smiling and greeting Jane. "Jane, I've talked it over with Tom. You're going to be the chief photographer for our wedding. You have to make me look good in the photos."

Jane directly refused, "I have something to do that day. I can't come."

Hailey pouted her lips. "Are you still angry about what happened yesterday? I'm sorry, I apologize... If you're still mad, I... I'll kneel and apologize to you..."

She bent down slightly as if to kneel.

Tom immediately grabbed Hailey. "There’s no need for this."

Seeing this, Linda stepped in to smooth things over. "Hailey, there's no need for this. Jane cherishes her films the most. She's definitely upset, but there's no need for kneeling."

Hailey said, feeling wronged, "I just feel like I can't do anything right. I'm really sorry, Jane."

Tom comforted her. "Just be more careful in the future. Now, let's eat. Weren't you just complaining about being hungry?"

Hailey smiled and stuck out her tongue. "Well, that's because of you! If you hadn't insisted on making a scene this morning... I wouldn't be so tired and hungry."

"Alright, it's all my fault. Now sit down and eat."

Tom pulled out her chair and helped her sit down, even personally placing a napkin on her.

Once she was settled, he sat down beside her.

While spreading jam on a slice of bread, he said, "Jane, my wedding is next weekend. Whatever you have planned, cancel it. Come be the photographer for our wedding. It'll be a way to honor the friendship we've had for over 20 years."

The doorbell suddenly rang.

The servant went to answer it, and a woman they didn't recognize stood outside.

"May I ask who you are looking for?"

The visitor was a plain-looking middle-aged woman, smiling as she said, "Hello, is Ms. Lawson here? I'm from a charity organization. She contacted me and said she wanted to donate a batch of clothes to the poor in the mountains. We had arranged for me to pick them up today."

Jane immediately stood up. "I'm Jane. I've packed all the clothes. I’ll fetch them for you right away."

She went upstairs, packed all her clothes into several large bags, and handed them to the middle-aged woman.

The woman expressed her gratitude. "Thank you, Ms. Lawson, for your kindness. The weather is getting colder, and many girls in the mountains don't have enough clothes to get through the winter. These clothes will help a lot of people."

"It's nothing. Please make sure to deliver them to them as soon as possible."

"Thank you, rest assured..."

"Wait—"

Tom suddenly walked over, looking confused. He looked down at the six or seven large bags of clothes on the floor, furrowing his brows.

"Did you donate all your clothes?"

Linda was also a bit surprised. "Jane, even if you want to show some kindness, we could have just donated money. Why donate all the clothes? It's getting cold, what will you wear?"

Jane looked at Tom, gave a light smile, and said, "Didn't you say you'd help Hailey compensate me? These clothes are old, I don't want them anymore. With the money, I'll buy new ones. Is that okay?"

Tom looked at her for a while and nodded. "Fine, how much do you want? I'll transfer it to you right now."

Jane held up two fingers.

Tom asked, "200 thousand? Sure."

"No."

"2 million?"

Hailey suddenly got anxious. "How can a few pieces of clothing be worth 2 million?"

Jane gave her a cold look and then said to Tom, "20 cents."

These clothes were the ones Tom had insisted on buying for her before.

Now that she had decided to leave, she didn't want to take his things, let alone his money.

As he himself had said, this was the Howard family, and she was an outsider.

20 cents, transaction complete.

More than 20 years of relationship, written off in one stroke.

Tom looked slightly impatient. "Jane, what exactly do you want to do?"

"Are you going to make the transfer or not? If you are, just transfer the money. If not, forget it."

Tom pondered for a moment and still transferred the money.

He said, "The promise has been fulfilled. Consider this my compensation for Hailey. Don't let this issue affect your relationship with her in the future."

Jane looked at the 20 cents that had appeared in her bank account and gave a slight smile. "Don't worry, it will never happen again."

"And about our wedding, you must come as the photographer. It's Hailey's wish."

Jane thought for a moment, her flight was in the evening.

It would be their wedding night.

So she nodded. "Alright."

In the following days, Jane hardly returned to the Howard family.

She went to the countryside, took a new set of bird photos, and sent them to Mr. Westwood.

Mr. Westwood was very excited after seeing them and immediately gave a video call. "Jane, your composition and color have improved even more! Several magazines here are competing for your work. Once you arrive, we can meet and pick one!"

Feeling reassured by the recognition, Jane was happy. "Alright, thank you, Mr. Westwood. By the way, did you talk to your brother? Has he agreed to let you develop your career in Eularo?"

Jane smiled. "He's actually very supportive of it."

"That's good. Now there are no worries. I thought convincing him would be a hassle..."

Jane asked Mr. Westwood for the address and sent all her equipment ahead.

Mr. Westwood would keep it for her until she arrived, then she could pick it up from his house.

On the day of Tom and Hailey's wedding, she asked the wedding planning company for their camera.

Hailey had got what she wanted, marrying into an affluent family. She was unable to hide her smugness.

Especially when Jane was taking photos, she posed like a winner.

Tom was chatting with the guests, but she wouldn't let him be, insisting that he come back and accompany her for the photos.

Linda, feeling sorry for Jane, advised, "Hailey, we've taken so many photos already. Let Jane rest for a bit."

Hailey said, "Jane is so talented. How could she be tired after taking so few photos? Right, Jane?"

Linda could no longer tolerate it and said irritably, "Let the photographer from the wedding company take the pictures. Jane really needs a break."

"But no photographer from the company can compare to Jane! This is the most important day of my life, and I must have Jane capture our happiest moment."

Jane didn't say anything. After taking the last photo, she directly returned the camera to the wedding company.

She turned and walked away.

Linda hurried after her. "Jane, where are you going?"

Jane smiled. "Linda, from now on, Hailey will be taking care of Tom. You need to take care of yourself too."

"You're my daughter as well, and I still have you."

Jane smiled and took Linda's hand. "Yes, I will always be your daughter."

Linda sighed. "Jane, once... I really thought you would become my daughter-in-law and call me 'Mom'. Who would have thought Tom..."

"Alright, Linda, let's not talk about this anymore."

"Okay, we won't."

The phone rang, it was Mr. Westwood.

"Jane, have you arrived at the airport? What time does your flight land? I'll come with my wife to pick you up."

"I'm about to head there now."

"Alright, we'll see you in eight hours."

"Okay."

After hanging up, she checked the time. It was almost time to go to the airport.

Jane didn't even return to the Howard family. She took a taxi directly to the airport.

While in waiting in the queue to board the plane, Hailey sent her another message.

Hailey. [Thank you for personally taking the photos of me and Tom. We both really like them. In the future, please remember that I’m your sister-in-law.]

Hailey. [JAne, I hope we get along well in the future. Victory.jpg]

Jane sneered and took a screenshot.

This time, she sent the screenshot directly to Tom.

Jane. [Tom, congratulations on your marriage. Goodbye and we won’t meet again.]

After sending it, she blocked both Tom and Hailey.

From now on, they would be permanently removed from her world.

The flight attendant smiled and greeted her. "Ma'am, have a pleasant flight."

Jane politely smiled in return. "Thank you, I'm very happy."

Then, without looking back, she boarded the plane.