A Warm Marriage After Rebirth

Seraphina’s mouth twitched. ’What a violent girl! Break his legs? She really dares to say that. Considering Simon’s status, if she actually broke his legs, it would probably spark an international incident!’

Genevieve Churchill, realizing her words might have been a bit inappropriate, cleared her throat. "Uh, I was just talking. Don’t take it seriously. I’m actually very ladylike!" To make her words more believable, Genevieve even tucked a strand of her long hair behind her ear.

’It has to be said, if she just kept her mouth shut, she really would seem quite ladylike!’

While the two of them were chatting happily, Michelle Galloway and Crystal Marshall were in a foul mood. Crystal was ready to explode at any second, but Michelle held her back.

"Just let her be smug for one night. I just got word that my dad has made all the arrangements. The next stage is our battlefield. Making a splash on the cultural front is way better than being number one at climbing some mountain! Then, we’ll be the ones everyone praises and envies!"

Seraphina Sterling didn’t yet know that Michelle Galloway’s father had the same idea she did and had already made thorough preparations. The Galloway Family operated an auction house—not only the largest in Sanford, but one of the most prominent in the entire nation. They had raked in a fortune over the years.

For the past six months, the Galloway Family had been looking to expand. The auction house alone was no longer enough to satisfy him; Miles Galloway was preparing to branch out into antique collection and appraisal. It was the perfect synergy with the auction company to grow the business even larger!

However, the antique market in Sanford was fiercely competitive. Even trading on the Galloway Family’s reputation, their new antique shop had seen no traction. That was why he wanted to use this winter camp as an opportunity to build a name for the family’s antique business. To that end, he had provided many precious antiques, free of charge, for everyone to study and admire.

Seraphina Sterling had assumed that, given Simon’s status, his request wouldn’t be denied; her plan should have gone off without a hitch. But the next day, when their bus pulled up to Serenity Antiques—a shop owned by the Galloway Family—Seraphina felt that something was wrong.

Arriving at the Galloway family’s antique shop was like stepping onto Michelle Galloway’s home turf. She was even more arrogant than she was at school, especially when facing Seraphina Sterling.

"I hear you went to great lengths yesterday introducing Simon to traditional Apex culture. You were just trying to show off how much more you know, how much more you understand, and how much more learned you are than everyone else! But I really should thank you. If you hadn’t put in such a spirited performance yesterday, we wouldn’t have been brought straight to my family’s antique shop so smoothly!"

Michelle Galloway lifted her chin, shooting Seraphina a condescending glance. "I bet you never thought all your showing off would just end up paving the way for someone else, did you? This time, just watch quietly. This place is about real talent and learning, not the half-baked drivel you were spouting on the mountain! I’d hate for Apex to be disdained by our guests because of you!"

"Seraphina Sterling, today you’d better just shut up and watch," Crystal Marshall chimed in, even more rudely. "This is all profound scholarship, not something a country bumpkin like you can understand! Just stand there quietly like a statue!"

"You two, hurry and get ready. It’s about to start, so stop wasting time!" the Marshal, unable to listen any longer, walked over and shooed them away.

"They’re always like this; you can just ignore them," the Marshal explained with a slight smile. "But now you probably understand why I chose them for the winter camp." ’He was incredibly relieved that he had insisted on keeping Seraphina Sterling; otherwise, Apex’s reputation would have been completely ruined this time!’

Seraphina Sterling nodded. "I understand your reasoning, but I’d advise you not to get your hopes up. Just because the Galloway Family is in the auction business doesn’t mean Michelle Galloway actually knows anything about antiques."

"If you don’t want Apex to be disgraced, or Sanford First High School to lose face, you’d better communicate with the student representatives from the other regions and see if any of them are experts. If you put all your chips on Michelle Galloway and Crystal Marshall, you will absolutely lose everything." Seraphina gave a mysterious smile, then walked to her seat and sat down.

The Marshal frowned unconsciously. ’Seraphina’s right, he had indeed placed all his bets on Michelle Galloway and Crystal Marshall. The two of them had repeatedly assured him there would be no problem! But listening to her, could they really be that unreliable?’

The Marshal sat down next to Seraphina. "If you know they aren’t experts in this field, does that mean you are?"

Seraphina didn’t answer, listening intently to Miles Galloway’s passionate introduction from the stage instead.

"If something goes wrong in a little while, I’ll have to ask for your help, Sterling," the Marshal said in a low voice.

"Of course," Seraphina replied, her voice rising slightly, the final syllable lilting upwards. "But my appearance fee is quite steep. Can you afford me?" Her tone left an indescribable feeling hanging in the air.