The Queen's Back

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"I'm sorry, Grandpa, Grandma. It's my fault for not taking better care of Mona," Maxwell said, his voice filled with guilt. "I'll make sure to be more attentive when we return." He hadn't realized Mona had lost weight. She was already light, and now the thought of her getting thinner filled him with

remorse.

Mona, however, didn't feel she had lost weight. Hearing Maxwell's words warmed her heart.

"Come on, let's s go inside

and talk!" Bernard said, smiling. He could see the affection in Maxwell's eyes when he looked at Mona, much like the way he looked at his own wife, Jane. Words could deceive, but the eyes could not. When someone was in love, their gaze was filled with warmth. Maxwell's gaze at Mona was full of love, something Bernard had never seen in Teddy.

Mona and Maxwell followed her grandparents into the living room. Mona linked arms with Jane, while Maxwell walked behind them.

The four of them sat in the living room, chatting about Mona and Maxwell's life abroad. Before they knew it, Albert had returned home. He acknowledged Mona's presence with a slight nod. "Grandpa, Grandma, is Albert upset?" Mona asked.

Mona wasn't sure how to feel about her half-brother; Albert. She remembered his tragic life in her past and felt a pang of sympathy. Yet she knew that in Albert's eyes, she could never compare to Barbara. She also wondered if

if Barbara had played a role in Albert's past struggles with addiction, given her interest in his shares of the Clem Group. Mona resolved to expose Barbara's true intentions and make Albert see her for who she really was. In Barbara's eyes, there was no family, only self-interest. Albert's distance from Mona

om Mona was partly due to Barbara's meddling and partly due to Mona's own lack of initiative in building their relationship.

Jane sighed and said, "Let's not talk about that. Albert is still upset with us for expelling Beatrice and her daughter from our family."

The Clem family dynamics were indeed complicated. Beatrice had been with them for so long, and now Barbara was revealed to be Albert's half-sibling. It was a tangled web.

"Let's focus on happier things," Bernard said, trying to lighten the mood. "I heard my granddaughter got the opportunity to design a gown for Artemis Rain. That's quite impressive!" Compared to his grandson, Bernard had a special fondness for Mona.

Mona smiled and said, "Well, being your granddaughter, I'm thrilled to have this opportunity."

"Good, good. After this, I'll promote you. I hope you understand why I wanted you to start as a design assistant. I wanted you to take things slowly, so you'd have credibility with the team," Bernard explained. When Mona first joined the company, Bernard had considered starting her as a designer. However, at that time, Mona was focused on Teddy and paid little attention to design.

Starting her as a designer might have sparked gossip, so he decided she should begin as an assistant.

"That makes sense, Grandpa. I understand," Mona replied with a smile.

08:2

As she spoke, Maxwell watched her with a smile. Sitting with her family felt like a dream to him, something he had never imagined before.

After chatting in the living room, Jane decided to cook, wanting Mona to enjoy her homemade meal. Maxwell offered to help in the kitchen. This delighted Mona's grandparents, and she secretly told them that Maxwell often cooked for her at home. Once again, her grandparents felt that Mona had made the right choice at her engagement.

After sitting in the living room for a while, Mona went to Albert's room on the second floor. She knocked and said, "Albert, it's me. I'm coming in." Albert, now a high school freshman, was in his rebellious phase. As his sister, Mona wanted to show more concern for him.

"The door's open. Come in," Albert replied.

Hearing this, Mona opened the door and walked in. Albert was at his computer, gaming with headphones on, embodying the rebellious teen image. Mona pulled up a up a chair and sat beside him, silently watching him play. His fingers were long and agile, and with a few quick taps, he skillfully maneuvered his character. Soon, she saw the virtual opponents around Albert's character fall to the ground. "You play pretty well!" Mona well!" Mona remarked with admiration.

Albert looked up at her and replied, "Not bad, I guess. But you didn't come here just to watch me game, did you?"

Mona nodded. "Why not? I just wanted to see how my brother games."

Albert gave

her a skeptical look, as if questioning why she had the time to watch him play today.

"Why not believe it? Maybe you could teach me. I might be pretty good at it too!" Mona said casually.

She had never played games before and wasn't sure how she'd do, but watching Albert made it seem easy, so she figured she might do well.

Albert studied

died her, frowning slightly, as if weighing the truth of her words. "Are you sure?"

Mona nodded confidently.

Mona

Albert gave up his seat for Mona and sat beside her, explaining the basics of the game. It seemed simple enough: use skills to knock down the opponents around you.

Mona listened carefully, thinking it sounded easy and that she'd surely succeed.

However, reality didn't match her expectations. After three consecutive losses, she realized the game wasn't as simple as it seemed. Albert's moves had looked just like hers, so why did he win while she kept losing? She sighed in frustration.

They switched places, and Albert quickly defeated the surrounding opponents. He turned to Mona and said, "Sis, I always thought Barbara was a bit clumsy, but you're even worse. She doesn't go down with just one hit." His teasing tone was light, but the implication was unmistakable: Mona was having a hard time keeping up in the gne.