Devoted Love:The Billionaire's Precious Wife
Chapter 394

Chapter 394: Chapter 394

Rosemary opened the box to reveal a rare and precious necklace made of 98 small diamonds and one large one, all in a striking sea-blue hue.

"This necklace was a gift from my mother on my eighteenth birthday," Jennifer chuckled, "And now, it belongs to you."

That was a treasure which was passed down through generations of daughters in her family, all the way to its fifth generation through her.

But she was willing to give that necklace to Rosemary, which spoke volumes about how much she valued Rosemary.

Rosemary could tell that the necklace was of considerable worth, both in terms of its clarity and color; it was truly second to none.

"666 carats, wishing you all the luck in the world," Jennifer said, looking at Rosemary with affection and fondness as she continued, "I hope your future is as smooth sailing as the blessing you wrote, ’Ride the wind and crack the waves, soaring to the sky.’"

"This gift is too precious; I can’t accept it," Rosemary could see the value and significance of the necklace, which was easily worth a hundred million dollars.

"This is a token of my affection. You must accept it," Jennifer insisted, not giving her the chance to refuse. She even changed the subject quickly to give her no room for rejection, "Look at what your uncle has given you."

What George offered was a beautifully crafted gemstone key with the McMillian family crest. It was priceless.

It could unlock the McMillian family’s secret base and even the safes George and Jennifer had in foreign banks.

His thought was that since his daughter-in-law had joined the family, she should be treated as a part of it. He and Jennifer often traveled the world, and if anything happened to them, Rose could use that key to inherit everything they had.

"Good thing it’s not jewelry. Otherwise, Rose would run out of places to wear it," quipped Romeo from the side.

He had previously given Rosemary bracelets, bangles, and necklaces. Her grandmother had also given her heirlooms, and her brothers had also given her plenty of jewelry.

If there were any more, she would really run out of places to wear them.

The atmosphere lightened up thanks to his comment. Seeing that Rosemary was still reluctant to accept, he whispered, "Just take what Mom and Dad are giving you. Don’t be a stranger."

In the end, Rosemary accepted the two gifts. The family spent a good while chatting happily before they left the private dining room.

Downstairs in the restaurant.

Serena was dining with a few friends when she looked up to see Phillip leading Shirley out of the elevator. Her eyes lit up, and she was about to go greet them when she saw Romeo and Rosemary following them.

Romeo was whispering something to Rosemary, who responded quietly. They seemed to get along like a house on fire.

Even George and Jennifer, who were laughing and chatting with Rosemary as soon as they stepped out of the elevator, seemed to adore their future daughter-in-law.

Serena’s cutlery fell from her hand, her feelings a mix of shock, surprise, and disappointment.

Her friend Eileen, sitting next to her, nearly spat out her drink.

"Serena, look! Isn’t that Romeo? Why is he holding hands with another girl?"

At her words, the other girls hurriedly looked over; all of them were stunned.

"Who is that girl? She looks about our age."

"Are the two behind them Romeo’s parents? Has he already met his parents?"

"Oh my god, Romeo is so out of line. He’s engaged to you, yet he’s entangled with another girl?"

"Aren’t the two in front Romeo’s grandparents? No, I must be seeing things. I thought Romeo’s grandmother was in a vegetative state."

"Serena, isn’t Romeo your fiancé? What on earth is going on?"

Serena didn’t know how to answer all those questions and could only say somewhat gloomily, "Don’t ask."

The other girls looked at her, their eyes filled with sympathy for her.

Catching her fiancé cheating would be a tough pill to swallow for anyone.

"Serena, men are like that. They party hard and play around before marriage, but they settle down afterward," one of them offered her point of view.

"You guys aren’t even officially married yet, let him go out and have his fun for a couple more years. By the time you graduate and become the lady of the McMillian family, let’s see if those girls still dare to approach him," another one suggested.

"Well, he is Romeo after all. These girls are all over him, but doesn’t that just prove how outstanding he is?" another one chimed in.

"Once he’s had his fun, he’ll realize that you’re the best, and he’ll focus all his attention on you," the last one assured her.

But those words of comfort didn’t help Serena at all. She looked up, her eyes filled with sadness, and asked, "If I wasn’t the heiress of the Collins family, would you all still be my friend?"

"Serena, what kind of question is that? We’re friends with you because of your kindness, not because of your family background!" one of them retorted.

"Yeah, look at the heiress of the Bradshaw family in our school; I don’t even bother to talk with her."

"Serena, are you hiding something? If there’s anything troubling you, just tell us, and we’ll help you solve it."

Serena wanted to speak up several times, but, in the end, she kept silent. She lost her appetite and just picked at her food.

On her way back to school, Serena received another call from Martha. Apparently, Romeo’s parents were coming to visit in a day or two.

Martha advised her to take a leave of absence to go home and make a good impression on Romeo’s parents, hoping to outshine Rosemary.

To turn the tide.

But recalling the laughing and chatting between Romeo’s parents and Rosemary, Serena knew that no matter how hard she tried, it seemed impossible to surpass Rosemary in their hearts, as it seemed like they were happy with Rosemary.

Everyone in the McMillian family, from the grandparents to the aunts and uncles, seemed to have a soft spot for Rosemary.

Martha went on and on over the phone, urging her not to give up and to keep on trying her best. She even said that during Rosemary’s absence, their parents missed her and mentioned her more often than they did Serena.

That suggested that Rosemary’s status in their parents’ hearts had increased while her status had decreased.

Martha went on to say that if things continued like that, her place in the family would slowly be taken over by Rosemary.

"Serena, it’s not that I want to criticize, but you’re too kind. You’re trying to make amends with her, bringing her food and drinks, checking on her, but has she ever responded to your efforts? To be honest, she doesn’t need a sister right now. Your existence only threatens her place in the family. Serena, it’s time for you to wake up. You’ve humiliated yourself, and all you’ve got in return is more and more disdain and contempt from your family."

Martha’s words echoed in Serena’s mind. She didn’t know what she had done wrong and why it was so hard to change.

Did she still need to persevere?

The next afternoon, Rosemary arrived at the location Jennifer had booked as agreed.

It was a trendy restaurant where the large floor-to-ceiling windows allowed a close-up view of Astronisia’s biggest Ferris wheel. The beautiful seascapes were truly a sight to behold.