Julie wondered under her breath. She also recalled that contestant No. 1 was none other than Barbara, who seemed to be the granddaughter that

Mrs. Jenkins was so proud of.

Glancing at the old woman out of the corner of her eye, she muttered under her breath, "You are not a good person either."

Finally, the preliminary round of the Literary match was over.

Doris posted the list of contestants who would be advancing to the semi-finals, which attracted the attention of the members of the Jenkins family.

As expected, Barbara's name was first on this list too, followed by the rest of the contestants’ names. Maria's was the last.

It was a subtle way of telling all the contestants that none of them could hold a candle to Barbara.

Needless to say, it grated on their nerves.

Meanwhile, Grover had advanced to the semifinals of the martial arts competition. Canaan then announced that the preliminary round of the competition had concluded and that the semifinal round of the family competition would take place the following day. The Jenkins family's manor had numerous luxurious villas specially built for important guests Like Goodwin and Julie.

As soon as she threw her luggage inside the villa, Julie excitedly went to the Lemna Yard.

“You... Who are you looking for?" Isla, who was cleaning the yard, couldn't help but feel uneasy when she saw the important guest who watched the preliminary round of the tournament. Her voice trembled slightly.

Julie, on the other hand, knew who Isla was. She smiled at her. Just as she was about to speak, a familiar voice came from the room.

“Mom, come in and have a seat."

"Okay!" Julie's usually expressionless face warmed up as she spotted Maria.

She rushed inside the room, leaving Isla in a daze.

Mom? Was she Maria's mother? The important guest Mrs. Jenkins invited? Seeing the dilapidated exterior wall of the Lemna Yard made Julie astounded and angry. But when she entered the yard and saw it clean, she was a Little relieved. Inside the room, Julie looked at the simple furnishings that were not much better than a bare house. The rims of her eyes turned red, and she almost cried.

It didn't seem like Maria returned to the Jenkins family to acknowledge her roots. She just came here to suffer!

“Maria, go home with me, okay?" Julie blurted out.

Maria was shocked and touched at the same time.

“I'm sorry, Mom. I can't go. I have something to deal with in the Jenkins family," Maria replied gently.

“But Look at how the Jenkins family treat you..."

Julie glanced around the room and saw various traces of rainwater trickling through the walls.

This looked Like a run-down house.

Noticing the worry in Julia's eyes, Maria comforted her with a smile. "Mom, don't worry. Grover has checked the house for me and repaired all the places that should be repaired. The house is safe."