Chapter 125

"Evelyn, go get some allspice." Victoria suddenly spoke, her gaze fixed on the spice rack in the distance.

Evelyn nodded obediently. She knew her mother was trying to send her away.

Once her daughter was out of earshot, Victoria took a deep breath. "I'm still considering it."

"You've been saying that for three months!" Penelope's voice rose sharply. "It's always 'considering.' How much longer do you need?"

Victoria gripped the shopping cart handle tightly. "I specialize in mystery novels. Switching to web fiction is too big a leap."

"It's all storytelling. What's the difference?" Penelope waved a dismissive hand.

"Web novels run for millions of words, and the genres are completely different." Victoria's voice trembled. "Haven't we learned from the failure of Unripe Fruit?"

At the mention of her ill-fated genre shift, Penelope's expression darkened. "That was bad timing. The web fiction market is stable now—"

"I'm not cut out for those CEO romance fluff pieces!" Victoria cut her off.

Penelope lowered her voice abruptly. "Ten years. You've only published one book, and it sold poorly. If this continues, what kind of writer are you?"

The vegetables in the cart crumpled under Victoria's grip. Her fingertips turned white. "I have new ideas—"

"Those garbage ideas?" Penelope scoffed. "Wake up. The 'Queen of Suspense' is outdated!"

"Mom!" Evelyn rushed out from behind the shelves, holding up the spice packet. "It's time to go home."

Victoria quickly wiped the corner of her eye and forced a smile. "Yes, let's go home."

Evelyn linked arms with her mother and shot Penelope a cold look. "Goodbye, Auntie."

She could feel Victoria's arm trembling slightly.