Chapter 380: I’ll Teach You Well
“Do you know what to do?”
After tossing the dagger, Elizabeth raised her cane and struck the ground with a sharp thud. Claire’s shoulder jerked, and she looked up at Elizabeth, her face draining of color. She couldn’t believe her eyes. The elderly woman standing before her, the one who had just thrown the dagger, was none other than Elizabeth—always the one who had showered her with love.
Seeing Claire freeze, Elizabeth dropped her cane with a sharp snap and walked over, squatting down in front of her. “Well? You’re still not going to act? How long are you going to wait?” Elizabeth’s voice was loud, and her expression terrifying. Claire had never seen her grandmother so furious, so frightening.
After shouting, Elizabeth leaned in close to Claire’s ear. “Claire, child, I’m sorry you’ve had to go through this. But right now, this is the only way. Nathan will be here soon, and when he arrives, I’ll have to step in to make sure the Hawthornes are properly dealt with.”
Elizabeth’s voice softened with a tinge of sadness. “I know you’ve been a victim all along. That car accident… someone plotted it to kill you. But now, we’re too far down the road to undo things.”
She sighed heavily. “Oh, you silly girl, do you know what your biggest mistake was? It was not coming to me sooner. I’m the one who should have been there for you from the start, shielding you from everything!”
“You should have called me the moment all this started. Why didn’t you?”
Elizabeth’s voice broke as she spoke, her chest tight with emotion. She pulled Claire into her arms, hugging her with a fierce tenderness that felt like a blade cutting through her own heart.
“Grandma, I just didn’t want to drag you into this. I didn’t want to burden the Prescott family.”
Claire’s eyes welled up with tears, unable to hold back the sorrow.
“Burden me? Burden the Prescott family?” Elizabeth scoffed softly, shaking her head. “My dear, you’re far too naive. The moment you agreed to marry Frederick, you were already bound to the Hawthornes. Don’t forget, it was I who went to the Hawthorne family to make sure your engagement went through.”
“Do you really think Nathan would’ve allowed that marriage otherwise? It was all part of the plan, Claire.”
“And I’ve been so busy trying to protect you, keeping you shielded from the world, that I failed to teach you the ways of it. The cold, hard truths.”
Elizabeth paused, her gaze softening as she gently stroked Claire’s cheek, her eyes full of affection. “I should’ve prepared you for this sooner, made sure you understood how the world works. But it’s not too late. From today, I’ll teach you everything.”
Claire nodded heavily, wiping her nose as she steadied her breath. She finally reached down and picked up the dagger from the floor, her resolve firming.
Downstairs, Frederick and Arthur stood side by side in the living room, each lost in his own thoughts as they stared up at Claire’s room. Frederick thought to himself, Now that Elizabeth is here, things will be easier. He was sure that, in the end, Elizabeth would side with him.
Arthur, on the other hand, was troubled. He had meticulously planned everything, believing he had the upper hand with Claire. But he had underestimated Elizabeth. Now, it seemed she was the biggest unknown variable—one he hadn’t accounted for. He had assumed that Elizabeth, with her recent major surgery, would be too weak to interfere. But she was still strong, more alert and capable than he had imagined. She looked as though she could go on for another twenty years. But Arthur didn’t have that much time. It seemed that Elizabeth had already anticipated everything.
As soon as Claire took the dagger and moved toward her own body, Elizabeth rushed to the door and shouted, “Help! Someone, quick! Call an ambulance!”
Everything was timed perfectly. Nathan, hearing the commotion, arrived just in time.