Chapter 676:

Claire’s mother narrowed her eyes at the guilty-looking Claire and asked in a low, clear voice, “What exactly did Elyse do to you? Tell me, and I’ll back you up.”

Claire glanced desperately at Thea for help, but Thea’s stony silence was all she received. Claire could only stomp her foot in frustration, feeling her cheeks flush.

Her mother’s voice cut through the tension, sharp and insistent. “Speak up. Don’t be afraid. How did Elyse offend you? Did she say anything insulting?”

Claire’s eyes lit up, seizing the lifeline. She nodded vigorously and gushed, “Yes, yes! She insulted and humiliated me!”

Elyse, with a cool and collected demeanor, asked calmly, “And how did I do that?”

Claire racked her brain, trying to recall, but a sinking realization hit her—Elyse hadn’t actually said anything particularly offensive.

Elyse, reading Claire’s troubled expression, scoffed. “What’s wrong? Have you finally realized I didn’t say anything bad? After all, we only argued because you insulted my dad.”

Claire’s mother’s eyes darkened with fury. “Claire, I thought I raised you better. Where did you learn to insult others?”

The scolding felt like a slap to Claire’s already fragile ego. Her eyes reddened, tears welling up.

Observing her pitiful state, Elyse rolled her eyes at Claire’s notably feeble mental resilience.

Thea frowned deeply, her voice tinged with discontent. “Mrs. Lipson, how can you doubt your own daughter? I would never question Claire. Elyse must have instigated something to push Claire to retaliate. Claire’s already feeling down. How can you join forces with the very person who hurt her to interrogate her? Do you realize how much damage you’re doing to your daughter?”

Claire’s mother gave Thea a long, hard look before turning to her daughter. Her tone softened considerably as she asked, “Is what Thea said true?”

Claire turned her head away, her eyes brimming with hurt. She refused to speak.

The betrayal stung deeply—her own mother siding with Elyse!

Elyse, observing the tension, felt a flicker of annoyance but remained silent. Whether she spoke or stayed quiet, she knew these people had already made up their minds. She stood silently, feeling that being with the Bensons was no different from being with Lanny and Glenda.

The suffocating atmosphere made her desperately want to leave.

A few moments of silence passed before Elyse turned to leave, assuming the matter settled.

Thea, however, stopped her. “Stop! Who said you could leave? You haven’t even apologized yet!”

Elyse turned back slowly, her gaze icy. A cold smirk played at the corners of her mouth. “If you want me to apologize, fine, but Claire must first apologize for insulting my father.”

Claire’s eyes flared with indignation. She immediately retorted, “Why should I? I wasn’t wrong! Your father’s nothing but a loser who couldn’t make it on his own, so he asked you to come crawling back home to fight for an inheritance!”

Claire’s mother’s face twisted into a grimace. “What nonsense are you spouting? Who put these ideas in your head?”

Claire, taken aback by the sudden scolding, stood in a daze. Had she said something wrong? Wasn’t she just telling the truth?

Elyse, maintaining her composure, turned her gaze to Claire and spoke with measured calmness. “Miss Lipson, I don’t know where you heard these rumors, but my father has been dead for over twenty years.”