Chapter 124
Claudia’s words were smooth and seemingly heartfelt. Anyone hearing her would probably be touched and feel guilty about their tardiness. However, Rosalie was no longer the naive girl from the time travel; she had transformed into a new version of herself. She just looked at Claudia with a half-smile, not taking her words seriously, but focusing on the latter part of her sentence.
She raised an eyebrow and said, “Are you accusing me?”
Panic set in as Claudia quickly waved her hands, explaining, “No, no, no, that’s not what I meant. Really, it’s not.” Her eyes flickered with apprehension. As she spoke, she looked to Edward in the living room for support, her eyes filled with distress and grievance.
Edward frowned, got up from the sofa, and walked over to Rosalie. This time, he had invited Rosalie home for dinner intending to mend their relationship and avoid another unpleasant confrontation. Even though his anger had reached a boiling point, he held it back, softening his tone: “She didn’t mean it that way. Don’t always twist her words; everyone’s here, let’s eat.”
Rosalie glanced at Claudia with disdain, like a rebellious troublemaker, and scoffed. “I think that’s exactly what she meant.” Ignoring the hurt and wounded look on Claudia’s face, Rosalie walked toward the dining room.
Phyllis, who always considered herself superior, felt increasingly annoyed that Rosalie had completely ignored her. “Ungrateful brat,” she muttered under her breath before descending the stairs with a stern expression.
Claudia stood in the hall, glaring resentfully at Rosalie’s arrogant retreating figure, her teeth clenched tightly. One day, she would teach Rosalie a lesson. “Mom, let me help you,” Claudia said, stepping forward to support Phyllis in a fawning manner.
Phyllis was well aware of Claudia and Edward’s past affair. Even knowing her son had a family, she refused to acknowledge Bella as her daughter-in-law. To do so would mean admitting her son relied on his wife’s home, a humiliation the Graham family could not afford. Thus, every time she saw Claudia acting submissive, Phyllis’s self-deceptive sense of superiority would kick in. Naturally, Phyllis only acknowledged Claudia as her daughter-in-law and doted even more on Helena, Claudia’s daughter. As for Rosalie, she was essentially a member of the Talley family, and Phyllis simply did not recognize her as such.
Phyllis glanced toward the dining room and lowered her voice, saying, “Don’t always indulge that girl. You are the legitimate mistress of the Graham family now, her stepmother. How can you be so spineless and let her get the upper hand!”
Claudia rolled her eyes inwardly. “Do you think I want to be taken advantage of by her? If it weren’t for that 40% stake she holds, I would have given her a lesson long ago. Mrs. Graham, Edward is still catering to her. What can I, as her stepmother, do?” Claudia said, her face showing a hint of grievance.
Phyllis knew what her son had in mind, so she didn’t dare to do anything to Rosalie. After all, she was just her grandmother. As long as Edward maintained his image as a caring father in front of Rosalie, Phyllis, as the grandmother, just needed to cooperate occasionally.
After everyone took their seats, Helena and Riley also came downstairs. “Hi, Rosalie,” Helena called out. Ever since the day she had been disciplined by Rosalie, Helena had become more docile.