Chapter 110

“Of course it couldn’t be true!” Erin immediately said. “Don’t you know what kind of person Bessie is? How could she possibly do something like that?”

Ophelia scoffed, “Whether what I said was true or not, there were so many people there at the time—two classes’ worth of students. You could just ask anyone and find out, right?”

Erin immediately fell silent, and Bessie was on the verge of tears, but neither of them could say a word in their defense.

Seeing her reaction, Samuel knew exactly what was going on. He angrily said, “Ophelia is my daughter, the rightful young lady of the Greene family! What right do you have to take her things? What gives you the audacity to claim that you are more important than her?!”

Anger surged in his heart, and in that moment, he spoke without thinking. Suddenly, Bessie and Erin were both stunned.

“Dad…?”

Bessie found it hard to believe that it was Samuel, who had always cherished her, that had said those words!

Erin looked at her daughter with tears in her eyes, feeling extremely heartbroken. She said anxiously, “Honey, what are you talking about! How could you say something like that to hurt Bessie’s feelings!”

“Which word did I say wrong?” Samuel’s face looked grim as he coldly stared at Bessie. “Think about your own identity; what right do you have to compare yourself to Ophelia!”

Bessie was struck as if by lightning. She knew her identity as an illegitimate daughter, and because of that, when she heard those words, she felt even sadder, almost suffocating from the pain. Seeing Samuel, who was so angry with her for the first time, she felt helpless and panicked. “Dad…”

Samuel snorted and ignored her, only saying to Ophelia on the phone, “Soon it will be the anniversary of your mother’s passing. Why don’t you come back for a visit? We can go see her.”

When he mentioned his late wife, his tone became melancholic. The woman who amazed him for most of his life was the white moonlight that he could never forget. He walked away without giving Erin and Bessie much of a glance.

In the past, he indeed cherished Bessie, who was both kind and good at being affectionate, unlike Ophelia, who was full of thorns. Bessie perfectly fulfilled his experience of being a father. However, during this period, he found that his daughter’s inner self seemed to be quite different from what he had imagined. The incident of Erin’s affair being exposed happened again, and his feelings for Erin and Bessie had diminished significantly compared to before. When he looked at Bessie, he was no longer as tolerant.

“Mom, what should I do…?”

Seeing Samuel leave resolutely, Bessie felt her heart tighten. Samuel’s concern was the foundation for their stability in this home, but now, the situation was quite dire.

“It’s okay, your dad was just a little angry for a while. I would comfort him well later,” Erin reassured her daughter, but in her heart, she had already sunk into worry. She could feel that ever since the incident with the Madison family, although she had tried to appease him and manage to get him to calm down, his feelings for her were clearly not as strong as before, and Samuel’s tolerance for her had decreased significantly.

It was all that little bitch Ophelia! The school. Dormitory.

Ophelia listened to the argument on the other end of the phone. Hearing Samuel’s words, she did not feel moved; she only found them ridiculous and mocking. One would not forget the years of indifference and favoritism just because of a momentary kindness from the other party, and thus develop any unreliable hopes for this father. However, treating the other party as a tool to deal with Erin and Bessie was quite effective.

She hung up the phone and coldly put away her mobile. Just as she was about to continue tidying up, Stella came out of the bathroom after taking a shower.

“Ophelia, you came back? By the way, did you apologize to Bessie? I have to say, you were quite unreasonable this afternoon, but she has always treated you like a sister and has been very generous and tolerant towards you. If you sincerely admit your mistake, she will forgive you.”

Stella’s tone was taken for granted, filled with reproach, and she completely sided with Bessie. Although she said that she only knew Ophelia as a classmate and friend, in reality, her relationship with Bessie was much closer. Aside from seeking things from Ophelia, she spent most of her time flattering Bessie. She knew the situation of the Greene family, but she had never said a word for Ophelia, this “friend,” and she did not feel at all that Bessie, as a stepdaughter, was in any way above Ophelia, the legitimate daughter.