Chapter 17: A Surprise for Erin

The guests wondered if Erin and Bessie were serious. Since they thought the dress was beautiful, why weren’t they wearing anything like it?

“Poor girl. Maybe she doesn’t know she got played by her stepmom.”

“Ophelia’s birth mom often took her along before. Ophelia was clever and adorable. Many people liked her. After Erin married into the Greene family, Ophelia kept making mistakes and was even excluded from the circle of rich girls…”

The guests were whispering. Many of them even gave Erin suspicious looks. Erin’s and Bessie’s expressions changed.

Bessie managed to keep smiling. “Ophelia, what are you talking about? You picked this dress.”

Ophelia widened her eyes and frowned with disgust. “My taste is normal. Why would I want to wear such an ugly dress? You two tricked me into wearing something like this every time. You even put awful makeup on me. You said it was lovely, but I never liked it.”

The guests looked more suspicious. Bessie didn’t know what to say, so she signaled Erin to stop the embarrassment.

Erin walked over and smiled gently. “All right, I misunderstood, so I asked Bessie to dress you like that. Since you don’t like it, you don’t have to wear dresses of that kind again.”

Chapter 17: A Surprise for Erin (Continued)

Right then, Samuel walked into the party hall. He frowned as soon as he saw Ophelia. “What’s going on?”

Erin sighed. “Ophelia is being angry. She thought Bessie and I forced her to wear those evening dresses before. But I asked Bessie to dress her up only because I thought Ophelia liked it.”

Bessie revealed an injured look to make Erin’s words convincing. Samuel’s face darkened, and he snapped at Ophelia, “Your sister helped you out of kindness. Was she wrong?”

Ophelia wiped the smile off her face and looked at him. Whenever Ophelia and Bessie had a conflict, Samuel would assume it was Ophelia’s fault and criticize her. Ophelia was hurt. She was his biological daughter, but why did he take Bessie’s side every time? She once figured he had to be nicer to Bessie to show Bessie he didn’t favor his biological daughter. But then Ophelia found she was so wrong. Bessie should be Samuel’s illegitimate daughter. After all, Bessie was only six months older than her. Besides, Erin’s oldest daughter in Kingchester was twenty-one, which was two years older than Ophelia. That meant Samuel slept with Erin long ago.

Ophelia thought of her mom, who died in an accident when Ophelia was five. Then, Ophelia lowered her head to hide the coldness in her eyes. If it wasn’t an accident, she would make these two people suffer.

After a while, she looked up and said, “Dad, am I really your birth daughter? Why are you nice to your stepdaughters but horrible to me? You blame me for their wrongdoings every time.”

Then, Ophelia glanced at Bessie, who was standing beside Samuel. “Bessie looks more like your birth daughter. I look like your stepdaughter.”

Erin and Bessie were struck dumb. Meanwhile, Samuel huffed with a long face, “Stop talking nonsense!”

The guests all stole searching looks at them and began to think Bessie and Samuel looked alike. Erin was afraid that someone would figure it out, so she said in haste, “All right, Ophelia is just saying. Why are you angry with her?”

On the outside, Erin was helping Ophelia out. But on the inside, Erin was trying to change the subject. Before anyone else could speak, Erin asked Ophelia with a smile, “Ophelia, what gift have you got for me?”

“Gift?” Ophelia thought and smiled. That was why she was here today. She waved her hand. The next second, a person came from behind her with the birthday gift. After the box was opened, a file and a pen were revealed. Erin’s eyes sparkled. Ophelia looked up and spotted the greed flash through Erin’s eyes.

Chapter 17: A Surprise for Erin (Continued)

Thus, Ophelia smiled dismissively and said to Erin, “I’ve given you the same birthday gift over the past four years, which was 10% shares of Infinity Entertainment my mom had left for me. So you have 40% of shares of it.”

Erin couldn’t wait to have another 11%. Then, she would have more shares than the Whitaker family and become the company’s biggest shareholder. She was waiting for Ophelia to hand the file to her. Then, she would sign it immediately.

As Erin expected, Ophelia picked up the file and pen and passed them to her. With a broader smile, Erin took them over. But after she glanced at the file, her smile faded away.

Meanwhile, Ophelia’s voice sounded, “Erin, you said I was too young to have those shares and that you would hold them for me for safekeeping, so I gave them to you.”

“But I’m nineteen. And my husband will help.”

“Thank you for holding them for me for years. And you can give them back now.”

Ophelia was wearing a sweet smile, as if she had never suspected Erin’s intention. Erin looked up in astonishment and almost let her emotions get out of hand.

“Ophelia, you…”

“What?” Ophelia looked at her in puzzlement. “Erin, why don’t you sign it?”

The guests didn’t expect things would go this way. Thus, they cast searching gazes at Erin and whispered with those beside them.

“Infinity Entertainment’s other big shareholder is the Whitaker family, right? It’s the family of Harriet Whitaker, Ophelia’s birth mom. Before Harriet died, she left Ophelia some shares and asked her family to hold them temporarily for Ophelia. Why would Erin think it’s unsafe?”

“It’s just an excuse. I don’t believe the shares are safer in Ophelia’s stepmom’s hands than in her grandpa’s hands. Erin deceived Ophelia…”

“Look how reluctant Erin is to sign it…”

Hearing those words, Erin had an urge to lash out. At that moment, she was sure that Ophelia had changed and that someone had taught her.