Chapter 442

Taken aback, Amelia asked, “Were you really invited? Or is it a lie? After all, you’re also from our family. Why would she invite you?”

“Why wouldn’t she? Not everyone from our family is heartless,” Charlotte said with great pleasure and satisfaction. “Go back and tell Serena so that she’ll tell Rebecca. Let her stew over it a bit.”

Amelia smiled wryly. “Aunt Charlotte, are you and my mother-in-law truly at such odds?”

Charlotte sneered. “Who’s at odds with her? I just can’t stand her greed, ruthlessness, and ingratitude. Amelia, let me tell you something you might not want to hear—you’re foolish. You can’t even tell who’s good to you and who’s not.”

“How could I not tell? Aunt Charlotte, you know my own family is not supportive, my husband doesn’t care much for me, and my mother-in-law looks down on me. What can I do?” Amelia replied.

“You may not be able to do much, but don’t aid their schemes,” Charlotte said firmly. “Your mother-in-law, Viola, Aurora, and your youngest sister-in-law are all terrible people. They all want to make things difficult for Carissa. Just don’t help them.”

“Of course, I won’t,” Amelia quickly assured her.

“Amelia, sometimes pretending to be deaf and dumb can be quite useful,” Charlotte said with a meaningful look.

Amelia was somewhat slow on the uptake, so it took a while for her to understand.

Finally, she said, “Recently, I’ve been feeling unwell. I need to rest for a while.”

Charlotte smiled. “Go ahead, then. Call a physician to check on you. Let them cause their own troubles, and don’t worry about anything else.”

Amelia understood, thanked her, and took her leave.

Charlotte looked at the invitation. She hadn’t planned to attend. She knew Carissa valued sentiment, but her presence would be inappropriate. At Helen’s birthday banquet, her appearance would inevitably represent the Warren family. She didn’t want to associate Carissa with the Warren family any further. Not in the slightest.

So, she decided to send a gift in advance but would not attend the event herself.

After speaking to Charlotte, Amelia went to inform Serena that Charlotte hadn’t mentioned whether she had received an invitation. As she spoke, she suddenly felt faint and collapsed onto Serena, who instinctively supported her.

“Amelia, what’s wrong?”

“Dizzy…” she managed to utter, her voice weak.

A physician was called to check on her. Amelia’s body was inherently cold, and with the seasons changing from winter to spring, the fluctuations in temperature made her prone to illness.

Having examined her, the physician said, “Madam Amelia, you should really take care of your health. If your constitution isn’t well maintained, having children will be difficult.”

After the physician left, Amelia grasped Viola’s hand, tears in her eyes. “Viola, my health is failing me. I won’t be able to help you in the future. You’ll have to take on more of the responsibilities around the house, both inside and out.”

Viola had never thought much of Amelia and had only ever found her useful for a few things in the past. Despite being somewhat inept, at least there was someone to use. Now that Amelia was ill and required treatment, it would inevitably lead to more expenses.

However, as a dutiful daughter-in-law, it was not appropriate to say anything negative about the sick elder sister-in-law. Instead, Viola had to offer some words of comfort. To demonstrate her own virtue and compassion, she also arranged for some nourishing medicinal herbs to be delivered to Amelia’s room.

Once she left her sister-in-law’s quarters, Viola went to Rebecca’s room to assist with her medication. She overheard Rebecca and Serena discussing Helen’s birthday banquet, which would be held at Hell Monarch Estate.

“Carissa probably didn’t invite Aunt Charlotte.”

Rebecca snorted. “That woman thinks she’s on good terms with Carissa, but Carissa didn’t even invite her. It only makes her look foolish and delusional.”

“Yes, she’s just a joke,” Serena agreed.

Viola felt a mix of emotions.

Carissa was in charge of organizing the banquet for Helen, and it was going to be an extravagant affair. On that night, Carissa would be the center of attention as the esteemed hostess and mistress of Hell Monarch Estate.

As a woman who had also remarried, Viola instinctively compared herself to Carissa. Though Carissa came from a prestigious family, she was now without support. In contrast, despite Viola’s own background of coming from a lesser family, she had a powerful brother who commanded significant respect and influence.

Why, then, was there such a stark difference between her and Carissa?