Chapter 156: A Quiet Revelation

Chatting with one of the high-society ladies, a friend said sympathetically, “Carly, you’re not married and don’t have your own biological children; and Ellis…”

Carly didn’t need her friend to finish the sentence; she anticipated they were alluding to Easton and Victoria’s affair. Compared to Easton’s ruthless indifference toward her and Ellis, he doted on Victoria excessively. Victoria’s startup was thriving with countless resources Easton handed over—a story that had already circulated in elite circles.

“Today, here, I want to share something,” Carly said with a slightly solemn face. As she spoke, everyone’s gaze fixed on her. “Ellis and Easton are divorced. It was Ellis who wanted out.”

By stepping aside as Easton’s wife, it was a foregone conclusion Victoria would take her place. Mindful of this, Carly avoided speaking ill of Victoria and Easton to prevent any word from getting back to Easton and offending him; she knew better than to stir trouble for herself.

The lady who had just spoken was fresh on the gossip, hesitating whether to confirm it with Carly. She hadn’t expected Carly to announce it so plainly; the latter half of her statement seemed a bit self-deceptive. Being friends for years, they knew Carly’s character well.

After Ellis married Easton, Carly often prided herself on being both Easton’s aunt and his mother-in-law. Now, no longer his mother-in-law, she retained the status of Easton’s aunt, but their regard for Carly wouldn’t change.

Seeing Carly’s forthright demeanor, the lady ventured, “When did Ellis and Mr. Hudson divorce? How could Ellis resign herself to just handing over her place to someone else?”

“Let’s not delve into that; it’s their private matter, and I don’t feel it’s right to disclose too much. Just know that I support all of Ellis’s decisions.”

“If you won’t say, I’ll take it as untrue when others ask me,” the lady said. She initially thought it was a joke, given Carly’s involvement; it seemed unlikely that Ellis and Easton could have divorced so quickly.

“People are asking you?” Carly paused. Hadn’t they just suggested Easton’s decisive fondness for Victoria? “Yes,” the lady said, munching on a delicious cake, “after hearing it, I kept thinking it couldn’t have happened so fast. Poor Ellis, she…”

As she paused, others quickly joined in. “Victoria’s behavior is unsightly. When Easton was down on his luck, her family broke off the engagement without a second thought. Now that Easton is back on top, she has the nerve to come crawling back!”

“Carly, we’ve been friends for a long time. Don’t act all nonchalant with us! Ellis isn’t foolish; if she wanted a divorce, it must have been Easton who pressured her, right?”

This sparked a flurry of conversation among the bystanders. Carly’s memory was nearly rewritten to believe that the divorce was forced by Easton. She clarified with great effort, “It wasn’t Easton who pressured her; it was Ellis’s choice!”

Carly emphasized twice that it was Ellis’s choice, as a courtesy to her friends, who feigned belief in her emphasis. It was clear they were pretending, and Carly waved her hand dismissively. “Ellis is only twenty-four, still in the prime of her life. When she remarries, I’ll still be there to vet the men. Do any of you have suitable sons to introduce to her?”

As if crows flew overhead, a few caws later, silence fell. Under Carly’s scrutiny, someone broke the silence. “Our sons aren’t right for your Ellis. They are either over a decade older or just of age, materially or in terms of family standing. Having Ellis as a daughter-in-law would invite ridicule.”

Ellis wasn’t their ideal daughter-in-law. Given that Ellis and Easton had been married for three years without children, she already fell short of their expectations for a family needing prosperous offspring. Women unwilling to bear children were excluded from their choices.

Outwardly apologetic, their eyes avoided Carly’s as they declined. Carly heard their refusal and sensed the disdain for Ellis as a potential daughter-in-law. Instantly, she felt displeased. “As long as the kids like each other,” she thought, “age isn’t an issue.”

The displeasure filled the air, and the others could clearly see Carly’s mood shift. Thus, they began to disparage their own sons—calling them less than ideal, not family-oriented, among other things—and praised Easton. They suggested that Ellis, having been Easton’s wife, could accept their less capable son.

Carly knew their intentions all too well but chose not to expose them. With no suitable sons from her friends for Ellis to remarry, she could expand her search across the broader elite circle. The options were far more extensive now.