Chapter 250: Knowing It All
Jesse quickly interjected, “Ms. Yardley, please don’t trouble my mother any further. I’ll apologize on her behalf.” After he finished speaking, he bowed slightly. “I’m sorry, Ms. Yardley. My mother has infringed upon your reputation. As her son, it’s my duty to seek your forgiveness on her behalf.”
Deborah trembled with heartache, and her voice trembled when she said, “J–Jesse… Y–You didn’t have to go to such lengths.”
Jesse shook his head. “It’s no problem, Mom. After all, you raised me for five years. It’s only right that I handle these trivial matters.”
Deborah felt a deep sense of relief. “You really are the most understanding…” There was a hidden meaning in her words, and coupled with the occasional glances she cast at Caleb, anyone could clearly understand what was going on. Caleb chose to turn a blind eye, avoiding unnecessary trouble for himself.
Chelsea, however, couldn’t bear it. She thundered, “Mr. Jesse, I was demanding an apology from your mother, yet you interrupted and dismissed it as a trivial matter. Do you not regard the Yardley family with any respect?”
If Jesse were to be deemed as not having respect for the Yardley family, his future would be bleak. His lips trembled slightly, his complexion turning a bit pale.
“Ms. Yardley, I had absolutely no such intention. I simply think that, given my mom’s age and her representation of the Quixall family’s honor, she shouldn’t be casually bowing and apologizing to others. I took it upon myself to make a decision on her behalf just this once, and I hope you understand.”
Chelsea, however, responded overbearingly, “If she represents the honor of the Quixall family, then am I not representing the honor of the Yardley family? Mr. Jesse, you keep asking for my forgiveness, but it seems to me like you’re not pleading. Instead, you’re threatening me!”
Upon seeing Jesse being treated so unfairly, Yelena couldn’t help but step forward to defend him. “Ms. Yardley, Jesse has already been as humble as he can be. What more do you want? We’re all from the younger generation of prestigious families. When we’re out and about, if we were to lose our composure in our words or actions, it wouldn’t just be our own reputation at stake, but our parents’ as well! If Madam Yardley knew about your unreasonable antics out here, what do you think she would think?”
Those words suggested an intention to lodge a complaint. Chelsea raised an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging at the corners of her lips. It had been a long time since anyone had dared to challenge her with such audacity.
There were indeed times when she was not well-received in the Yardley family, but that was when she first arrived. The housekeepers and bodyguards at home, seeing her young age and knowing she was no match for Miriam, constantly tried to cause her trouble. She was always afraid of upsetting Miriam, so she would always keep her grievances to herself, never complaining to her.
Over time, anyone who held a position lower than Miriam’s felt free to trample on her, venting their dissatisfaction with the harsh environment. They treated her as if she were a silent punching bag, throwing sarcastic remarks her way whenever they felt like it. That slowly shattered her self-perception and gradually eroded the deep-rooted self-confidence she once had. Eventually, she became a toy for them to torment and a means for them to release the pressure pent up within them.
Needless to say, Miriam knew about it. As a matter of fact, she knew all about it. Chelsea heard it herself. When the housekeeper complained to Miriam, Miriam responded coldly, “There’s no need to bring such a thing up with me in the future. It’s a waste of time.”
Hence, it turned out that the humiliation and hardships she had endured were nothing more than time-wasting trivialities to Miriam. From that moment on, Chelsea began to strive tirelessly, fervently absorbing the knowledge found in books, transforming it into power. Seizing every opportunity, she used her intelligence and wit to win Miriam over.