Chapter 264: Disowning George
That evening, the Quixall family sat down for dinner. Only Yelena remained on her knees, her eyes fixed on the floor, ignoring the food entirely. George glanced at her, a cold smirk playing on his lips. “I suppose the Quixall family’s meals just can’t compare to the Xiques’. Even if we laid out a royal banquet, I doubt it’d be good enough for some people.”
Yelena remained silent, as if George didn’t even exist. George’s fury deepened, but out of pride, he said nothing more. He quickly finished his meal before retreating to his study and burying himself in work.
Deborah, her heart aching for her daughter, approached Yelena and coaxed, “Yelena, why don’t you apologize to your father? Just show a little humility, and he’ll calm down. We’re family, so why let it get so tense?”
Yelena’s eyes were icy, her voice biting. “Has he ever treated me like family? Let me make this clear. If he doesn’t kneel down and apologize to me, I’m done. I’ll never acknowledge him as my father again.” She was too furious to think before speaking.
The housekeeper, nearby, overheard the exchange and immediately lowered her gaze, pretending she hadn’t heard a thing. Deborah shot a hard look toward the housekeeper, her voice icy with authority. “Not a word of this to Mr. Quixall. Understood?” The housekeepers nodded in unison, not daring to lift their heads.
After a lengthy and fruitless attempt to reason with her daughter, Deborah finally gave up, her efforts thwarted by Yelena’s stubbornness. Left with no other choice, she retreated to her room.
At midnight, Jesse was called to his father’s study. George said solemnly, “Jesse, the daughter of the Yardley family has been causing me trouble. I need you to revise the post you sent out. Just tell the truth, and she might finally leave our family alone.”
Jesse frowned, clearly troubled. “Dad… but the fire started because Yelena was cooking and forgot to watch the pot. It burned dry. Do we really need to tell others about this?”
George froze. Until now, he had only heard about Yelena’s disrespect toward Chelsea, unaware that Jesse’s post was connected to her in any way. So, does this mean Jesse lied publicly to cover for his sister?
George’s expression softened. “Jesse, you’re a good kid, always putting family first. I know you left with your sister because you were worried about her. That’s why I didn’t hold it against you.” He paused, then suggested, “Here’s what we’ll do. Just say a stray cat urinated on the socket and caused the fire. This will clear things up for the public and keep our family out of it.”
That way, they could satisfy Chelsea’s demand, clarify the incident to the public, and distance Yelena from the matter—all while protecting the Quixall family’s reputation.
Jesse gave a small nod. “Alright, I’ll go and clear things up right away.”
“Yeah. I saw her when I went to get a drink. She’s still there. Hasn’t moved.”
George was silent for a long moment, then finally spoke. “Go tell her she can get up. And bring the first-aid kit. Make sure her injuries are treated properly. I won’t have her disgracing this family by looking like a wreck in public.”
Jesse was momentarily stunned but nodded in agreement. “All right, I’ll take care of it shortly.”
Did I hear that right? Yelena’s going to turn on us, and Dad’s forgiving her just like that? If that’s the case…
The faint smile on Jesse’s face faded as he quietly closed the door behind him and walked away.
The next day, he updated his post: Hey everyone, no need to keep guessing. The “guest” I mentioned was actually a little rascal—a stray cat, to be exact. It ended up urinating on an electrical socket, which caused the fire at my place. Please be kind with your comments. Let’s not hurt anyone unintentionally, okay?