Chapter 38

Elsa clasped her hands in desperation. “It’s not like that. I was just worried about Jeremiah yesterday. I heard he’d returned home, so I went to comfort him,” she explained hurriedly. “Also, I didn’t mean to tell Mr. Cornell about it. He was talking to me, and I accidentally let it slip.”

As she spoke, Elsa’s eyes reddened, and she looked at me with tears in her eyes. “Jane, I didn’t mean to talk bad about you behind your back. I really didn’t mean it!”

She lowered her head and began to sob softly. The sound of her crying added to the irritation bubbling inside me. I hadn’t even said anything yet. Wasn’t it a bit too early to shed tears? There were always people who would fall for Elsa’s poor, crying act.

Jack quickly sat next to Elsa, holding her shoulder and gently rubbing it. “It’s okay. You didn’t mean it, and we won’t blame you,” he assured her.

I shot him a wordless glare. I was the victim here! How could he forgive her on my behalf? How shameless could he be?

Once Elsa stopped crying, Jack looked up at me. “Why were you so harsh? Elsa already said she didn’t do it on purpose,” he said disapprovingly.

I rolled my eyes. “Are you nuts? When was I harsh with her? Did I do something wrong by stating the truth? She’s in her twenties, and all she knows how to do is cry. Does she really think she’s some pitiful damsel in distress with a pretty face?”

I couldn’t help but look at Elsa’s face closely. I snorted in disdain and shook my head. “Unfortunately, she’s not pretty enough for that to work.” Actually, when Elsa first came to the Browns from the orphanage, she was malnourished for a long time. She was skinny and tanned, with a sickly complexion. She had very low self-esteem and was often ridiculed at school. At that time, I always encouraged her.

Knowing she cared so much about her appearance, I gave her a lot of expensive skincare products and helped her sign up at several beauty salons when we were adults.

Who would have thought she would use that very face to seduce my husband?

If I was going to insult her, I might as well go for her jugular.

Elsa was stunned, her face draining of all color. She helplessly looked at Jack. “Jack, I…”

Jack shot me a warning glare and quickly comforted her, saying she was the prettiest, as if comforting a child.

I snickered dismissively. Mom suddenly gave my hand a sharp tap. “That’s enough. Don’t be rude, and stop bullying your sister. Right now, we need to focus on more important matters.”

Dad had a dark look on his face. “Quinton can be pretty extreme. Since he’s made such threats, he’ll be sure to follow through…” he said slowly. “Even though the partnership was canceled, the Cornells are still short on money. If we offer them some goodies, I’m sure we can buy their silence.”

“That’ll work,” Mom nodded in agreement and turned to me. “You shouldn’t get involved in this. Leave this to your father and me. Time is of the essence, and we should head to the Cornells’ home now.”

Looking at how much they cared about me and protected me, warmth surged through my heart.

As Mom stood up, I quickly pulled her back down. I wrapped my arms around her neck, resting my head on her shoulder. “Mom, don’t go. You already have a lot on your plate, and you don’t need to worry about this too. I know what to do,” I said gently.

Jack scoffed. “We were lucky you didn’t bring the entire roof down on us. What could you possibly do? Stop with this fake bravado. You’ll only ruin the Browns’ reputation. I think it’s better if Mom and Dad handle this.”

Dad agreed, saying, “Exactly. You’re just a young woman. How can you possibly go up against Quinton, that sly old fox?”

Chapter 30