Jared was both amused and annoyed by her reply. He said, “How can you possibly embarrass yourself in my presence? This is part of your job, so you have to go with me.”
Ellen blinked her eyes before asking for confirmation, “Do I really have to go with you?” “Yes, you have to,” Jared asserted in an authoritative tone.
Ellen nodded. Mustering up her courage, she replied, “Okay, I’ll go with you.” At the end of the dinner, Jared drove her home, telling her on the way to go to bed early and be careful while living alone.
Ellen got out of his car after they arrived downstairs outside her neighborhood. She said with a wave of her hand, “Drive safely on your way home.”
Jared told her to enter the neighborhood first. After she had safely entered the neighborhood, he finally made a U-turn and left.
When Ellen returned home and saw how clean and cozy it looked after being tidied, she couldn’t help curling her lips into a smile. Recalling how the man even helped her make the bed, she felt both embarrassed and warm at the same time.
Just then, her cell phone rang. Who would call me at such a late hour? she wondered. She picked up the phone, only to see that it was a phone call from Olivia. Her heart clenched. Don’t tell me she’s gonna give me a dressing- down! Knowing that she couldn’t escape from being chastised, she braced herself and answered the phone. “Hi, Aunt Olivia”
“Ellen, all Lena did was break that lousy thing of yours to pieces, no? How dare you hit her and pull her by the hair for that? Don’t you have the slightest respect for her? She’s your cousin!” Olivia yelled angrily in a reproving tone of voice. Moreover, she even put the blame on Ellen without listening to her side of the story.
Before Ellen could answer, she warned her, “I’m telling you, Ellen, if you dare lay a hand on Lena again, I won’t let you get away with it! I was kind enough to keep you and your brother back then, but little did I think you’d grow up to become such an ingrate! I really regret it!”
Seeing how Olivia talked about her kindness in fostering her and her brother, Ellen had no choice but to reply, “Aunt Olivia, I admit that what happened was partly my fault, but it wasn’t my fault alone. Selena was in the wrong, too.”
Olivia replied, “Ellen, Lena has told me everything. You’ve got Young Master Jared at. your back, so you’re turning your nose up at everyone right now, huh? Did you ever think about who was the one that got you into the Presgrave Group? It was your uncle who pulled
strings to get you into the company, remember? If it weren’t for our family, you’d probably be working as a waiter in some obscure place now! How ungrateful!” She let out a sneer. “Don’t you worry that you’ll get your comeuppance for that?”
After she finished her speech, Selena snatched the phone from her, saying, “Mom, let me talk to her.” She then said to the other end of the line, “Ellen, I want you to apologize to me.”
Hearing that it was Selena, Ellen bit her lip, saying, “I won’t apologize to you.”
“It was thanks to my dad that you got into the Presgrave Group. If not for my dad, you wouldn’t have gotten to know President Presgrave. Without my dad, your resettlement compensation would’ve been taken by others long ago. Ellen, as long as you apologize to me, I can forget about this.” Selena just wanted to see Ellen bow down to her.
“That’s a different matter, Selena. What about my wound?”
Selena replied haughtily. “That little wound of yours is nothing. Also, how much is that thing. of yours? I’ll pay you for that, but you have to apologize to me.”
“I won’t apologize to you,” Ellen said stubbornly.
Selena threatened, “You… Fine, don’t come to my place anymore. My parents won’t look after you anymore either. From now on, you’re on your own!” The words on your own pricked Ellen’s heart.
Just then, Olivia took the phone back from Selena. “Ellen, your parents died early, so we fostered you and your brother out of pity. Now that you’ve grown up, you don’t obey us anymore. Not only are you unfilial to us, but you even hit my daughter. Who would dare to marry an ungrateful lady like you in the future? Your husband’s family will kick you out if they learn about this.”
These words didn’t sound unpleasant to the ear, but they were as hurtful as a curse.
Olivia then threatened, “I’m telling you, don’t seek us for help in the future when you need your elders to back you up. We don’t have such a heartless niece. Either you apologize to my daughter, or we’ll sever our relations with you.”
Ellen’s heart twinged; she felt an overwhelming. pressure weighing down on her.
