Chapter 14 An Outsider
Willard’s expression turned dark and grim.
Finished
After a moment, he steadied himself, putting on the demeanor of a family head, his tone softening. “Charmaine, I understand that the birthday banquet and the earlier misunderstanding may have upset you, and you’re a little unpleasant. What can I do to make it up to you? A new handbag? A dress?”
As he spoke, he gestured for the butler to return Charmaine’s luggage to her room.
Uninterested in watching any further, Valda instructed the house staff to help her back to her room.
“Mr. Nelson!”
Charmaine raised her voice, meeting Willard’s astonished gaze. She enunciated each word with clarity.
“Do
you think what happened tonight was just ‘a little unpleasant?”
Willard noticed that Charmaine was still being defiant, and his patience began to wear thin. “Charmaine, if you have something to’say, let’s talk in the study. There are too many people here …”
“The more people, the better. Let everyone witness this
“Charmaine, you’re being unreasonable! Haven’t you caused enough trouble tonight?”
Trouble?
They still thought I was the one causing trouble?
“Three strange men were found in the guest room during the birthday banquet, and your wife, sons, and adopted daughter barged in, accusing me without even knowing the facts, claiming I was involved with them. Did anyone care to ask if I had been harmed?
“Without any evidence, you insisted I pushed Leah down the stairs. Wouldn’t anyone else in this situation be thankful their child wasn’t hurt?
“You keep talking about compensating me. Tell me, what compensation have the Nelsons ever given me? By making me endure these twisted, disgusting ordeals”
Charmaine casually remarked, “Please, no more compensation; it’s revolting.”
Willard’s face turned ashen at her words, especially the last sentence, which was nothing short of humiliating.
The faces of the Nelsons also darkened in unison.
“Fine, leave if you want!”
Valda, seething with anger, pounded the armrest of her chair, the thumping echoing loudly.
“You dare boast about cutting ties with us, with the Nelsons, as if you have any pride left? We won’t keep a Scourge like you around!”
Charmaine was more than happy with that, and she turned to Alec. “Where’s the disownment document?”
Alec pressed his lips together tightly and said nothing.
“Alright then, I won’t trouble the esteemed prosecutor hy longer.”
Florshed
Charmaine downloaded a template from the internet, connected to the printer, and printed out the document.
Efficiently, she picked up the still–warm paper from the machine, uncapped a pen, and swiftly signed her
name.
She handed the disownment letter to Willard. “Mr. Nelson, from now on, we owe each other nothing.”
Willard gripped the paper tightly, then, after a tense pause, finally took it. His voice was heavy as he uttered, “Fine.”
Charmaine picked up her bag and walked out without looking back.
Just as she was about to step out of the Nelsons‘ grand hall, Leah’s timid and hesitant voice sounded softly behind her. “Do you really want to sever ties with the family, Chara? Is it because of the owner of that Maybach?”
Charmaine halted in her tracks.
She turned her head and saw shock and disgust written across the faces of the Nelsons.
Once again, with just one sentence from Leah, they immediately pinned a crime on her.
What was this?
To put it bluntly, it was like watching someone trapped in a vicious cycle, unable to break free from their destructive patterns.
“Charmaine, what sort of unsavory people have you been associating with outside?” Olympia, who was unaware of this matter, became visibly upset.
Milo sneered, “Mom, unsavory people? She’s riding in a Maybach. It must be some old man, right?”
Willard was so furious that he trembled.
In the Eragos, anyone who could drive a Maybach was someone he’d met at his social gatherings. And every one of them was over fifty, just like him.
His own daughter was actually…
Willard gritted his teeth. “Shameless!”
“At least I don’t have a bunch of sons with no blood relation living under my roof, acting overly fantiliar with an adopted daughter.
“If we’re talking about shamelessness, the Nelsons beat me by far.”
With just one retort, Willard’s temple throbbed, and the faces of the other Nelson family members stiffened as well.
Charmaine no longer paid attention to these irrelevant people. She turned and left without a hint of
hesitation.
Leah, watching the reactions of the Nelson family, felt a pang in her heart.
She lowered her head, as if she had been deeply humiliated but was powerless to change anything, lamenting softly,
“I thought that even if I’m not related by blood, I could still be siblings with my brothers, still respect Mom and Dad and Grandma…
As she spoke, Leah clenched her hands tightly, gripping her clothes in frustration and sorrow. “But in the end, I’m just an outsider, after all.”
