In truth, Clarissa was more amused by the situation than Ellie was.
Her conscience was clear as she did nothing wrong. Regardless of whether it was at school or work, she had never made a mistake.
Just because she fell in love with Matthew, she had to be humiliated and ridiculed by her elders despite her innocence.
Where’s the justice in that?
Clarissa sneered, interrupting Margaret and catching everyone’s attention.
However, her expression remained calm as usual.
“Mrs. Tyson, I grew up in a small city where my father died while I was young and my mother remarried. Is it wrong to be born into such a family? I lived with my Grandma and we depended on each other for our livelihood. Although life was tough, there’s nothing wrong with it. Despite not being able to afford university, I managed to get a scholarship and study loan with my excellent grades. After I graduated, I quickly paid off my student debt. Is there any fault in that? I excelled in my job too. Despite not being filthy rich, I can still afford to buy my own house and car while taking care of my grandma. Is there anything wrong with that?”
Her explanation was calm and undemanding.
However, her clear conscience radiated out of her eyes and exposed the hypocrisy of others.
After a brief silence, Margaret replied, “I’m not saying it’s your fault, but given your background, you aren’t…”
“If there’s nothing wrong with being born into such an environment, why do you then have to ridicule and humiliate me? Must I be looked down upon by you just because I’m poor?”
“Clarissa Quigley, how can you speak so rudely?”
Shermaine couldn’t help but intervene but Clarissa shot her a cold piercing glare.
“I’m speaking to Mrs. Tyson now. What has it got to do with you?”
“You…”
Before Shermaine could react, Clarissa continued her tirade, “Perhaps, you might not see the point in what I said and find it preposterous. But, I just want to let you know that my conscience is clear and I am worthy of Matthew.”
“Well said!”
Ellie couldn’t help but clap causing Yuliana to glare at her.
However, she wasn’t bothered as she only cared about voicing her support for Clarissa.
“I have said my piece. If your intention is for me to leave Matthew, I can only say that there’s no reason for us to break up, unless Matthew himself decides to do so.”
With that, she turned around and walked out.
“Stop where you are…”
Margaret was persistent as she called out from behind. However, Clarissa had walked out of the Tyson residence.
Ellie quickly caught up with her as she didn’t intend to stay back with her family a second longer.
There was no point in doing so as they were just too stubborn. Ellie felt that Matthew was right not to tell them and it would be better if none of her family attended the wedding.
After getting into the car, the emotions that Clarissa held at bay earlier began to manifest. Her eyes reddened as she looked out the window, not saying a word.
Meanwhile, Ellie felt so awkward that she didn’t know what to say.
After all, those were her family, and nothing she said would come out right.
After a while, Clarissa managed to calm down and turned to Ellie. “Don’t tell Matthew about what happened today. He seems to be dealing with something major overseas, and I’m afraid it will only cause him to worry further. I’ll tell him myself when he returns.”
“Alright. I’m sorry, Clare.”
Ellie apologized as that was the only thing she could say.
Clarissa smiled. “What are you apologizing for? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I’m apologizing on behalf of my family.”
“There’s no need for that as you can’t speak for them anyway. Besides, there’s no way they would apologize to me either.”
Ellie understood what Clarissa meant and didn’t apologize any further.
After Ellie dropped Clarissa back at Zen Highlands, she drove back to the Tyson residence alone.
She was surprised to still see Shermaine there when she returned, causing her to feel disgusted and wary at the same time.
After all, Clarissa and her were suspicious of Shermaine as it wasn’t hard to imagine her plotting something vicious.
“What did you come back for? Didn’t you leave with her?” Margaret remarked with a hint of jealousy.
When Ellie wanted to retort, she noticed how Shermaine was fawning upon Margaret and suddenly realized that she should adapt her approach accordingly.
With that, she sat beside Margaret and held onto her arm. She changed her demeanor into one of childlike playfulness.
“Grandma, I wasn’t going to leave with her. This is my home. Even if I left, I’m still your granddaughter, aren’t I?”
Margaret’s angry expression ease a little as Ellie was still her granddaughter after all.
“You don’t seem to care about me anymore when you spoke out for Clarissa earlier. Aren’t you angry at her for deceiving you for such a long time?”
Briefly stunned, Ellie glanced at Shermaine and explained, “Grandma, my feelings are only to be shared with family. I don’t think it’s appropriate to wash dirty linen in public, isn’t it?”
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