Everyone thought I had lost my mind. They assumed I had groveled for Irvin for so long, only to be met with rejection, that I had finally snapped and had a mental breakdown.
It wasn’t long before news of my supposed breakdown spread through the scions‘ group
chats.
Somewhere along the line, the story got twisted into a tale of how I had been humiliated and insulted at the birthday celebration, causing me to break down and cry uncontrollably because Irvin hadn’t attended.
When Irvin saw these rumors, he concluded that I had been spoiled beyond reason that I’d rather endure humiliation and a public breakdown than swallow my pride and ask for his forgiveness.
He cursed under his breath, grabbed his jacket, and stormed out of the club.
Due to my outburst and unfiltered retorts, those who had come to mock me at the banquet no longer dared to do so openly. The event’s atmosphere remained decent enough.
My parents kept giving me warning looks throughout the evening, silently reminding me not. to forget their instructions. Still, perhaps out of some lingering respect toward Grandma, they refrained from openly chastising me.
They still wanted Grandma to enjoy her birthday in peace.
Everything was going smoothly. Grandma was beaming with joy and was just about to cut the cake when Irvin arrived–with Julianne on his arm.
The crowd, which had been relatively subdued, instantly erupted into murmurs and whispers.
Irvin hadn’t attended such an important event with me, his wife, yet here he was, accompanying Julianne. It was akin to him stomping on my pride in front of eryone, crushing it into the ground.
It was also a blatant statement to the onlookers that I meant nothing to him–not even as much as a dog. After all, even dogs were occasionally given affection and some shred of dignity.
“I heard Emilia and Ms. Sinclair were kidnapped together, and Mr. Sawyer didn’t hesitate to save Ms. Sinclair. I didn’t believe it before, but now I do.”
“Emilia truly means nothing to Mr. Sawyer!”
“She deserves this for forcing herself between two lovers when she’s clearly unwanted!”
“Yeah, I heard that too. Mr. Sawyer and Ms. Sinclair grew up together. Before Ms. Sinclair was adopted by the Quill family, she lived in Mr. Sawyer’s house.
“Didn’t Mr. Sawyer and Ms. Sinclair grow up as childhood sweethearts? If Emilia hadn’t thrown her money around and forced him to marry her when he was down and out, those two
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Chapter 11:
would’ve been living happily together long ago!
“Tsk, tsk, I’ve seen shameless people, but never anyone as shameless as her. Forcing her way between two people in love is already despicable, but she still won’t step aside now that their feelings are so obvious! She insists on being the third wheel!”
“She’s just clinging to a title she doesn’t deserve. Why didn’t the kidnappers just get rid of her to spare everyone the trouble?”
The voices around me weren’t loud, but they weren’t quiet either. I could hear every word, and so could Grandma, who was standing beside me.
She was already upset that Irvin had shown up to such an important occasion with Julianne, openly embarrassing me. But when she overheard the remarks about my kidnapping, her face. darkened even further.
I quickly tried to calm her. “Grandma, I’m fine. The kidnappers only locked me up for one night, and I managed to escape on my own.
She looked at me, her eyes full of pain and doubt. Her gaze seemed to say, “If it were truly that simple, and if nothing had happened, why haven’t you come to see me in so long?”
I was grateful that my face had been untouched despite my injuries. It allowed me to find a believable excuse to reassure her.
“I didn’t visit sooner because I was devastated by his choice. I didn’t want you to suffer with me. I only dared to return after adjusting my mindset and completely giving up on him.”
Since I genuinely appeared to have let go of Irvin and was no longer consumed by emotional dependency, Grandma believed me.
However, seeing Irvin arrive with Julianne to deliberately humiliate me on her birthday still made her furious. She grabbed the knife meant for cutting the cake and hurled it at Irvin.
“Get out! My birthday has no place for a heartless creature like you!”
She was genuinely enraged. I had given everything to support Irvin and help him reach his current position, yet this was how he treated me
Grandma truly loved me.
It was worth noting that Irvin was now the wealthiest man in Claudeville, so he was someone no one dared to offend. People wouldn’t even say a disrespectful word to him in Claudeville, let alone make a move against him.
Even my parents, who cherished their adopted daughter Julianne as Irvin’s beloved, wouldn’t dare to displease him in the slightest.
When they saw Grandma throw a knife at Irvin–even if it was just a plastic cake knife–they broke into a cold sweat. They immediately scolded her for “acting recklessly” and rushed over to apologize profusely to Irvin.
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Seeing their groveling and sycophantic behavior only made Grandma angrier. “The two of you, get out too! I’ve never seen parents like you!
“Your own daughter was humiliated, and you debase yourselves with apologies instead of standing up for her! The Quill family has no place for people like you!”
