"The daughters of the Carter Family have the right to be proud." Old Sir Carter was furious. "What I despise about Jillian Carter is that she was dealt a good hand but played it into a disastrous mess. Sheâs incompetent, but her temper is big. Sheâs malicious, yet lacks skill. Sheâs the type of person who is both evil and stupid. If she were just evil, but smart enough, that might be passable. But the problem isâsheâs so stupid itâs infuriating."
Granny Carter chimed in, "Sheâs almost completely destroyed the Carter Familyâs reputation."
Old Sir Carter continued, "To save Jillian Carterâs dignity, your dad didnât explicitly tell you the reason for his anger."
"What is it?" James Carter was genuinely unaware there was more to the story. He assumed his father and mother shared the same disappointment in Jillianâs selfishness and willfulness.
"It seems you really donât know the reason why she targeted Jane Sampson, the actor." Granny Carter let out a mocking laugh. "Jane Sampsonâs husband saved her life a few years ago, and your sister fell for this hero who saved her life. The reason sheâs targeting Jane Sampson is nothing more than her wanting to steal the man from Jane Sampsonâs hands!"
"The man saved her life, and yet she wants to tear apart his family. She shamelessly wants to be the third party ruining a marriageâand worse, she aims to disgrace our Carter Family. This is the real reason your father can no longer tolerate her recklessness in Capital Province," Granny Carter said. "Her lifesaver became someone she wanted desperately to repay by using her own body, any means necessary."
James Carter felt his head roaring, as if something in his brain had instantly collapsed.
"How could this be?" James Carter was utterly shocked.
Jillian Carter knew Jane Sampson had a husband, she knew Jane Sampsonâs husband was the defender, and she even knew Jane Sampson and her husband had a strong relationship. How could she still have these thoughts?
"Exactlyâhow could a daughter of the Carter Family be so shameless?" Grandpa Carter sneered. "If she isnât properly disciplined, she wonât even realize what a grave mistake sheâs made!"
"Even now, she still throws tantrums every time she sees Jane Sampson on the TV," Granny Carter stated bluntly. "Until the day she truly understands her actions, leaving is out of the question."
James Carter found that none of the words he had prepared to persuade them could be spoken.
If it were merely about past events, or if his grandparents had some bias against his sister due to him, then as the person involved, he could still try to mediate and bring Jillian back home.
But if what his grandparents claimed was trueâif Jillian Carterâs actions against Jane Sampson were all because she wanted to steal Jane Sampsonâs husbandâthen James Carter couldnât find any reason to bring Jillian back home.
Leaving morality aside, just considering the fact that Jane Sampson was his good friend, James could never bear to see her marriage wrecked, let alone accept that the perpetrator was his own sister.
Jillian Carterâs intentions left James Carter feeling so ashamed that he couldnât even face Jane Sampson.
Thinking about Jane Sampsonâs attitude toward Jillian Carter, James Carter wondered if Jane might already be aware of Jillianâs thoughts.
"When I call Jillian Carter stupid, itâs not because of prejudice," Grandpa Carter said coldly. "Even if she succeedsâif she destroys a marriage, if Jane Sampson ultimately gives up and lets herself goâtheyâd still gain nothing good out of it. Moreover, even if she manages to succeed, all it proves is that she stole a man whoâs no better than trash from another woman. A man who could be snatched away by her doesnât deserve to be called the son-in-law of the Carter Family."