Chapter 39
âElizabethâŠare you still mad?â
Linda approached cautiously, looking very much like someone who had been wronged to the extreme by Elizabeth.
âWhat will it take for you to forgive me?â
Linda continued, âItâs my fault. I saw the dress Mom bought for you earlier, and itâs not the one youâre wearing now. Thatâs why everyone thought you were wearing a knock-off.â
âI had no idea Mom bought you a new one later on.â
Her implicit suggestion was that her parents favored Elizabeth more and treated her badly.
This made some of their friends feel sympathetic toward Linda.
After all, due to the knock-off dress fiasco, they felt that Linda had embarrassed them in front of Peter, and so harbored some resentment against her.
âMom didnât buy it,â Elizabeth calmly clarified.
Linda replied, âYou donât have to worry about me being jealous. Youâre Momâs biological daughter; naturally, sheâd treat you well.â
Their friends couldnât help but admire Lindaâs supposed kindness and grace.
Seeing Linda like this, Lily snapped, âWeâve already apologized. What more do you want? How were we supposed to know Lady Wilson would secretly switch your dress without telling Linda?â
She muttered under her breath, âHonestly, youâre just some commoner from the countryside, completely wasting that beautiful dress. If you hadnât come back, all of this wouldâve belonged to Linda.â
Though Elizabeth was their distant relative, it was Linda whom theyâd grown up with and felt closer to.
âLily!â Linda bit her lip, her face a mix of restraint and grievance, âWhat did you promise me? Didnât we agree that we need to make my sister forgive us? Why are you still saying things like this?â
Lily, resentful, shot back, âThatâs her fault! If sheâs wearing the real deal, why didnât she say so sooner? Sheâs intentionally making us the laughingstock.â
âBecause youâre playing deaf,â Elizabeth remarked, rather uninterested in their performance.
Linda Wilson gave a bitter smile and said, âElizabeth, canât you forgive me? Have I disappointed you that much? Iâve decided that once I graduate from high school, Iâll move out and stop being a burden to you.â
âLinda!â Lily exclaimed in surprise, âWhat are you talking about? Why should you be the one to leave? Youâre the most innocent one here.â
She turned her gaze toward Elizabeth, her voice tinged with mockery, âYouâre really good at pretending. Oh, I heard you want to enroll in Sunny Heights High School. Youâve got a lot of nerve. With your abilities, it would take lifetimes for you to get in.â
The friends who were listening couldnât help but chuckle. Was Elizabeth bragging? Really?
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and lazily asked, âYouâre also a student at Sunny Heights?â
âOf course,â Lily proudly said, standing tall.
Elizabeth asked, âWhatâs your rank?â
Without thinking, Lily replied, âLast place, althoughâŠâ
âWhatâs there to be proud of?â
Elizabeth interrupted, her face full of disdain, âYouâre last place, and youâre proud?â
Had she been her student, she would have made her write lines ten thousand times.
The crowd burst into involuntary laughter.
Really, what was there to be proud of for being last?
Lily was speechless.
Damn it, Iâm pissed off!
At the same time, Elizabeth spotted a woman entering her line of sight.
Her gaze paused for a moment before she walked over to the woman.
Feeling ignored, Lindaâs face darkened. She watched the direction Elizabeth was heading, hooked up a corner of her mouth into a smile, and followed.
Elizabeth approached the woman and tugged lightly on her sleeve, âHello.â
Seeing Elizabethâs action, Sir and Lady Wilson both froze.
Jack went silent; the humor that had been in his eyes slowly faded. He looked at Elizabeth with skepticism and a trace of barely perceptible tension.
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