Chapter 236: Chapter 236: Reversing Black and White
In her heart, after she was done hating Zachary Preston, Cara Preston turned her hatred toward Vera Xavier. âThis is all Vera Xavierâs fault. I will absolutely not let her get away with this!â
The mother-daughter pair returned to the residential compound just as people were getting off work. The entrance was bustling with people, and the looks they cast at Rona Langdon and Cara Preston made it seem like they were watching a spectacle.
At first, Cara Preston didnât understand why people were looking at her that way, until she overheard a conversation between Grandma Dixon and another elderly woman. "I heard something happened at the Preston familyâs house yesterday. Their younger daughter was locked up in the police station. You live next door to them, is that true?"
"Of course, itâs true. I even heard from a student at No. 1 High School that she was arrested for indecent behavior."
"Youâd never know it to look at her. To think a girl whoâs usually so delicate and gentle would do something like that."
"It just goes to show: you can know a personâs face, but you canât know their heart!"
Seeing Rona Langdon and Cara Preston approach, the two women exchanged a look and fell silent.
Rona Langdon had never liked Grandma Dixon and wanted to storm over to argue with her, but Cara Preston grabbed her arm and stopped her. Rona turned to look back at Cara.
Cara Preston put on an aggrieved expression. "Mom, Sis came from the countryside. First she got a zero on her exams, then her engagement was broken... her reputation is already terrible. If people find out she did something like this, she probably wouldnât be able to live with herself. Iâm just taking the fall for her. I can endure being wronged a little. What matters is that our family knows the truth."
She spoke loudly, as if she wanted the entire world to know she was in this mess because she was covering for Vera Xavier.
Hearing this, the surrounding gawkers grew suspicious. But when they saw her pitiful expression, combined with her well-known talent for putting on an act, a few undiscerning people actually believed her.
Rona Langdon was stunned for a moment before she caught on. "Cara, youâre just too foolish. Itâs one thing to let Vera Xavier have her way all the time, but to cover for her in a matter this serious... Itâs all my fault. I failed to raise Vera properly."
"Itâs alright, Mom," Cara Preston said with a look of utmost sincerity. "Sheâs my sister. Itâs nothing for me to be wronged a little, as long as sheâs okay."
"Youâre just too kind-hearted," Rona Langdon sighed.
The mother-daughter pair continued their conversation as they walked home.
Grandma Dixonâs brow furrowed slightly. The woman beside her asked, "Is what theyâre saying true?"
Grandma Dixon said with a look of contempt, "True? My foot! I hear that mother and daughter bullying Vera Xavier from my house every single day. It doesnât matter if a person isnât pretty, but a black heart is truly unacceptable. And even after all this, theyâre still slinging mud at Vera! I donât know where they get the nerve! I find it baffling, too. Vera is clearly Rona Langdonâs biological daughter, so why does Rona treat her so badly?"
However, there werenât many clear-headed people like Grandma Dixon. Between the mother-daughter duoâs performance and Rona Langdon later telling everyone she met that Cara Preston was only detained for a day because she was taking the fall for Vera Xavier, the truth of the matter became hopelessly muddled amidst the rumors.
The reason some people believed Rona Langdon and Cara Prestonâs lies was simply that, in their eyes, Rona Langdon was Vera Xavierâs biological mother. A motherâs love is boundless; what kind of mother would sabotage her own daughter?
When Cara Preston got back to the Preston house, she wanted to find a doctor to look at her injuries, but Rona Langdon immediately shot her down. "No money! Youâre not seeing a doctor."
Bonus Scene:
Vera Xavier (scornfully): Cara Preston, have you no shame?
Cara Preston (laughing): Shame? Whatâs that worth? Can you eat it?
Author (laughing): Cara Preston, youâve offended Vera, which means youâve offended Nathaniel. And offending Nathaniel means youâve offended me. Your days are numbered, hmph!
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