That time, on the way to the countryside.
Bawling her eyes out, Patricia reproached her mother, âMom, look at the mess youâve made! Now weâre being shipped off to the boondocks!â
Xenia was already feeling low, and her daughterâs reproach only made it worse.
âPatri, I can take it from others, but how could you say that to me? Who am I doing all this for, if not you?â
Patricia, at this point, had no patience to understand her mother and retorted, âI know you did it for me, but you didnât help at all. You just made things worse! Mom, we wouldâve been better off admitting our mistakes in front of Grandpa and Grandma; maybe they would have given us another chance instead of sending us off to the countryside!â
Xenia felt a pang in her chest due to her daughterâs words, âNow youâre blaming me? Didnât you also fail to admit your mistake in time? And how could we have admitted it? Once admitted, it becomes something that canât be changed. You wouldnât have a chance to prove your innocence ever again!â
Patricia understood the logic, of course. She just felt that even the worst outcome would be better than being banished to the boonies! She didnât fancy the desolate countryside one bit!
Grandpa said they were to live in the countryside, but he didnât specify for how long. Would they ever be allowed back?
There were so many servants accompanying them on this trip, obviously assigned by Grandpa to keep an eye on them. Once they reached the countryside, they probably wouldnât even have the freedom to leave the mansion!
This was not the life she wanted!
The more she thought about it, the more unwilling Patricia felt, and the more she wanted to cryâ¦
Seeing her daughter cry so bitterly, Xenia, despite her annoyance at Patriciaâs reproach and misunderstanding, still felt a twinge of pity for her. After all, she was relying on Patricia for her future!
So, Xenia patted her daughterâs shoulder, trying to console Patricia, âAll right, all right! No more crying!
Patri nowâs not the time for us to be at each otherâs throats! If we let differences come between us, wouldnât that just make Ellinor happy, giving her a good laugh?â
Hearing her mother mention Ellinor would laugh at them, Patricia tried hard to stop crying. She wouldnât let that detestable Ellinor laugh at herâ¦
She wiped her tears and looked up at her mother, âWhat can we do now? Iâve lost my brotherâs trust and affection, lost the love of my grandparents, the sympathy of my father, and even the opportunity to kidnap Theo. Thereâs no way to turn things around!â
Xenia thought for a moment and checked what the servants around them were doing. Some were on their phones, and others were dozing off. Then, she whispered to her daughter, âI donât have an effective plan to change the situation right now. We need some time to think it over.â
Patricia thought her mother had some new idea, but instead, she heard this useless sentence and frowned. Did her mother really need to whisper such a thing in her ear?
Then, Xenia continued, âThe most important thing now is we absolutely canât be sent to the mansion in the countryside. Once weâre there, weâll surely be watched by your grandfatherâs people!â
Patricia was slightly taken aback. She agreed with her mother but muttered, âBut weâre already on the way!â
Xenia gestured subtly towards the nervous and timid child in the back row, âBaber is here too, isnât he?
We can use himâ¦