âIâm sure everyone now knows that Aunt Isabelle is Yvonneâs mom. Although Yvonne isnât Uncle Nathanâs daughter, I still grew up with her, and Yvonne had been nothing but kind to me. I feel sorry for the things Iâve done in the past, and Iâm happy that Yvonne chose to forgive me. I could never have finished the painting if Yvonne didnât encourage me to do so. Iâm glad that I have the opportunity to talk to all of you here.â Crystal held onto Isabelleâs arm with a calm expression.
âExactly. Crystal is a good kid, and those rumors about her were too exaggerated. People misunderstood her because they didnât know her well. Iâve been spending time with Crystal ever since I came back, and I could tell that sheâs a kind-hearted young girl. Itâs just that everyone expects her to be perfect because sheâs like an idol figure to the public.â
Isabelle continued saying with a smile, âI believe itâs more important for her to learn from her mistakes. Itâs unfair to dismiss her based on the rumors alone. I believe she will be a great artist in the future.â
âMrs. Goldstein, do you mean that Ms. Goldstein has forgiven Ms. Yates for snatching her husband and her spot? Isnât that a stretch?â one of the journalists asked a provocative question.
âNot at all. Anyone who came in contact with Crystal would know that sheâs not a bad person. Besides, evidence can be falsified, and the truth can be fabricated too. Things are not always what they seem to be on the surface. Do you understand me?â
Isabelleâs expression darkened as she made it clear that she was defending Crystal.
While I stood there listening to her praises for Crystal, the glint in my eyes dimmed bit by bit. Those things that she mentioned were all traumatic wounds that I never dared to bring up. But somehow, she made them sound irrelevant.
That made me wonder if those painful experiences were even worth going through. I was never a vengeful person, but I was still human. Even if I chose not to take revenge, that wouldnât mean that Iâd somehow stop hating on Crystal. Moreover, I would never forgive her.
âIsnât it weird to see Isabelleâs attitude toward Crystal? It doesnât seem like her to be this forgiving. At least, she wasnât that merciful when she was trying to bring down the Tanner family.â It was rare for Christopher to analyze the situation with a frown instead of offering me some comforting words.
âSo you noticed it too. Thereâs something I didnât tell you. I helped Yvette with something previously, and she told me about this. Back then, I thought she was trying to sow discord between Mom and me. However, reality proves that she was right. Mom really adores Crystal,â I said with a gloomy expression.
âSo, Isabelle was the one who asked you to give the painting to Crystal.â Christopher frowned in confusion. âSomething is fishy.â
I had never told Christopher about this, and I responded with a nod. âYouâre surprised, arenât you? I find it hard to believe that sheâs treating Crystal this well. It feels like I can no longer understand my mom.â
âSomething does not feel right. Could it beâ¦â Christopher suddenly growled in a low voice. He turned around and looked at me. Upon seeing my gloomy expression, he swallowed his words and patted me on the head. âPerhaps Iâm reading too much into this situation. The chances of that are close to zero.â
âWhat?â I was puzzled.
âNothing.â He shook his head. âYour mom treated you well during your childhood, didnât she?â
âShe did. Those days made up my happiest memories.â
With that, the crowd dispersed, and my mood to go out on a date was gone too. Momâs attitude this time was no different from Nathan defending Crystal back then. The only difference was that Nathan slandered me, but Mom didnât.
Both of them adored Crystal so much.
But why Crystal?
I had been asking myself this question countless times.