Chapter 642
The Hartleys were the real deal, the creme de la creme, sitting on a fortune that left the other three big families of Riverton in the dust. Cornelia was well aware of this. If sheâd known that Jeremy was actually Marcus, she might not have tied the knot with him But, since she did say âI doâ, and that they were legally hitched, the gap in their status couldnât be a roadblock in their marital journey.
Cornelia was done arguing with Clair, âMrs Reese, Iâll text you my bank account number. If the compensation ainât in my account by six this afternoon, youâre on your ownâ
âYou think Iâm gonna cough up a penny for you? Dream on Clair wasnât keen on parting with her dough, but she knew she had to pony up now
Before she could finish, Cornelia hung up the phone. Looking at the âcall endedâ on her screen, she was so ticked off she wanted to throw her phone against the wall.
Having been given a hard time by Cornelia, Clair turned her fury on Natalia, âTell me, did you deliberately let the cameras catch you slipping the necklace into that womanâs bag last night?â
Natalia sat expressionless on the sofa, staring blankly at the door, seemingly not hearing Clairâs interrogation.
Seeing Nataliaâs apathetic demeanor, Clair got angrier, âNatalia, Iâm talking to you. Are you even listening?â
Tve already said it wasnât me. Why do you keep grilling me? If you only want to hear me say âyesâ, whatâs the point of questioning me?â Natalia stared out the window, not Turning around
She knew they just wanted her to confess, then shift all the blame for last night onto her. In the past, although Cameron hit and cursed at her, she didnât feel hopeless because she believed she had her parentsâ support and that one day theyâd stand up for her.
But last night, due to Marcusâ intervention, their scheme was exposed, and they had to apologize to Cornelia After the guests left, her father had her face the press, admitting that sheâd masterminded and executed the fake necklace and theft incidents. They scripted her lines, had her memorize them, then filmed a video
So, last nightâs setâup turned into her attempt to frame and slander Cornelia, and her mother chose to take the blame to protect her daughter. Once the video was released, all fingers would point at her, and they knew better than she did about the media backlash sheâd face.
But they didnât give a damn. It dawned on her that they didnât care about her. She was a nonentity in this family. When the storm came, not only wouldnât they be her shelter, theyâd even rip apart the umbrella she used to fend off the rain.
Clair was provoked by Nataliaâs words, raising her voice, âWhat did you say?â
After last nightâs incident, Granger punished her by not letting her sleep for a whole night, and Cameron also mocked her mercilessly. Todayâs online media painted her as a vain creature, and Cornelia also insulted her. Now, even her own daughter, the only person she could manipulate, was ignoring her.
This feeling of being abandoned by the world drove Clair off the deep end, and she slapped Natalia in the face.