Chapter 28
Samuel chuckled softly. “Don’t worry, he’s definitely reliable.”
He paused for a moment, then added, “Elena, I’m not trying to force this marriage alliance on you. I just want you to leave Justin before it’s too late. When you come back, try to get along with the match I’ve chosen for you. If it doesn’t work out, then it’s fine.”
“Okay, Dad. I understand,” Elena said with a smile. “But… You still haven’t told me who it is.”
Samuel let out a laugh. “Almost forgot… He’s…”
Before Samuel could finish his sentence, a voice suddenly called out nearby, sounding urgent.
“I can’t talk now, there’s something going on at the office. I have to go check it out. We can talk later.”
With that, he hurriedly ended the call.
Elena sighed, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
There was no rush-she could take her time getting to know her match for the marriage alliance once she got home.
Staring at the dimming phone screen, a sense of disorientation washed over her. It had been so long since she had a proper conversation with Samuel.
She had been so foolish back then.
After taking a shower and lying in bed, Elena couldn’t fall asleep.
Hours later, she finally drifted off, only to jerk awake in the middle of the night. The nightmare returned- the car accident from two years ago.
Sitting up, she gasped for air, sweat beading her forehead. That nightmare made it impossible for her to
rest.
Elena changed clothes and left her bedroom. She wanted to take a walk.
The neighborhood was an upscale residential area with top-notch security, so even a late-night walk
outside would be perfectly safe for her.
The living room was pitch black, but light spilled out from the balcony. At this hour, Elena wondered who
could still be out there.
“Mom, why are you calling me out here in the middle of the night? I’m about to go to sleep…” Nadine’s
sleepy voice drifted down from the balcony.
“You… How much more do I have to worry about you?” Josephine’s voice rang out.
It was a late-night heart-to-heart between mother and daughter.
Elena paused, about to leave, but Josephine’s next words made her stop in her tracks.
“You and your brother… You two had better behave!”
Elena clenched her fingers tightly, trying to make sense of what those words meant.
Nadine began, “Mom…”
Josephine continued, “You still remember I’m your mother? You two… I swear you’re going to drive me crazy! You go abroad, get married, don’t behave, then try to get a divorce, and now you come back and stay at your brother’s house.
“Do you think Elena won’t notice something’s off between you two? Tomorrow, you’re coming back to the Riggs residence with me!”
“I don’t care! So what if she finds out?” Nadine scoffed, clearly unconcerned.
“Jus could have her wrapped around his finger in no time. Besides, she was never meant to be with him! If it hadn’t been for the fight between Jus and me back then, how could he have gone and confessed to
Elena out of spite?”
Josephine snapped, “Don’t even start! Don’t forget, you two are siblings! Even without blood ties, you grew
up together! I won’t ever allow you to be together!”
Nadine said, “Oh, Mom… I can be both your daughter and your daughter-in-law.”
Josephine said firmly, “Stop talking nonsense. You can only be my daughter. I will never approve of
anything between you and Justin.”
Nadine shot back, “You’re so old-fashioned!”
Josephine sighed. “If it weren’t for you two giving me so much stress, why would I bother being nice to
Elena? I just wanted to keep her from breaking up with Justin to stop you two from making things worse!
“Honestly, with her humble background, she’s not even worthy of Justin, but now there’s nothing I can do. With you two being so reckless, which heiress could handle it?”
Nadine laughed lightly. “So, Mom, you don’t really like Elena, right?”
Josephine scoffed. “Whether I like her or not, it doesn’t matter. She’s only fit to work under Justin.”
She said disdainfully, “It’s a shame-Justin should have married a proper heiress.”
In the darkness, Elena’s face remained expressionless.
So, that was it. The last bit of warmth she had felt from the Riggs family was fake.
Josephine had known all along about the improper relationship between her son and her adopted daughter.
She had deliberately hidden it from Elena. Her kindness toward Elena was only a facade-she was using
her as a pawn to keep Justin and Nadine apart.
In reality, she had always looked down on her.
Elena suddenly remembered when Justin first brought her to meet Josephine. Josephine had subtly probed her about her family background.
Elena had intended to be honest, but thinking of Samuel’s attitude, she hadn’t known how to answer and said she came from a modest family. She wasn’t deliberately keeping it a secret.
She just thought that once she had a proper talk with Samuel and he accepted their relationship, she could then tell Justin and Josephine the truth about her family.
At the time, Josephine’s expression had looked strange when she heard Elena’s answer. But it only lasted for a second before she quickly returned to her warm, gentle demeanor.
Elena had thought she had imagined it.
Now, she realized Josephine had looked down on her from the very beginning, only pretending to accept her because she had some use to the family and to prevent her son and adopted daughter from being together.
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