Chapter 26
“I saw you leaving in someone else’s car today, although I might have been mistaken.”
Jack said, the atmosphere suddenly turning heavy.
Sophia immediately gave Jack a reproachful look. Just when she thought he was getting better, he screwed up again.
Jack couldn’t pretend not to see her reaction. He felt uneasy; he needed to get to the bottom of this. He feared that Elizabeth might be getting involved in something bad.
Elizabeth paused just as she was about to open her bag. After a moment, she looked up at him, “You weren’t mistaken.”
Jack suddenly felt a headache coming on.
Sophia looked puzzled.
Linda was thrilled; it was even better if Elizabeth was the one digging her own grave.
“Did you get into the car willingly, or were you tricked?” Jack asked.
“Does it make a difference?”
The living room light illuminated Elizabeth’s calm face, making it hard to guess what she was thinking.
Jack thought to himself, there was a big difference.
If Elizabeth had willingly got into the luxury car, it suggested that she had tendencies to be materialistic or vain.
If she had been tricked into it, it meant that his little sister was too naive and easily deceived, which would require serious attention to her upbringing.
Sophia quickly interjected, “Everyone who lives here is acquainted. There aren’t many with bad intentions. You don’t need to worry too much about Elizabeth getting tricked.”
Jack disagreed with Sophia, “People are unpredictable…”
It was then that Elizabeth calmly said, “You both know him; it was Alexander Williams.”
Jack was left speechless, staring at Elizabeth in disbelief, “How could it be him?”
Why would Alexander offer to give Elizabeth a ride? Jack found it strange when the Williams family suddenly expressed an interest in taking Elizabeth in.
Was this Elizabeth’s idea, or was it…?
“He saw me waiting for a ride and kindly offered to take me,” Elizabeth began to feel annoyed, “Is there anything else?”
“I’m not stupid. I won’t be deceived, nor will I deceive anyone.”
A sincere remark broke through Jack’s thoughts. He opened his mouth, gazing into Elizabeth’s clear dark eyes, and suddenly felt his cheeks flush.
“You’ve got a misunderstanding. That’s not what I meant,” he stammered.
Elizabeth pondered for a moment and straightforwardly replied, “No, you did. It’s not good to lie.”
Jack was at a loss for words. He felt that Elizabeth had deeply misunderstood his intentions, whether it was his previous plan to hire a tutor or his current actions, he was doing it for her well-being.
Seeing Jack speechless with a hint of shame, Sophia spoke softly, “Elizabeth, you must be tired after playing all day. You should go upstairs and rest. Oh, the dress Mom ordered for you has arrived. Go check if it fits; if not, we can get another one.”
Elizabeth obediently replied, “Okay.”
Feeling somewhat awkward, Jack tried to make small talk, “Alexander is not a simple person; it’s best if you avoid him.”
Elizabeth paused mid-step on the stairs, looked up at him, and earnestly said, “It’s not nice to speak ill of people behind their backs.”
Jack fell silent.
At that moment, he felt both sour and bitter inside. Just when they seemed to be getting a little closer, why did it feel like they had drifted apart again?
After Elizabeth had gone upstairs, Sophia finally vented her frustration, “You took off from work specifically to wait for Elizabeth to come home. I thought you were concerned about her safety being alone late at night, but it turns out you were waiting to interrogate her!”
Jack felt guilty for his earlier thoughts.
“Mom, you’re taking it too seriously. What do you mean by ‘interrogate’? I just wanted to clear things up.”
“So, you think so little of Elizabeth’s character?” Sophia huffed, “Are you genuinely concerned about her, or are you worried that she’ll tarnish your reputation and the Wilson family name?”
“As the eldest son, you might care more about these things, but your father and I just want everyone in the family to be happy. Even if you were a complete failure, as long as you don’t do anything morally wrong, it wouldn’t be an issue.”