James Campbell’s eyes were red, and he looked at Elly Campbell with a face full of heartache and anger. He felt both self-reproach and the sorrow of a well-intentioned father who could not gain his daughter’s understanding.
Elly Campbell had never known that James Campbell’s acting could reach such a standard. It seemed that after spending so much time with the Baker women, his acting skills had significantly improved.
Elly Campbell sneered and curled her lips, her expression indifferent. She could hardly muster any interest in the fine acting of James Campbell and Melody Baker, the deceitful pair.
To the uninformed onlookers, James Campbell’s ambiguous words made it sound like an ungrateful daughter was humiliating her father’s lover after her parents’ divorce and opposing their remarriage.
The father and his lover, in turn, repeatedly tolerated her. Not only was the daughter unappreciative, but she also intensified her behavior, even resorting to physically assaulting the other party, which was going too far.
Looking at Melody Baker next to James Campbell, with her fingers still wrapped in thick bandages, she appeared very pitiful. Recalling how she had just been advising James Campbell not to take Elly Campbell’s actions to heart, the clueless onlookers instantly transformed into righteous champions.
They began viewing Elly Campbell differently, and even began to hear murmurs of accusation.
"That daughter is too inconsiderate. Her parents are divorced; how can she still prevent her father from remarrying?"
"Exactly, she’s already an adult. Is she still scared her stepmother will mistreat her? How immature to do such a thing."
"Who said stepmothers are definitely bad people? My parents also got divorced and remarried, and my stepmother treats me very well, just like her own daughter."
Faced with the surrounding chatter and the condemnation against her, Elly Campbell did not take it to heart at all. Instead, she finally understood what James Campbell was actually up to.
Elly Campbell smiled coldly in her heart, suppressed the gloom in her eyes, and looked at James Campbell, who still appeared innocent and confused.
"Dad, what are you talking about? Miss Baker injured her finger, how does that relate to me? Even if you want to drive me out of the house, you shouldn’t frame me , right?"
She wasn’t incapable of telling blatant lies herself.
It might be unfair to use it against others, but Elly Campbell didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty about deceiving James Campbell and the Baker women; in fact, she felt entirely justified.
James Campbell’s face darkened as he intensified his tone, "Auntie Susan told me everything. Are you still not admitting it?"
"Miss Baker told you?"
Elly Campbell seemed almost amused, "Dad, you’re always . Whatever Miss Baker says, you believe. Miss Baker says I broke her finger, but did anyone see it happen?"
Melody Baker’s face changed. This wretched girl had broken her finger; naturally, everyone in the Campbell family had seen it, but those despicable servants all pretended to be blind and said they hadn’t seen anything.
Elly Campbell saw the darkening expression and fluctuating emotions on Melody Baker’s face, laughed, but didn’t pay any attention to Melody Baker. Instead, she turned to James Campbell and said:
"Dad, grandpa was so upset that he ended up in the hospital, and you didn’t visit him once. Miss Baker accidentally injured her own hand and you come accusing me without a second thought—is that not extremely unfilial?"
"You... Elly Campbell, you... you’re still here, spouting lies shamelessly, even though you clearly broke my mother’s finger yourself," Miss Baker interjected.
"Miss Baker, although you’re only two months younger than me, didn’t you always say you wanted to call me ’sister’? If you really want to be my sister, you should understand the importance of hierarchy. It’s basic manners and politeness to refrain from interrupting when your elder is speaking," Elly retorted.