Chapter 19: Did You Feed Your Manners to the Dog? (1)
Lewis Jiang's expression turned ugly. He wanted to lash out at his eldest daughter but couldn't do so in front of his parents. It was obvious to him that Adrienne wasn't giving him any face in front of their elders. The more he looked at Adrienne, the more upset he was.
"Can't you hear the nasty words you are saying? Did you feed your manners to the dog when you went out this morning? How could you say something like that to your sister?" He glowered at Adrienne, but the latter remained unfazed in her seat.
Meanwhile, a gloomy look flashed on Camilla's face while Elise felt wronged deep inside. She repeatedly cursed Adrienne in her heart but immediately calmed down when she heard her father scolding Adrienne. What made Adrienne think she was better than her? Didn't Adrienne know their father would favor Elise over her no matter what happened?
Adrienne could clearly see the hate in Elise's eyes, though the latter tried to hide it with fake tears. Did they want to see an uncouth and shameless woman? Then look no further because there's one in front of her.
"Ah, my manners? If manners and etiquette mattered, then why did I hear about Elise going to Club Orchid the other night and barely escaping when the police came because of a commotion?"
Elise stared with eyes widened at Adrienne while Camilla looked at her daughter in shock. How did Adrienne know she went there? Not even her mother was aware of her plans the other night.
"Nonsense, Adrienne! How could I be in such a shady place?!" She exclaimed.
"How do I know?" Adrienne hummed as she picked up a glass of water before her. "Perhaps if you paid more attention, the video of you dancing with several half-naked men from that place wouldn't have spread around. Everyone at school has already seen it."
Adrienne initially didn't know what Elise did in her spare time, but when Myrtle pulled her to the side in her past life, showing her a video of Elise taking tequila shots with several men, it made her laugh uncontrollably. It took three days before Cayden found out and got rid of it, but it was too late, as Elise's reputation had already been smeared.
Someone must have schemed against Elise to humiliate her under the guise of her being invited to hang out with them. Within their circle, who wasn't aware of the kind of place Club Orchid was? If Elysian was known as a gentlemen's club, Club Orchid is where youngsters would party and get wasted. There were also rumors that someone could buy drugs from that place.
"What did you just say, Adrienne?!" Grandpa lowered his newspaper and shouted. "A member of the Jiang family stepped into such a horrid place?"
He then glared at Elise, who cowered in fear upon hearing his outburst. Elise, who had never met the head of the Jiang family, didn't know how to defend herself.
"You! You've only joined the Jiang family for two years, yet you are already bringing shame to our family? What kind of upbringing did you have for you to act like a shameless slut at your young age?!"
Adrienne thought this old man was too much with his scolding, but she didn't bother to stop him. Once, she had been at the receiving end of those harsh words and could only cry silently. Thinking about it, she couldn't help but think the Jiang family was wicked in their ways, and she was no exception.
As for her father, she had already learned her lessons and knew that whatever she did, he would never come to treat her as his daughter. The one who disappointed her the most in her previous life was him. She had foolishly thought that he would never forsake her, but in the end, he had proved her wrong. This was why Adrienne had cut off all her emotional attachment to her father and had no qualms about destroying him in her revenge.
"Father, It's my fault! I should have paid more attention to Elise. It is me who failed you, Father. Rest assured, I'll reflect on my mistake and lecture her later." Camilla hurriedly came to her daughter's defense. How could she watch her precious daughter being treated like this?
Elise was like a pearl that she treasured dearly in her hand. She'd done everything she could for her sake and would allow no one, not even this bitch, Adrienne, to step on her daughter! She was able to get rid of Rosemary, but her daughter remained a thorn in her side. It seemed that she needed to deal with this girl soon.
"Adrienne, I know you haven't accepted me as your stepmother, but I would be happy if you and Elise got along well. Is that possible?" She turned her attention to Rosemary's daughter. Camilla wanted nothing more than to rip Adrienne's face right then and there, but she couldn't.
Adrienne shook her head and sighed disappointedly.
"You don't need to worry about me. If you want to play house, don't expect me to participate. How could I even consider Elise as my sister when she's acting like this? It doesn't help that people are already talking nonsense behind our backs. If you think I'm lying, you can check the video and tell me if I'm wrong for distancing myself from Elise."
"Adrienne! Don't go overboard!!" Cayden glared at her but immediately pulled up his phone to check Adrienne's claim.
It didn't take him too long to find the video she was talking about. His face blanched instantly, and his mother couldn't help but panic once she saw his reaction. Camilla didn't know that Adrienne would try to mess with them like this, nor that her daughter had been sneaking out at night without her notice.
"So you'll have to forgive me, Aunt Camilla, if I choose not to associate myself with your daughter. What would people say about the Jiang family if I condoned her ways? Others might think this is how the Jiang family raise their daughters."