Chapter 676
The assistant was completely dumbfounded by the man’s suave handling of the situation.
And with Arnold’s aloof demeanor, she truly believed he was just an ordinary customer coming to pick
up his laundry.
“Darling, what are you staring at with such big eyes?” Mrs. Evert gave Eunice a sharp tug.
“Mom! Look at that man. He’s drop–dead gorgeous! I’ve never seen someone so magnificently
handsome!” Eunice exclaimed with the excitement of a sheltered heiress.
“Enough. You’re high society, don’t act like you’ve never seen a good–looking man before. Even the
handsomest of men have only two legs, don’t they?” Mrs. Evert chided her, though she couldn’t help
but sneak a glance at Arnold from the corner of her eye.
She felt like she recognized him from somewhere.
Also, his gaze on them felt so cold and sinister it sent shivers down her spine.
ཧ ཝཿན ན
As the assistant pondered how to shoo away these two pests, the sharp click–clack of high heels
echoed down the spiral staircase.
“Have you two had your fill of drama yet?”
Arnold’s gaze shifted to the pale–faced Camille standing not too far off, his deep–set eyes narrowing
slightly.
“Mom, that wench is here!” Eunice, seeing her half–sister, was filled with disdain and animosity.
Originally, Eunice was the sole, legitimate heiress of the Evert family.
But the arrival of her illegitimate sister had somewhat shaken her standing in her father’s heart. This
so–called sister was just too formidable, being not only beautiful but also incredibly talented. Camille
had excelled academically since childhood and had grown up to become one of the top fashion
designers in the country!
If only she didn’t have the dead weight of a mother, if only her mother wasn’t a convicted murderer.
Now, how could her father’s attitude be so cold? Perhaps Eunice wouldn’t be the one marrying into the
prestigious Gellar family.
Every step Camille took towards them felt like she was walking with lead in her shoes.
She had just come downstairs when she saw Arnold sitting there, handsome, upright, and with features
so striking that they could make her heart flutter time and time again.
But that was as far as it could go.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe appearance of the Evert family was like the chime of midnight bells.
Brutally reminding her that Cinderella’s dream was over.
Because she really liked him, she hoped he could be with a better girl. At the very least, someone with
a background, a family, a past not as disgraceful and messy as hers.
Mrs. Evert, seeing this remarkable illegitimate daughter, was filled with venomous spite.
“Mrs. Evert, I am currently working. If there’s something you need, it can wait until I’m done,” Camille
said, her voice strained and
low.
Out of respect for Arnold’s presence, she couldn’t afford a full–blown confrontation. If their family
scandal got out, how could she face him, or her mentor, with her head held high?
She had struggled through the mire to get where she was today, and she did not want to be brought
low or looked down upon.
Arnold noticed the bleak look in Camille’s eyes but remained impassive,
Mrs. Evert, having bottled up her fury, finally found her outlet, releasing a toxic blast of resentment.
“Camille, you’ve become a well–known designer now, haven’t you? Your tone sure is grand, and your
temper has grown along with it. Gone are the days when you and your mother would leech off the Evert
family, acting all meek and eager to please us.”
“Mrs. Evert, my assistant didn’t recognize you, and there may have been some neglect. But here we
treat everyone equally; there was never any intention to make it difficult for you.”
Camille felt as if she had frozen over, a chill spreading to her very core. “Let’s discuss this in my office.”
Mrs. Evert crossed her arms and spoke coldly, “I know you’ve grown independent and refuse to
acknowledge your ties to the Evert family, but that is a part of your heritage you can’t erase. No matter
how high you fly, you must always remember, it’s the Evert family’s nurturing that has allowed you to
achieve what you have today”
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09:30
“Mom, you’re being so subtle. Does Camille even understand? Maybe I should translate for her.”
Eunice, seeing Arnold sitting there, felt a wicked sense of rivalry flare up and stepped closer to Camille.
“Camille, always remember your place, as the Evert family’s illegitimate daughter.”
Arnold’s grip on his teacup tightened, the veins on his hand standing out as his heart twinged with pain.
Yet in that moment, considering Camille’s feelings, he quickly shifted his intense gaze away from her
pale face, fearing that his attention might make her feel even more inferior, even more anguished.
“Go to your office? Why should we discuss things there? Are you ashamed of your status too?”
Seizing the opportunity, Eunice was determined to press the issue. “We come to see you once in a blue
moon, and you throw up every obstacle to avoid us. If we don’t make a scene, are we to let your guard
dogs bite us willy–nilly?”
The assistant, insulted, was fuming yet held her tongue due to their relationship with the boss.
Every insult was like a knife twisting in Camille’s heart, laying bare her most painful aspects in front of
the man she cared for the
most.
Arnold remained silent.
Camille didn’t dare look his way, her heart aching to the point of stopping.
See, no one could accept her.
Not even Arnold, with a heart as bright as daylight and eyes as clear as water.
An oppressive silence hung in the air.
Camille took a deep breath and forced a smile, her eyes reddening. “Yes, I am the illegitimate daughter,
the child of Spencer Evert’s mistress. Our family really should be a soap opera cast, a melodramatic
family drama at its finest. Eunice, aren’t you about to get engaged to Mr. Almond? When the time
comes, I’ll be sure to give your future husband a thorough introduction to our Evert family’s situation, so
you can all live together in harmony.”
Eunice and her mother were stunned into silence. The more Camille laughed, the more furious they
became.
This little wretch, she’s completely throwing caution to the wind!
“Spill it, why summon your long–lost illegitimate daughter after all these years?”
Camille, who had been somewhat reserved up until now, threw caution to the wind. Glancing at her
watch, her slender eyes filled with icy disdain, “Make it quick, my time is worth a fortune.”
“Eunice is getting engaged, your father wants you to design a couple of dresses for her,” Mrs. Evert
said through clenched teeth, trying to maintain her composure.
“Sorry, but I’m booked solid this month, next month, and the one after that. No openings.”
Mrs. Evert’s gaze turned frosty, “Camille, you would even defy your father’s orders?”
Camille met her gaze fearlessly, “What’s he to me? Even if the President himself asked, I’d refuse.”
Eunice’s chest tightened with anger, “You!”
‘Mrs. Evert, do you take me for a fool?”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmCamille stood a head taller than the middle–aged woman, looking down on her, “You and your darling
daughter played me for a fool, humiliated me, and now, just seconds later, you expect me to work for
you? The government should study your faces for bulletproof materials!”
“You have no respect. You’re utterly outrageous!”
This time, Mrs. Evert couldn’t contain herself. She swung her arm, aiming for Camille’s face with a slap!
Camille’s pupils shrank, her fists clenched!
Suddenly, something flew their way, cutting through the tense air with a hiss.
SMACK!
“Ah! It hurts!”
Mrs. Evert screamed in pain, her forehead beading with sweat as she clutched her swollen wrist.
Then came the sound of shattering porcelain. A teacup had fallen to the floor, the very object that had
knocked the aggressive hand away
09:30
“Mom! Are you–Are you okay?” Eunice was pale with shock.
Mrs. Evert’s hand trembled with pain, “Who? Who did that?”
“It was me”
A voice, clear and resonant, rang out.
Camille suddenly looked up, her heart trembling, tears brimming in her eyes,
Arnold stepped forward without hesitation, his intense gaze focused on her pitifully red eyes.
No contempt, no distance, just pure concern and affection.
Eunice, watching the handsome man lock eyes with her nemesis, contorted her face with jealousy!
Weren’t they strangers?
But the way this man looked at Camille. Why was it so tender, almost melting?
“You hit me? What gives you the right?” Mrs. Evert’s voice shook with anger.
Though furious, she felt more fear than anything else when facing this imposing man.
“And what gave you the right to hit her?”
Arnold’s cold glare met Mrs. Evert’s flushed face, his words sharp as blades, “Is it because you’ve had
your facelifts and Botox, turning yourself into some kind of plastic monster?”
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