Chapter 54

Brenda continued, “The most important thing right now is to keep Jonathan in check.”

After a while, Jeffrey sighed and muttered, “At this point, our best bet is Alicia.”

Brenda added, “Alicia grew up around us, and we know her. She shouldn’t be too hard on us. Besides…” She paused, pursing her lips. “She couldn’t afford to appear too petty in front of Jonathan.”

Jeffrey nodded, frowning, looking as if he’d just remembered something. “Elise shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Brenda shook her head. “It’s no secret she’s just a wife on paper. No one understands why Jonathan suddenly married someone outside the circle.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. What did he mean by “someone outside the circle”? Weren’t we all just regular people?

Honestly, I wasn’t surprised. People in those circles often fawned over the powerful and looked down on anyone else.

However, what baffled me most was why I’d married into their circle knowing their true colors. When I was eighteen, I wouldn’t have stooped so low. If people disrespected me, I wouldn’t have chased after them, not even if I were in love.

I kept listening. As I expected, their sympathy was merely a mask for their disdain.

Brenda remarked, “I did feel a little bad for Mrs. Ford. People were just waiting for her to make a fool of herself. No one took her seriously as Jonathan’s wife. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d played dirty to get him to marry her.”

Jeffrey muttered, “Forget about her. Anyone could see Alicia was the one the Ford family cared about.”

Brenda nodded and sighed. “Even so, she was officially Jonathan’s wife. If he gave her that title, why didn’t he treat her properly?”

Jeffrey knitted his brow. “Are you throwing shade at me?”

Brenda sneered. “I’m not. You kept things decent with me. You never put me in an awkward position, and you never had a child outside the marriage. I was grateful for that.”

Jeffrey responded, “Don’t start with that attitude. That was a mistake.” Brenda’s tone dripped with contempt. “Really?”

“I didn’t know any better.”

Sensing the conversation was veering off course, I subconsciously looked at Frederick. He remained unfazed, as if unconcerned with their discussion.

I pressed my lips together and asked, “Are you alright?”

Frederick seemed to snap out of it and coldly glanced at me. “Do you think I’m still some naive child hoping my parents would get along? They’ve been living like strangers forever. I got used to it a long time ago.”

I couldn’t explain how I felt, so I remained silent.

Suddenly, Frederick lost interest. “Forget it. Let’s go back.”

With that, he climbed back through the window and returned to his room. I followed.

Just as he stepped inside, he found Jonathan standing there, looming.

Frederick’s expression darkened. He tried to close the door. “What are you doing here?”

Jonathan raised a hand to stop the door, his expression cold and unreadable. “Where’s that bottle of First Low?”

Frederick scoffed. “I broke it at the bar, so I threw it out. What’s the problem?”

The air around Jonathan seemed to freeze. He stepped inside without hesitation. “Hand it over. Don’t make me search for it.”

Frederick stood before Jonathan, visibly upset. “What gives you the right to search my room? Get lost. You’re not welcome here.”

Jonathan shoved Frederick aside, catching sight of me. His face darkened. “What are you doing in his room, Elise?”