She was, after all, the legal wife of the Sutherland family, and her son was a genuine heir of a prestigious lineage. As such, she couldn't possibly let him marry a fake heiress. Fortunately, thanks to her intervention, the marriage was called off. Subsequently, Casimir was able to reestablish his marriage alliance with the real heiress.
Upon learning that Raylee had not only cut ties with the Goodridge family but wasn't even their adopted daughter, had fallen to the point of being kept by an older man, and even wanted to seduce her son, Margaret was instantly livid. She had always detested homewreckers. Throughout her life, she had clashed with countless homewreckers, so she harbored a profound hatred for those who disrupted others' relationships.
In the next moment, she walked toward Raylee and, without hesitation, raised her hand to slap her across the face. But before the slap could fall, it was swiftly intercepted by Casimir.
“Mom, we’re in a public place. It’s not appropriate to get physical, right? Don’t listen to Waverly’s nonsense. I have no relation with Raylee whatsoever.”
With Margaret backing her up, Waverly felt a newfound confidence. “Casimir, ask yourself honestly, can you truly say you have no feelings for Raylee?” she sobbed.
Casimir erupted in anger when he heard that. “Stop sowing discord here, Waverly! I’ve already agreed to our engagement, yet you still cause a scene. Do you want to give others a reason to laugh at us?”
Waverly lowered her head in embarrassment and annoyance. “Casimir, Mom, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have acted impulsively and said those words in public like that.”
However, Margaret defended her, saying, “I could tell that everything Waverly said was the truth. Caz, your overprotectiveness toward her clearly shows that you have something to hide! You’d better watch yourself, Caz. Your engagement to Waverly is already set in stone, so don’t stir up unnecessary drama at this critical juncture.”
Casimir nodded, saying, “I know what I’m doing.” Having said that, he approached Raylee and asked with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, “Raylee, is it true what Waverly said? Did you really come here to work as a janitor just to get closer to me, hoping for a chance encounter?”
Yet, when he thought back to the humiliation he had suffered on campus the previous day, his pride wouldn’t allow him to forgive Raylee so quickly. In an instant, his expression turned serious as he continued, “How could you do this? Didn’t I make it clear to you yesterday? I’m engaged to Wavy, so there’s no possibility between you and me.”
He was intent on pressuring Raylee into telling the truth as he wanted to see just how determined she was to be with him. If she was willing to take the first step, then he could consider postponing his engagement party with Waverly. Because the timing wasn’t right, he couldn’t leave Waverly just yet.
Raylee looked at them as if they were idiots and couldn’t be bothered to waste her breath on them. She pushed past them, collected the litter strewn on the ground, and tossed it into a nearby trash bin.
In the jewelry store, the oblivious onlookers thought that Raylee was indeed a mistress and shot her scornful glances.
“I heard that this fake heiress was once engaged to the Sutherland family. However, the Sutherland family called off the engagement because she was a fake.”
“What a joke! A fake heiress trying to climb the social ladder? That’s just wishful thinking! Mrs. Sutherland is no pushover. Over the years, her track record of outsmarting mistresses is quite impressive!”
“A fake heiress can’t compare to a true heiress at all. And what’s with that aloof demeanor? Who is she trying to impress?”
“This is a typical tactic of a seductress, playing hard to get, just to make a man’s heart itch with desire, leaving him yearning for her!”
Upon witnessing this scene, the store manager couldn’t help but be dumbfounded. What’s going on here? Mr. Foucault’s former fiancée was kept by an older man and then dumped by said older man? And then, she’s working here as a cleaner all to cross paths with Mr. Sutherland? Ms. Somers is rejecting Mr. Foucault, who is wealthy enough to rival a nation, just to become Mr. Sutherland’s mistress? This is absolutely ridiculous! What utter nonsense!
The store manager couldn’t help but speak up for Raylee by saying, “Guys, how could you—”
However, Raylee cut the store manager off with a gentle tug, her eyes signaling her to remain silent. It was impossible for Raylee to feel no emotion when she was inexplicably insulted by a group of people, but she didn’t want to reveal the masked man’s existence. Even if there was a misunderstanding between her and the masked man at the moment, he was her beacon of light, which was a fact that would remain forever. She didn’t want him to be lumped in with these people because they simply weren’t on his level.
After tidying up the trash, Raylee was ready to leave. Waverly, however, stopped her. “Raylee, I know you’re still hung up on Casimir. After all, you two were once engaged. See? I’m about to get engaged to Casimir now. Since my future mother-in-law is here today, shouldn’t we clear up the misunderstanding? No matter what, we’re still family. There’s no such thing as a conflict within a family that can’t be resolved!”
Faced with a pretentious woman’s desperate pleas, Raylee truly wished she could slap Waverly against the wall so hard that she wouldn’t be able to peel herself off. If someone is being overly nice without reason, they’re usually up to no good. If she is pleading with her to stay, surely nothing good could come of it!
Margaret firmly grabbed hold of Waverly and said sternly, “Waverly, why are you pleading with her? You’re a true heiress, and also Caz’s legitimate fiancée. How could she, a mere adopted daughter and a sly vixen, have the audacity to make you grovel? Pull yourself together! As the rightful partner, you should carry yourself with the dignity befitting of your status. You are to be wed into the Sutherland family, so you can’t afford to disgrace me!”
With her eyes tinged red, Waverly nodded slowly. However, she didn’t want to miss the opportunity to show off her engagement ring today. She wanted to make Raylee see the truth and realize who the real winner was in the end.
“You’re right, Mom. But Raylee is not inherently bad, so I really want to reconcile with her. Moreover, Raylee, influenced by our grandma since she was young, has always had a knack for studying jewelry. I’d like her to join me in picking out a birthday gift for you.”
Raylee, who had already stepped one foot out of the jewelry store, couldn’t help but pause when she heard those words. Choosing a birthday gift together, huh? Well, that certainly sounds interesting to me!
Margaret sighed and said with a note of helplessness in her voice, “Waverly, you’re just too kind-hearted. It’s easy for others to take advantage of you if you’re so vulnerable. No matter; I’ll gradually teach you how to stand up for yourself in the future. As for your desire to reconcile with that adopted daughter, I won’t interfere. Just make sure it doesn’t ruin our mood.”
“Thanks, Mom!” Brimming with enthusiasm, Waverly then grabbed Raylee and pleaded, “Raylee, after Casimir and I buy our engagement rings, we will also be choosing a piece of jewelry as a birthday gift for my future mother-in-law. Can you stay and choose with me?”