Catherine wasn’t able to suppress her wrath anymore when Hilary brought up her late son in front of her.
“Shut up! You’re in no position to bring him up! You were the one and only he cared about, but you didn’t even flinch when you left Clary behind! If there’s someone indebted to him, it’s you!”
Hilary smirked as if she couldn’t be bothered. She rebuked, “He would never allow me to live a miserable life. I’m sure he’s glad I have been living a great life since he’s no longer around to take care of me.”
“Y-You’re such a shameless woman! G-Get out of my sight at once!”
Catherine put her phone aside and started waving her walking stick in Hilary’s direction in an attempt to chase her out. As a result, Clarissa wasn’t able to gain vision over the things going on.
She could merely hear their conversation. The shameless Hilary wouldn’t stop provoking Catherine with her harsh remarks.
“Why don’t you calm down and listen to me when I’m merely trying to tell you the truth? You can’t deny I have given birth to Clarissa, can you? Are you going to dismiss my contribution to the Quigleys? She can easily sever ties with me, but it won’t change the fact that she’s my daughter! I mean, you don’t want others to deem her an unfilial daughter, do you?”
Clarissa, who was on the other end of the call, started shivering in anger as she heard their conversation.
She immediately hung up the call and acquired Hilary’s contact number from the attorney. Seconds after Catherine chased Hilary out of her place, Hilary received a call from someone.
Hilary beamed in satisfaction and picked up the call after marching her way out of Catherine’s place.
Clarissa yelled, “Hilary, what the heck do you want from me?”
Her so-called mother, who had a relatively disheveled look after the fight with Catherine, started running her fingers through her unkempt hair with a grin.
She took her sweet time to gather her thoughts and cleared her throat before answering, “Aren’t you aware of the things I’m up to? Actually, I’m not even asking for much, Clary! You can easily sever ties with me but not with your beloved Grandma, can you? Since you refuse to talk to me, I have no choice but to try my luck with her!”
Clarissa hesitated no more. She addressed Hilary with her first name and asked, “Since when have you become such a shameless woman, Hilary?”
Hilary wasn’t particularly irked by Clarissa’s response. She played along with her so-called daughter and asked, “Have you no manners, Clary? You’re not supposed to address your mother with her first name!”
“Are you sure you’re my mother?”
Chuckling, Hilary asked, “Aren’t you aware of the truth? Shall we confront your grandmother and see if she’s aware of the truth as well?”
It was then Clarissa figured it was an attempt of Hilary to coerce her into submission since Catherine was the only one Clarissa cared about.
Hilary is certain I won’t tell Grandma I’m not a member of the Quigleys! She’s trying to warn me to stop challenging her if I want to keep Grandma safe!
You’re so smart, Hilary! You have gotten the better of me for once! There’s nothing I can do about it because you’re right—Grandma is the only one I care about! I can’t afford to put her life at stake!
Gritting her teeth in wrath, Clarissa found Hilary despicable yet there was nothing she could do to stop her so-called mother.
Hilary felt great as Clarissa went dead silent. It was the first time in forever things started progressing the way she wanted.
She felt a sense of relief after spending the past few days in fear and humiliation.
It works like a charm! All thanks to Shermaine’s plan to threaten Clarissa with that old hag!
“Clary, what’s wrong? If you’re not going to answer my queries, allow me to share my upcoming plan with you! I’ll be staying here to keep Catherine company for another few days. To be honest, I’m equally upset because of the things awaiting us. I can’t believe you’re pressing charges against your own mother!”
As Clarissa remained silent, Hilary felt a sense of superiority. She felt a strong urge to meet her so-called daughter in person to get a glimpse of her current expression.
It’s time to get her back for the things she has put me through over the past few days!
“It has been quite a few years since my last visit! I’ll take a short break from everything for a few days and enjoy myself in W City! As for the court trial, why don’t you take care of it on our behalf? Things have been hectic on my end over the past few days! I’ll spend the next few days with Catherine and reminisce about the good old days with her!”
Hilary hung up the call immediately after she wrapped up her conversation.
Unable to contain her excitement, she burst out laughing in the middle of the streets. When she caught the onlookers staring at her with their brows furrowed, she knew she had to get a grip on herself.
Hilary then checked herself into a nearby hotel and took a shower.
Once she finished indulging herself, she called Shermaine and announced, “Shermaine, you’re so brilliant! Clarissa stopped picking on me just because of that old hag! I can’t believe that old hag gets to live such a long life in spite of bringing upon the demise of her husband and her son. Anyway, she had just done me a huge favor.”
Shermaine instructed, “You need to refrain from trying anything silly just because you have gotten the better of Clarissa for once. Also, never make any rash decision without consulting me. Otherwise, I’ll leave you alone if things head south in the future.”
“Sure! I’ll keep that in my mind since you’re my dearest daughter!”
“Shut up!
“Alright, I’ll keep my mouth shut! Shermaine, you’re such a brilliant girl! How have you figured out that old hag is the only one Clarissa cares about? Is she even in her right mind? I mean, she’s not even a member of the Quigleys!”
Shermaine responded with a self-deprecating smirk and added, “Clarissa is different from you and me. She’ll never leave her grandmother behind, let alone putting her life at stake over something trivial.”
“I guess you’re right, Shermaine! Speaking of which, what are you going to do if she confronts you as well as the Wynters and the Smallwoods?”
“That’s not much of a concern because Clarissa doesn’t even want anything from us. She won’t even confront them unless it’s initiated by the Smallwoods and the Wynters. At the very least, she won’t try anything silly as long as Mrs. Quigley is still alive. Therefore, you need to refrain from provoking Mrs. Quigley. Otherwise, there’s nothing you can do to coerce Clarissa if Mrs. Quigley is no longer around.”
Hilary thought Shermaine was right and secretly prayed Catherine could live another few years. Otherwise, she might not get to live the carefree life she had always wanted.
Shermaine hung up the call and smirked when she recalled the sort of people she had encountered during her time behind bars.
The police thought the criminals would learn their lessons and turn over a new leaf once they finished serving their sentences.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case since most of them had a similar goal in mind—to get their revenge.
Similarly, over the past three years Shermaine spent behind bars, she had been reflecting upon the reason she was convicted in the first place.
She thought of all sorts of things, including the things she had to do once she was set free. The only person she had in mind throughout the years was Clarissa.
After spending years studying Clarissa, Shermaine found out Clarissa had the attributes commonly possessed by those amiable figures.
On the other hand, she was the exact opposite of Clarissa—she was just a vicious woman who was corrupted at her very core of existence.
Clarissa’s attributes are precisely the reason Matthew is head over heels in love with her. In short, I need to learn to behave myself and get others to deem me a loveable woman as well.
She spent most of her time researching the ways to behave herself to deceive others, including the way to carry herself with a smile and remain humble at all times.
Shermaine was also well aware of the shortcoming of Clarissa and women of her likes. Their shortcomings happened to be the things she had been leveraging on to achieve her goals in life.
Clarissa had no intention to get her hands on the Smallwoods’ assets as she couldn’t be bothered at all. Never would she leave the Quigleys behind just because they had brought her up over the years.
Shermaine, who had just been recently set free, wasn’t worried since she was certain Clarissa wouldn’t appreciate the Smallwoods’ presence. Therefore, she was never afraid Clarissa would take away the things she had her eyes on from her.
As long as Dad and Mom aren’t aware of the truth, it’s fine! Maybe it will still be even if they’re aware of the truth! Since Clarissa is such a righteous woman, she will turn them down even if they offer her everything that belongs to them!
She’s just a foolish woman! Anyway, it’s no thanks to her I can easily get things my way!
Shermaine brought herself up and looked at herself in the mirror. She smiled the way she had practiced countless times in the past.
That was the genuine smile of those amiable figures. It was supposed to be a timid smile that would make her a humble woman who could easily win others’ trust.
If I greet others in this manner, are they going to deem me a pitiable woman and side with me in the foreseeable future?
I guess it won’t take long until I’m back to my prime! Most of my friends have fallen for my act and offered their help to get me back to the industry!
Similarly, my foolish fans have been picking on those who try to stop me from making a comeback in the industry! They won’t stop sharing the miseries I have gone through when those are nothing more than their imaginations!
I guess it pays off to stay humble and pitiable, huh? It’s not even necessary for me to do anything since others have everything under control on my behalf!
Shermaine started caressing herself in the face as she lost herself in the process of thought. A vicious smirk showed up for a split second and returned to her usual pitiable self again.
“Shermaine?”
When Shermaine heard Kayla knocking on her door, she walked over and answered the door with a genuine smile.
“Mom? What’s wrong?”
Kayla marched into Shermaine’s room and grasped her daughter’s hand, announcing with a bright grin, “It’s nothing much! I’m just afraid you’re bored after staying home for such a long time! We want to bring you out for a walk with us!”
“Sure!” Shermaine nodded and thought she might get things her way without doing anything as long as she continued playing the role of a filial daughter.
