Chapter 468 Get To The Bottom


    Edith trotted to her daughters hurriedly and stopped right between, her eyes darting sternly between


    the two of them silently.


    "Okay! The two of you need to sit down and work things out! Sit down, now! I am not allowing any of


    you to leave this house until we get to the bottom of this!"


    She had just gotten the whole story and was shocked to find the truth of what was happening between


    her daughters. Her expression clearly stated that she had realized she had been a bad mother and that


    none of them had bothered to talk to her about it.


    Cloris had had a problem with Cassandra ever since she came back from abroad, and Edith used to


    think Cloris hated Cassandra because of her rtionship with Rufus, but only now did she understand


    the case. She had never imagined that the sisters had gotten into such a mess.


    Cloris sighed, giving a disgruntled, sharp look in Cassandra''s direction.


    "Mother, I have nothing to say. It happened so long ago and I had no evidence whatsoever. It''s not like


    she would simply admit it," she said with an impatient snort. One could sense how she just wanted to


    get this over with.


    Seeing the halfhearted look on Cloris''s face, Edith glowered at her.


    "I said sit down! Don''t you dare leave!" she spoke in a low voice through her teeth.


    Edith seldom talked to Cloris in this way, so the shock was evident on her face. Reluctantly, Cloris sat


    down on the sofa.


    "Cassandra, sit down. You too, Rufus, but don''t say anything. This is strictly a family matter, and I want


    both my daughters to give me an exnation for this mess!"


    Edith wore a tough look. Frankly, she couldn''t believe she didn''t try to figure out the reason for the


    tension between them earlier.


    Under their mother''s strict order, Cassandra and Cloris sat down, but as far away from each other as


    possible. Edith sat in the middle. She looked from one to the other, her eyebrows pressed together.


    "Cloris, you go first! Tell me what exactly happened that night, spare no detail."


    She decided to listen to Cloris''s side of the story first.


    Cloris hesitated for a while and cast a nce at Rufus. What she was about to say required courage


    and could cause a glitch in her reputation. She couldn''t utter a single word in his presence.


    Rufus immediately got what was on her mind.


    "I''m gonna go for a smoke," he said, trying to sound casual.


    He then left the room without any hesitation.


    Cloris told them what had happened that night from the beginning to the end, asionally ring at


    Cassandra furiously. Although, it had been a while since it happened, she still felt terrified at its


    memory.


    "I know it was her after what he said, even though he didn''t say a lot,"


    Cloris said resentfully with her eyes fixed on Cassandra, as if she could swallow her alive.


    "Did you see him againter?" Cassandra asked.


    She was lost deeply in thoughts, wondering why Arthur was involved here at all. It wasn''t as easy as


    Cloris thought.


    "He was taken away by the police. Why would I take the trouble and see him again?"


    Cloris blurted out as if it was the stupidest question Cassandra could have asked.


    "If you called the police, you would have had to go to the police station to give your statement as a


    victim. Isn''t thatmon sense?" Cassandra exined.


    A new thought struck her like a silver dagger. She let out a sneer. The whole matter was suddenly as


    clear to her as water. This had to be another scheme made by Arthur. But why did he keep plotting


    against her again and again?


    Cloris was dumbstruck. She felt like she had missed out on an important detail, but she remembered


    the rest of it clearly.


    "Maybe... because the captain knew Arthur and wanted to protect me, he refused to take me to the


    station..." Cloris said rightfully, defending Arthur.


    She was afraid something would get him in trouble and ruin his reputation in front of Edith.


    It seemed like Cloris and Cassandra were about to start fighting again. To control the situation, Edith


    banged the table loudly.


    "If he really was taken away by the police, there might be a record. I have an acquaintance at the


    police station too, and I can ask him to look into it. But Cloris, what were you thinking when you


    decided not to tell me about this? I''m your mother and it''s my duty to look after you and protect you.


    You made a terrible mistake, my dear!"


    Edith looked at Cloris with tender affection, thinking about how she herself had been a bad mother to


    them. Her own daughter didn''te to her for help even when she was at the verge of being raped.


    "Do you really think it would''ve made a difference had I told you? Truth of the matter is that she also is


    your daughter and I didn''t have any evidence to prove I was right," Cloris argued.


    She talked bitterly. The resentment she had carried within herself could be heard clearly in her tone.


    "Then, if you were simply suspicious and weren''t sure, how could you hate your sister? Do you even


    know about the effort she made to take hold of the entirepany by herself when you went to study


    abroad? She had to scrimp and save to pay your bills. She even sold her car. She did all that so you


    could live your life and afford your tuition and living expenses. She was behind all of that!"


    Edith spoke earnestly, patting the table gently as she tried to make a point. Cloris was spoiled since her


    childhood days but it surprised her that she still couldn''t distinguish between good and bad.


    "Think about your ssmates. Most of the students from middle-ss families were working to support


    themselves and then take a look at your own hands!"


    She grabbed one of Cloris''s hands while she spoke. Her fingers were long and thin. They looked


    delicate and bore no callouses.


    "Do you recall doing any menial work with your own hands? All you cared about was getting


    manicures! Did you ever give a thought about who is providing you with these privileges and a life of


    luxury? It was your father before and it''s your sister now."


    Edith''s voice started to shake at this point. She recalled the things Cassandra had been through these


    past months and continued going through even now. It broke her heart to learn how much Cloris hated


    Cassandra despite the sacrifices she had made for her.


    Both of them were equal to Edith now, even though she had been partial in the past. She loved and


    cherished them equally, especially now after learning the reason of the dispute between them. Until


    now, she had simply been regretting sending Cassandra to a small town at such a young age.


    Cassandra too was supposed to grow up in her parents'' care like a little princess the way Cloris had,


    without a care of the world. But it was due to the disputes between Cloris and her that she was sent


    away by her own parents resolutely and left to grow up all alone in a small town. That was the reason


    she evolved into an introverted person when she finally came back. She wasn''t as lively and cheerful


    as other girls, who had had afortable and loving childhood.


    "Cloris, you''ve been willful since you were a baby. It''s Cassandra who has been endlessly making


    concessions for you. Your father and I indulged your tantrums all the time. But has it ever urred to


    you that that''s only because we are your family? Nobody else will tolerate that and be all nice and rosy


    to you. I know you and Arthur have already broken up once. If he really cared about you, why would he


    break up with you? Have you ever given a thought to that?"


    Edith had just learned about their breakup a few days ago. She hadn''t paid much attention to it at the


    time although she did feel unpleasant about it. But things were different now. After hearing what Cloris


    had said about that night, she suspected Arthur was simply using her.


    She was certain Cassandra would never hire anyone to hurt her sister. She knew her elder daughter


    well enough, but Arthur, not long enough. It was hard to understand a man, especially a businessman.


    She wasn''t sure whether he was cheating on them or not.


    "Arthur would never do that to me, Mother!" Cloris shouted.


    She was actually touched by her mother''s words but she refused to suspect her boyfriend.


    She had always had a freehand with money. She bought whatever she liked in the blink of an eye,


    regardless of the cost, but she never thought of where the money wasing from.


    She stole a quick nce at her sister, who was as frail as herself. Her face turned red when she


    thought that all the money she had wasted was earned by Cassandra. It was as if something gnawed


    at her heart.


    Still, she absolutely disagreed with her mother regarding the things she had said about Arthur.


    Arthur was always so nice to her. He bought everything she wanted, he was sweet and a gentleman of


    schrly bearing. He would never do such despicable things.


    "Okay, Cloris, let''s stop here with you. Cassandra, talk about your problem,"


    Edith patted on the table again and instructed Cassandra to start. But Cassandra found it hard to say


    anything and hesitated.


    "Well? What are you waiting for, Cassandra? Tell me what you''re thinking now. Hurry up! Edith urged.


    She was annoyed now. Neither of her daughters seemed interested to make her worries go away. But


    they had gone too far now, and they all needed this heart-to-heart session.


    But Cassandra felt like a drop of water spattered onto a pan full of boiling oil.


    She had just learned why her little sister hated her so much and was still shocked to find she had been


    framed the entire time. This feeling was terrible.


    It was possible that Arthur had plotted all of this.


    Cassandra felt uneasy and restless, like there was a ticking time bomb that could explode any time.


    Without a doubt, it was Arthur who had incited Cloris to steal her sh disk. Cloris was tricky but could


    never make such a seamless n, let alone carry it into action.


    It was impossible for her to havee up with such a master n on her own. The n had been neat


    and foolproof. Only one truth remained.


    It was Arthur who nned all this. They broke up when Cloris couldn''t help himst time but he came


    back to her now just so he could frame Cassandra. He didn''t love her and he was simply ying her


    like a chess piece.


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    It annoyed Cassandra that he had set her up using her own sister, more than once!


    She felt her heart sinking but she didn''t know how to provide an exnation to her mother as Edith


    waited for one, scanning her face for answers.


    She couldn''t tell her mother that Lionel misunderstood her because Cloris had stolen her disk. She


    couldn''t tell her he used her furiously with his finger pointed at her nose. She couldn''t tell her that


    she was helping Horace after that embarrassing divorce with his son.


    Her mother would probably think of her as a nut if she found out any of these.


    Cassandra couldn''t exin why she would still help the Tang family while she paid negligible attention


    to the dispute between herself and Cloris. What if her mother didn''t understand?