Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Jill!”
When Chantelle saw that her daughter had been slapped, she was so mad that she kept on thumping her chest and stomping her foot. “Peony, look at what your loser son-in-law has done.
“He’s going to kill her!
“He’s going to kill her! My poor daughter, you suffered through so many slaps. Boohoohoo…
“Why is my life so miserable?”
Peony was infuriated. Every word her sister said cut through her like a knife. She glared at Clarence in rage. “Clarence, you’ve gone too far.
“So what if we misunderstood you? It’s not a big deal. How badly have you been wronged?
“If you had explained yourself, would we not have believed you?”
Peony advanced toward Clarence. “We all know you deliberately didn’t explain yourself so you could frame it as a conflict. You wanted to use it to get Miranda to divorce you.
“Are you happy now that you’re divorced?
“Do you have any idea how upset Miranda was when she found out the truth about the Humanity Hall scam and Chadwick’s kidnapping?
“Miranda is at home grieving, yet you’re out shopping with another woman?! Has your conscience been thrown into the dumpster?”
Peony took a step forward. “Now, you’ve slapped Jill to get back at Miranda.
“Look at how hard you’ve slapped a good girl like her!
“You violent freak, you pervert, you psycho!
“Since you like beating up people so much, you might as well beat me to death.”
With each sentence, Peony took another step toward Clarence.
By the time she finished her last sentence, Peony was standing in front of Clarence. Her eyes welled up with anger, while her breath smelled of garlic, nearly overwhelming him.
Clarence was stunned. ‘Miranda’s sad about the divorce?
‘Does she have feelings for me?’
Armstrong also added, “Clarence, you’ve really disappointed us.
“I thought you were just a loser and someone unpromising. I didn’t expect you to like pulling off such petty tricks behind our backs.
“We should be upright and honest!
“If you’re upset about the divorce, you can argue with the Murphy family, but slapping Jill behind our backs is too much.
“What’s Jill got to do with this? What’s the point of taking your revenge out on her?”
Clarence ignored them.
He was still thinking about Miranda being sad about their divorce.
Suddenly, a startled voice rang out from behind Clarence’s back, “Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?”
Clarence stiffened.
When he looked back, it was Miranda.
She was wearing a baggy batwing blouse and culottes. She was carrying shopping bags and looking as aloof and beautiful as ever.
Clarence saw William beside Miranda. It looked like they had been out shopping and had just happened to be passing by.
“Haha, is that what you call grieving?” Clarence smiled sarcastically.
He had been worried about Miranda, but it turned out that he had just been overthinking.
Peony and Armstrong were a little embarrassed that their daughter had shown up just then.
“Clarence, what are you doing here?” Miranda frowned as she looked at her family. “What’s going on?”
Peony explained, “Here’s the thing. Jill has just returned from abroad and was shopping at Walker Street with her best friends.
“But Cecilia was careless, and I actually wonder if she knocked over Jill’s milk tea on purpose to get revenge.
“Jill tried to get Cecilia to apologize, but Cecilia refused! Then, they argued.
“As a man, Clarence even slapped Jill and forced her to apologize.
“Jill got so mad she called all of us to come over.
“Look at how badly Jill was slapped.”
After listening to her mother’s explanation, Miranda looked at Jill’s swollen face.
Miranda was furious. “Clarence, don’t go too far. Come at me if you want revenge. Hurry up and apologize to Jill!”
“Haha, you’re as overbearing as ever. Unfortunately, I’m not the old me anymore. Apologize? No way.” Clarence smiled playfully.
Miranda frowned. “Shouldn’t you apologize for what you did wrong?
“Do you not understand common sense?”
Clarence had a sneer on his face. “Do you believe your mother again?
“Do you think that that’s the case and that it’s already my fault, without even needing to listen to my explanation?”
Clarence nodded non-stop. “I don’t know common sense. You know common sense best. You know everything.”
Miranda was stunned. “You can explain himself.”
Clarence did not bother to explain. “Why should I?”
Cecilia walked over. “Yeah, why should Clarence explain to you?”
Miranda snapped, “What does business between my husband and me have to do with you?”
Clarence fell into a temporary trance.
Cecilia shook her head in amusement. “You and your husband? That’s funny. You’re both divorced. Your husband?
“You don’t own Clarence anymore. You gave him up.”
Cecilia grabbed Clarence’s arm and leaned her head on it. “You don’t want him, but I do.”
Miranda went pale and quivered. “Clarence, you two…”
“Yes, I’ve gotten together with Cecilia. Aren’t you hooking up with William too?” Clarence laughed at himself. “Your mother just said you were upset and grieving at home because you found out that you had misunderstood me. I didn’t know that this is how you grieve, though—you hang out with someone who has tried to rape you before.”
Miranda felt a pang in her heart. It was as if she had been stabbed by a knife.
Clarence shook his head. “Cecilia, let’s go. I don’t want to shop anymore.”
“Me neither. Come on, let’s go home.” Cecilia took Clarence by the arm and turned to walk away.
Miranda watched their backs. Those words, and particularly that ‘go home’, tore her heart out and left her with mixed feelings.
Miranda bit her lip and yelled at Clarence resentfully, “Clarence, what are you doing? You’re already hooking up with someone else after you’ve just divorced me!”
“Aren’t you the same? We’re just the same. We’re both pigs, so let’s not get disgusted with each other.” Clarence left without looking back.
Peony walked over. “Miranda, don’t get upset over that little loser. William’s a nice guy. Just spend time with him.”
Miranda’s head was buzzing. She could not hear a thing.
Peony said nothing more. “You guys go ahead and bond. This incident has nothing to do with you. We’ll deal with it.”
With that said, the Murphy family left in a hurry.
They left as hurriedly as they had come.
Onlookers dispersed.
William reached out to put his arm around Miranda’s shoulder, but she jerked away from him. She ran ten feet away from William and glared at him in alarm. “William, you disgust me.”
“Hahahaha!”
William grinned sinisterly and glanced playfully at Miranda. “Have you just found out that I’m disgusting? Have you read all the information?
“Any one piece of it could destroy the Murphy Property Development Group. Twenty or thirty years in jail would be a light sentence for your parents.
“How you treat me will determine the Murphy family’s fate.”
Miranda trembled with anger.
After she watched the video on Clarence’s phone, she found out that William had actually tried to rape her. She had confronted William on the phone.
After he was exposed, instead of worrying, William had merely sent Miranda a stack of information about the Murphy Property Development Group breaking the law.
If William used the information to report Murphy Property Development Group, Miranda’s family would be torn apart.
“My parents didn’t do that. That was all Kaysen and George’s doing!” Miranda’s hands and feet trembled slightly.
William moved closer, his face almost touching Miranda’s pretty face. “What’s the use of telling me that? Go talk to the judge and see if they believe it.
“Remember, you have to do whatever I say from now on. Maybe I’ll burn these if you make me happy.
“If not, they might show up in a judge’s whistle-blower inbox.”
Miranda almost broke down. “William, please.
“Let the Murphy family go.”
William smiled and nodded. “Sure, 8 PM at First Birch Hotel tonight.
“The same room. I’ll wait for you. Clarence ruined it for me in that room the last time.
“Tonight, I want you to offer yourself to me.
“Remember, wear a lady’s suit and hip-hugging skirt. Don’t forget those nude-colored stockings I like..”