Chapter 18
She didn't care about her mother's material possessions. She just hated Melissa for treating her mother that way, especially since the latter mother had treated Melissa extremely well. Balling her fingers tightly into fists, she unknowingly dug her fingernails into her palms, where blood began to drip from them onto the ground.
After suffering for five years, she assumed that nothing could outrage her upon her return to Horington. Unfortunately, she had underestimated the ruthlessness of her enemies. Despite feeling the recurring urge to unsheathe her dagger and plunge it into the back of Melissa's head, she kept seeing flashes of her six children in her mind.
For their sakes, she was willing to bear any form of humiliation.
A short while later, she wiped away her blood before making her way downstairs.
In the dining room, everyone was already feasting away.
"Jessica is here. I told them to wait for you, but your father insisted on starting, so I hope you don't mind."
Having received a plate and cutlery from the housekeeper, Rhonda placed them on the empty seat beside her.
At the sight of Jessica, Jonathan slammed his fork on the table with a frown.
"What are you spacing out for? Why aren't you greeting our guests?"
"Mr. Gulliford, Mrs. Gulliford," Jessica greeted in a gentle tone.
As she wasn't responsible for Samantha's death, she didn't care what the Gulliford family thought of her. The only thing that mattered was that her conscience was clear. Vincent acknowledged her with an expressionless nod before adjusting his spectacles.
If Maximilian hadn't insisted that his granddaughter-in-law must come from the Jackson family, they would never have agreed to the marriage.
"Jessica has lost weight." Eleanor smiled faintly. Even
though she wasn't Samantha and Trevor's birth mother, she was an extremely shrewd lady.
Having dealt with her a few times before, Jessica found that they had similar characters and methods.
"Mrs. Gulliford, you look stunning as usual. I had expected no less from a lady of a prestigious family. The dignified aura you exude can never be replicated by a lowly housekeeper." Jessica took her seat with a grin, confident that everyone present caught her insinuation.
Meanwhile, Rhonda turned pale and thought, "Lowly housekeeper. She's obviously sniping at me."
Initially, Jessica had no intention of causing any trouble, but Rhonda and Melissa were just too insufferable.
"You know, if Jessica hadn't made an impulsive mistake, she wouldn't have ended up in her current predicament. Don't forget that she used to be the top socialite of Horington," Melissa lamented with feigned naivety. Despite the innocent look on her face, she had further intensified the awkwardness at the table.
Her comment had inadvertently reminded everyone of the grudge between the Jacksons and Gullifords.
As expected of someone who grew up in high society, she could easily turn the tables with just a few words alone.
In contrast to Melissa, Rhonda was an imbecile. Even though she wanted to support her daughter, her words ended up coming out wrong. "That's right. Truth be told, Jessica is a well-behaved child. Ever since she was young, she had only committed two mistakes. The first was what happened five years ago. The second was when she aborted a child six years ago.
During that time, her mother was still alive and quietly covered the matter up. If it were up to me, I would have found the man behind it and gotten him to take responsibility."
The moment Rhonda finished, Jessica's hand shivered, causing her to drop her fork in fright.
Nevertheless, she quickly picked it back up to avoid raising Trevor's suspicion.
She explained softly, "It was a mistake when I got drunk in a club. Since the father was a nobody, I
decided to abort the child."
With a darkening expression, Trevor clenched his fists under the table.
"Precisely. A person like that doesn't deserve to be the father of Jessica's child. The abortion was the right decision." Melissa desperately tried to defuse the situation. Earlier, she felt her heart stop when Rhonda brought the matter up.
After all, she was privy to the secret few knew, that the child was clearly Trevor's.
Back then, Jessica had gotten her not to inform Trevor about it, and she, too, helped to cover the matter up.
Melissa grumbled to herself, "Even until now, Trevor doesn't know about the child. Therefore, why did this stupid mother of mine have to mention it now?"
"Is this supposed to be something you are proud of?" Jonathan furrowed his brows tightly. "Don't you feel guilty saying something like that? Go upstairs now, and stop disgracing me in public!"
In response, Jessica got to her feet and frantically fled the dining hall. Throughout the entire time, she didn't even dare glance at Trevor.
Just as she snuggled beneath her blanket upon returning to her room, the door was forcefully pushed open behind her. The next moment, she felt a figure climb on top of her.
Suddenly, the blanket above her head was ripped aside to reveal Trevor's fiery glare upon her. "You aborted my child!"