Hiding Behind Her Superficiality by Kyla Olson

Chapter 283

Chapter 283

Listening to Margot’s voice, Elspeth felt like being in an immersive experience and seeing her mother standing vividly before her.

Her mother, Helena Joneson, used to be the most dazzling young lady in Blaydal. Before Margot was married, she was also a beauty from the same city. The two of them had a close relationship and often hung out together.

However, as time passed, they reached a point where they fell in love for the first time. Margot had a crush on Theodore, but he secretly had his eye on Helena. In contrast, Helena fell in love with the famous sculptor named Grover Lynwood. Due to their situation, a love quadrangle was formed.

As Margot reflected on the past, Elspeth noticed a hint of jealousy in her eyes. “You have no idea how many people fell head over heels for your mother back then. I assume 80 percent of the men in Blaydal had a crush on her, but your mother didn’t fancy any of them. Instead, she fell for your father, Grover, on an outing.”

As soon as the name ‘Grover’ was brought up, Margot sighed. “Sadly, your father was too poor for your grandfather’s liking. He wasn’t even able to pay a million for the bride-dowry.”

A million?! Elspeth gasped in shock. Who else besides those born with a silver spoon and those from wealthy families could afford to pay a one million bride dowry?

“Due to that, old Mr. Joneson wasn’t willing to marry your mother to your father. At the same time, Theodore proposed marriage to your mother, which made your grandfather realize how nice of a person he was. That’s how he agreed to Theodore’s proposal.”

Suddenly, Margot could not help clenching her teeth at the mention of that incident and continued, “He was really filthy rich back then—”

Elspeth chuckled dryly before asking, “What happened after that?”

“Something outrageous happened.” While recalling the incident, Margot’s expression soon became solemn.

“What happens?”

“Apart from your mother, the Jonesons had another daughter, but she was rather introverted and was raised at home. I saw her, and she was as lovely as your mother. However, your mother eloped with your father the day before the engagement. At that moment, Theodore’s twin brother, Thiago, was drunk and ran to the backyard of Joneson Residence.”

Elspeth listened intently to the climax, knowing what would happen next, and she held her breath.

“After that, Thiago raped the girl from the Joneson Family, causing the engagement to be canceled. Consequently, Theodore never had the chance to marry your mother again.” Margot sighed and added, “Later, the young lady committed suicide, and your grandfather sent Thiago to jail. Since then, he has not been set free.”

Elspeth suddenly felt pity for that lady, but it was at that moment that she connected the dots. This incident must be why my grandfather refuses to let me marry Callum. Therefore, we can’t tie the knot due to the extreme animosity between the two families.

“I dared not tell you before this as I was afraid you would vent your anger on Callum because of this incident. That child likes you wholeheartedly, which made me contemplate for a long time whether or not to tell you, but since you wanted to know the truth, I decided to tell you so that you can make up your mind.”

Elspeth shook her head and smiled. “The grudges are held between the previous generation and have nothing to do with me. Besides, the Jonesons merely gave birth to me without raising me. Why should I

take over their grievances?”

Margot was pleased to hear that. Beaming, she patted Elspeth’s hands in relief. “That’s good to hear.”

“However… I heard from my dad that my mom left because of a fight between them. Did my mom contact you after all these years?”

Then, Margot lowered her head and pondered for a moment before replying, “About ten years ago, she contacted me a few times. However, I didn’t tell Theodore because I was afraid he might still have lingering feelings for her. At that time, Edmund went missing for two days while Max was involved in a car accident. It felt like we were being cursed, but since then, your mother hasn’t shown up again, and I didn’t contact her either.”

Going missing and a car accident… Elspeth narrowed her eyes as a bold idea popped into her mind. “Does that mean after my mother contacted you, accidents started happening one after another to the Winthrops?”

“You can say so, but they might also be coincidences.”

Suddenly, Margot felt conflicting emotions and stated, “If you want to look for your mother, I must tell you something beforehand. I suspect your mother knows your whereabouts and might have even shown up before you, but you couldn’t recognize her. Alternatively, she might have observed you silently all along, but some irresistible force is stopping you two from reuniting.”

Elspeth knew it all too well. Who else could the irresistible force be besides Michael?!

The accidents that happened one after another to the Winthrops were warnings Michael gave to her mother. If she tried to contact the Winthrops again, he would make things difficult for them!

Elspeth narrowed her eyes as her hatred for Michael grew. “I understand the situation now, Mrs. Winthrop. Thanks for telling me.”

“You’re welcome. You have the right to know about these things as her daughter.”

After counting the minutes and realizing more than half an hour had passed, Margot finally collected herself and got up. “Now that you know the truth, you should take care of your health. Please tell your mother I said hi if you ever find her.”

Elspeth nodded. “Sure. Thanks again, Mrs. Winthrop.”

As Margot was leaving, Elspeth added, “Mrs. Winthrop, you’re a nice lady, and I can tell Mr. Winthrop likes you with all his heart.” Following that, she winked at her with a hint of playfulness.

Margot’s face instantly flushed due to her remark. “Stop flattering me, you brat.” With that, she left while covering her face bashfully.

Meanwhile, Elspeth smirked before falling into deep thought. In that case, I’ll have to return to Joneson House. On the other hand, Callum and I got engaged not too long ago, and my mom found a way to get the engagement gift to me using her own methods. So, it indicates that the situation is stable for the time being and that there is no pressing need for me to return.

After pondering, she did some light stretching because she felt stiff from being in bed for so long. Suddenly, her eyes landed on the stew bowl on the table, and she instantly shuddered at the recollection of the various stews she had eaten over the past few days. Maybe I should throw them away.

…

Meanwhile, Elspeth was eager to return to work as soon as she felt better. She was informed that the crew would be filming in a studio in Blaydal. In addition, Timothy had already brought a group of actors over to the location. In other words, she was eager to get back to work so that she could make trips to Blaydal to monitor the work progress.

Unfortunately, she still had not resolved Gilbert’s matter, and he was constantly blackmailing and threatening her. As a result, she had no choice but to remain in Damoria for the time being.

On the other hand, Callum was extremely busy for the past few days. She only learned from indirect sources that Winthrop Group had financial difficulties, leaving him to clean up the mess. Hence, as soon as she recovered, Elspeth sneakily went to Winthrop Group to check on the situation.

As soon as she entered the company, she heard the two young ladies at the reception counter muttering to each other. Out of curiosity, she leaned over to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Is Mr. Winthrop out of his mind? The stock market is doing so well, but he insists on selling off one of our successful subsidiaries at a low price. Won’t we lose money because of that?”

“His behavior is honestly confusing and outrageous. I heard the board of directors is planning to remove him from his position!”

Hearing that, Elspeth pulled a long face. What on earth is Callum up to?!