Impulsive Vow to an Enigmatic Husband novel Chapter 642

The Hartleys were the real deal, the creme de la creme, sitting on a fortune that left the other three big families of Riverton in the dust. Cornelia was well aware of this.

If she'd known that Jeremy was actually Marcus, she might not have tied the knot with him. But, since she did say "I do", and that they were legally hitched, the gap in their status couldn't be a roadblock in their marital journey.

Cornelia was done arguing with Clair, "Mrs. Reese, I'll text you my bank account number. If the compensation ain't in my account by six this afternoon, you're on your own."

"You think I'm gonna cough up a penny for you? Dream on!" Clair wasn't keen on parting with her dough, but she knew she had to pony up now.

Before she could finish, Cornelia hung up the phone. Looking at the "call ended" on her screen, she was so ticked off she wanted to throw her phone against the wall.

Having been given a hard time by Cornelia, Clair turned her fury on Natalia, "Tell me, did you deliberately let the cameras catch you slipping the necklace into that woman's bag last night?"

Natalia sat expressionless on the sofa, staring blankly at the door, seemingly not hearing Clair's interrogation.

Seeing Natalia's apathetic demeanor, Clair got angrier, "Natalia, I'm talking to you. Are you even listening?"

"I've already said it wasn't me. Why do you keep grilling me? If you only want to hear me say 'yes', what's the point of questioning me?" Natalia stared out the window, not turning around.

She knew they just wanted her to confess, then shift all the blame for last night onto her. In the past, although Cameron hit and cursed at her, she didn't feel hopeless because she believed she had her parents' support and that one day they'd stand up for her.

But last night, due to Marcus' intervention, their scheme was exposed, and they had to apologize to Cornelia. After the guests left, her father had her face the press, admitting that she'd masterminded and executed the fake necklace and theft incidents. They scripted her lines, had her memorize them, then filmed a video.

So, last night's set-up turned into her attempt to frame and slander Cornelia, and her mother chose to take the blame to protect her daughter. Once the video was released, all fingers would point at her, and they knew better than she did about the media backlash she'd face.

But they didn't give a damn. It dawned on her that they didn't care about her. She was a nonentity in this family. When the storm came, not only wouldn't they be her shelter, they'd even rip apart the umbrella she used to fend off the rain.

Clair was provoked by Natalia's words, raising her voice, "What did you say?"

After last night's incident, Granger punished her by not letting her sleep for a whole night, and Cameron also mocked her mercilessly. Today's online media painted her as a vain creature, and Cornelia also insulted her. Now, even her own daughter, the only person she could manipulate, was ignoring her.

This feeling of being abandoned by the world drove Clair off the deep end, and she slapped Natalia in the face.