Jessie froze for a few seconds.
She had thought Eileen was about to give her a hard time. She hadn’t expected that they actually shared the same kind of pain.
“Zane, now that you’ve made up your mind to marry her, you’d better treat her right. If I ever find out you’re not good to Jessie, don’t blame me for throwing you out of this family.”
If anyone else had said that, Zane would’ve thrown them out long ago. But since it was Eileen, he merely chuckled and said, “Don’t worry, Mom. In my world, there’s only marriage or widowhood. Divorce isn’t an option.”
Eileen personally took Jessie’s hand and led her to the center of the living room. In front of everyone, she declared, “From this day on, Jessie is my daughter–in–law and the lady of the Stafford family. I expect every one of you to show her the same respect you show me.”
With Eileen backing her up, no one in the Stafford family dared look down on Jessie anymore. Eileen didn’t enjoy noisy gatherings. After publicly standing up for Jessie, she quietly left the
event.
The people left around Jessie were all from the Stafford family’s extended branches, and they treated her with only the utmost respect.
The banquet lasted until after 10:00 pm. Because Stafford Estate was far from where they lived, Jessie and Zane decided to stay the night.
After showering, Jessie planned to go downstairs for some warm milk to help her sleep.
Suddenly, someone popped up behind her. “Hi, Jessie!”
Startled, Jessie nearly dropped the glass in her hand. She was still shaken as she turned around and looked at Zane’s younger sister, Alisha. “Alisha, you scared me half to death, sneaking up on me like that at this hour.”
Alisha stuck out her tongue playfully.
“Well, it’s because you were so busy earlier tonight that I didn’t get a chance to talk to you alone. Now that everyone’s gone, I finally have time to chat with you.”
Jessie glanced at the clock. It was nearly midnight. “Alisha, can we talk tomorrow? It’s really late, and you should get some rest.”
She was about to leave, but Alisha grabbed her arm. “Jessie, don’t be in such a rush. I have something important to tell you. It’s about Anna!”
Chapter 21
2/2
Jessie’s curiosity was piqued when she heard Anna’s name.
“What is it?”
Alisha dragged her over to a nearby couch and launched into her story.
“Jessie, I’ve heard some things about you–that Anna not only stole your identity but also ruined your marriage. Women like her deserve the worst! Actually, I met Anna when I was overseas. And trust me, she was living a wild life over there!
“She first hooked up with a wealthy man overseas. But it turned out he had a wife, and Anna got chased down and beaten up by the man’s wife. After that, she shifted her target to other rich guys. She even went to the hospital to get her hymen stitched.”
Jessie was so shocked she felt like her worldview had been completely overturned. She had always suspected Anna hadn’t been up to anything good abroad, but she hadn’t imagined Anna would sink that low.
“And then?” Jessie prompted.
“Anna had sky–high ambitions. The men she went after were all successful businessmen. But either they just wanted to have some fun with her, or they already had families. Anna was . nothing more than a mistress at best.
“Maybe she finally got tired of playing around overseas, so she came back looking for someone to settle down with. And unfortunately, she actually found an idiot willing to take her in. Jessie, is your ex–husband out of his mind? How could he give up a woman like you for
trash like that?”
Alisha shuddered in disgust at the thought, shaking her head.
Jessie let out a wry smile. “Brandon probably has no idea what Anna was up to abroad.”
Anna was always good at pretending. She’d never tell Brandon any of that. Even when she left for abroad back then, she had claimed it was because she was too young and wanted to go study and gain experience. It was a flimsy excuse, but Brandon believed it anyway.
“Well, your ex–husband is nothing but a sucker now. And also—”
Before Alisha could finish her sentence, someone suddenly grabbed her left ear and twisted it. “Alisha, do you have nothing better to do?”
Chapter 22
Chapter 22
