Chapter 17
If not for Monica's revelation, there was no way Jessica would believe that she and Melissa were born of different mothers, let alone the fact that Melissa's mother used to be the housekeeper who tended to her own mother. She lamented in her mind, "To have squeezed her way into my place, this illegitimate child of a housekeeper has plenty of tricks up her sleeve!"
After putting on a random outfit, Jessica caught a taxi back to the Jackson residence. The moment Jonathan, her father, saw her, he slapped her in the face before he even said a word.
"Where did you find the cheek to come home after disgracing our family?"
"Calm down, Jonathan. Jessica has just come back. What's the point in being so angry? Besides, she's still a child. It's understandable for her to make mistakes."
Rhonda Rousley, Melissa's mother, approached them. Her long and slender fingers stroked Jonathan's chest as she pacified him in a gentle tone.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.
"What happened to you? I heard Melissa mention that
you are still working at Cerulean. Have you not humiliated me enough already?" Jonathan thundered.
The more he looked at her, the more intense his rage became, and he made no effort to hold it back.
Jessica just stood there in silence. With an expressionless face, she looked no different from a zombie.
The Jackson family was single-handedly groomed by the Queens. Prior to that, Jonathan was nothing but a poor and ignorant student who came from the village.
If it wasn't for Jessica's mother, he would still be writing code in a random company instead of enjoying himself in the upper echelons of society. Despite being in their debt, he ignored the Queen family after they had fallen from grace.
In fact, he never bothered to show up when his mother-in-law died from sickness. Faced with such a father, Jessica not only felt it beneath her to talk to him but was also disgusted by the fact that she was his daughter.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps preceded a gentle voice. "Mr. Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. Gulliford have arrived at the door with their companions."
Without a moment's delay, a smile emerged on Jonathan's face. He headed to the door to welcome his guests with Rhonda in tow.
Subsequently, Jessica went upstairs to the room that used to belong to her.
The opulent decorations that were previously there had been removed, and all that was left was some worthless furniture.
As she lay on her bed, images of her luxurious life when she was a child flashed across her mind.
She thought, "To be honest, those were blissful days. If I hadn't been foolish enough to listen to Melissa and reject Trevor's advances back then, would I now have become Mrs. Gulliford, to be the envy of others alongside my exceptional husband? However, it no longer matters now, for that's all in the past. With my six adorable children, I no longer wish for anything more."
"What's wrong, my dear sister? Are you still dreaming about being the apple of the eye of the Jackson family?" Melissa walked into the room, her eyes filled with disdain. "This room is really big. In fact, it's twice the size of mine. Your mom was truly biased." "Where are my mom's ashes?"
Jessica didn't want to waste a moment talking to a mistress' child. After all, allowing Melissa to be raised in the Jackson residence was an extremely compassionate act on her mom's part.
"Fed to the dogs!" Melissa replied in a nonchalant tone, her smile deepening at the same time.
"Also, everything that you used to have belongs to me now. Regardless of your status as Herington's top socialite or the black card that only you possess."
While speaking, Melissa waved the black card in her hand that was representative of her status as the city's top socialite.
"I now have everything that used to belong to you. Are you pissed? Even if you are, you have no choice but to bear with it!" Melissa broke into a mocking smile. On her way out, she remarked without even looking back, "Come down for the meal, and be quick about it. Otherwise, I can't guarantee if our father will come up here and give you an earful. After all, you are the biggest blemish of his life!"
With bloodshot eyes, Jessica gave Melissa a deathly stare.