Chapter 35
The mood in the private room isteme. The Spence family sat around their untouched meals, their faces dark.
In slurpcontrast, Simone happily dug into her food, seemingly unaware of the thick tension.
Samuel shifted uncomfortably, watching her Even though her attitude annoyed him, guilt over years of unfair blame held him back from
“Simone,” he said quietly, “we’re here to make things right. We owe you an apology.” He shot a meaningful glance at his sons, urging them to speak
Gurles, the eldest at twenty–five, was the first to break the silence. “Simone,” he said, dripping with condescension, “I realize I was wrong about you.
Simone looked up, a smirk on her lips. “What’s with the attitude, Charles! You’re adopted ton, you know. So get off your high horse. You’re not special to me.”
Charles’s self–righteousness had always rubbed her the wrong way, and it now made her stomach churn.
Charles opened his mouth to say something but ended up shutting it again, completely at a loss. The silence stretched out until he finally muttered,
Look, even if we misjudged you, that doesn’t excuse how you’re acting.
Simone handly acknowledged him. If they thought they could pushi her around, they were aliout to find out how wrong they were.
Samuel shot his sons a warning glance, fully aware of the storm brewing inside Simone.
Raymond mumbled, “Sorry for misjudging you. His apology sounded even less sincere than Charles’s
shing off his words.
Simone didn’t even look up, brushing
Next, it was Stella’s turn to play the remorseful sister. Tears sprang to her eyes–classic move. Her whole vibe practically screamed, “Finally, it’s my time to shine”
Amused, Simone watched Stella dab at her eyes with dramatic flair. “I’m really sorry, Simone, I was
as the one who set you up before. I’ve learned my lesson. I swear.” She fixed Simone with a pitiful gaze, the kind that seemed to plead. “Please forgive me.”
Simone ignored Stella’s theatrics and turned to Samuel. So, Mr. Spence, you went through all this trouble to bring me here today–are you asking me to forgive them! To just pretend everything’s fine?”
Samuel didn’t answer, but his attitude spoke volumes. He stared at her, full of self–righteousness, “Simone, I know you’ve been wronged. But they’ve apologized. You all grew up together as part of the Spence family. You shouldn’t turn against each other.
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A childhood memory flickered in Simone’s mind: the first year after Samuel adopted her. She remembered how he’d stood up to the bullies wha tormented her, teaching them a lesson they wouldn’t forget. Those boys never dared to mess with her again.
The man who once defended her was now asking her to forgive the very people who’d caused her pain. The irony was almost too much to handle. It felt completely absurd.
“Mr. Spence, am I just supposed to accept an apology? What if it were Stella whop
o got set up? Would you still be saying this?” Simone put down her Tork, wiping her hands slowly.
“There’s no “what if.” Samuel replied, struggling to find the right words. Deep down, he knew the answer, but he just couldn’t bring himself to say it
“Look, Stella’s been reflecting on this for a while now. I’ve made sure of is,” he insisteil.
“Why should I care? Simone slut back, her irritation boiling over as her voice sharpened.
Samuel sighed, fangue evident on his face. “Stella’s already suffered enough. The internet has turned against her. Her teachers and classmate mare her too. If this keep up, it’ll ruin her chances for college”
He’s apologizing to me, but every word is just defending Stella. How annoying! Simone thought. She took a sip of her water, her eyes icy. “She deserved is. Nobody forced lier to set me up?
Samuel hesitated. “B–But she is your sister,” he stammered, clearly taken aback by Simone’s words. He never magined she could hold this much
Simone rolled her eyes, brushing off the notion. Tim not a Spence. Don’t insult me by bringing up that sister nonsense. Just get to the point, or I’m
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Chapler 20
Stella’s expression timmediately drained of color. Simone, please don’t go, the pleaded.
Simone arched an eyebrow at Stella’s sudden shift from confident to anxious. This version of her looked nothing like the bold–faced girl Simone remembered Intrigued Simone decided to day put
I’ve really learned my Jesson,” Stella begged, tears streaming down her face. “The hate online is just too much. I can’t even face school anymore?
She could drown a city with all those tears, Simone thought, unimpressed. “So, what exactly do you want from me?” she asked, staring directly at Stella, cutting to the chase.
Stella’s eyes sparkled with optimism. “All you need to do is post online saying it was all a misunderstanding. I swear we’ll get along from here on
That soft–hearted fool never changes, Stella thought, suppressing a smirk. Still gullible enough to fall for my sob story
Simone stayed silent, instead focusing on Samuel’s reaction.
Noticing her hesitation, Samuel jumped in “Look, your sister really is sorry. If you forgive her, I promise she won’t hurt you again.”
“Your promises actually mean something?” Simone replied, her tone frosty.
“Absolutely.” Samuel said, keeping his expression steady.
Samone didn’t buy it for a second. Tension hung in the air, all eyes locked on her, as if everyone was waiting for her to make some kind of verbal
commitment.
Simone smiled. “Just to be clear, I’m not promising to clear her name.”
“H–How could you say that?” Norah exclaimed, jumping to her feet. The thought of her daughter facing online harassment twisted her heart in
knots
Im done eating. I’m outta here, Simone said, brushing off Norah’s distress. She stood tall under their collective gaze. Then she walked toward the exit ke she had just come for dinner and nothing else.
“Simone, can’t you find it in your heart to forgive us?” Samuel asked, his voice thick with emotion
Simone gave him a cold look and curled her lips into a scornful smirk. “Was this dinner really about getting my forgiveness, or just cleaning up Stella’s mess? You already know the answer.
“Did you really think I’d be that naive? If I stick up for Stella, I’m next in the firing line. No way that ends well. Do you think I’m dumb?”
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