Chapter 75
Chapter 75 Cold Accusations at Home
ន
95
Finished
Before she could even dwell on her heartache, the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open.
Wayne stepped inside with a dark, stormy look on his face.
“What is going on with everything at school? How could you let Reed run his mouth like that all over campus?
“Do we still have any dignity left as the Knox family? Jolie has been raised by us for more than a decade-she’s practically his cousin. With him posting all those things online, how is Jolie ever supposed to show her face at school again p>
Wayne stared sharply at Wendy, growing angrier with every word.
“Wayne p>
Wendy looked at her husband. After decades of marriage, she had never seen him this furious. Always calm and mild-spoken, he was now laying all the blame on her.
His blazing temper left her frozen in shock.
Was he really blaming her over Jolie?
Reed and the others had certainly gone too far, but Jolie was far from innocent. She had been in the wrong from the very start. Yet without asking a single question, Wayne rushed to accuse her-and her nephew.
He looked worn out from his trip, his white shirt rumpled. Anger clouded his refined features, and restlessness lingered plainly in his eyes.
For a split second, a raw side of him showed through, and Wendy felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity toward the man beside her.
“Wendy… what’s wrong p>
Wayne caught the quiet tremor in her soft, hoarse voice. He took a closer look and noticed how pale she’d turned. Her gaze stirred something uneasy inside him.
He softened his temper, stepped forward, and pulled her gently into his arms, his tone laced with concern.
The moment he drew near, Wendy caught a faint, unfamiliar scent clinging to him.
But she had no time to dwell on it, for Wayne spoke again right away.
“Jolie is our daughter, raised under our roof all these years. She may not be blood-related, but she means just as much to us as our own child. Jolie made a mistake this time, but leaving those
1/3
10:21 Sun, May 31
Chapter 75 Cold Accusations at Home
95
Finished
campus forum posts up is out of line. What will everyone in our social circle think of the Knox family p>
Wendy unconsciously tightened her grip on his shirt.
He never stopped to ask how Zora was holding up. All he cared about was the damage to Jolie’s reputation.
A dull discomfort settled heavily in Wendy’s chest.
Zora had barely escaped a life-or-death ordeal. Instead of wondering how hurt she must have been by their unfair misunderstanding, Wayne only kept complaining about the online posts.
Wendy knew the posts shouldn’t stay up forever-she’d never intended to leave them be. Still, he’d come home only to interrogate her, never pausing to ask what she’d been through.
“Wayne… I’ve gone to the Marlow Manor several days running to fetch Zora, but she won’t even speak to me anymore.” Her voice was rough and fragile, spoken word by word slowly.
She ignored his demand to take down the online posts entirely.
She would have handled it on her own in time, but his constant pushing rubbed her the wrong
way.
“Zora grew up out in the countryside all those years and picked up a stubborn, unruly temper. Let her stay with your parents for a while to learn some manners. Wendy, Jolie is absolutely heartbroken today. Reed went way too far this time. Jolie is a girl; how could he say such things about her p>
Wayne spoke indifferently, though underlying frustration and irritation lingered in his tone.
Wendy’s parents had always favored boys over girls. It might do Zora some good to stay there and get humbled.
They had never been fond of Jolie either, and later even kept her away from the Marlow Manor. Zora would surely face the same cold treatment.
Wayne had never cared for Zora as a daughter. She never knew how to flatter others, always wore a dull, unsmiling look, and everyone in their social circle only spoke of her with
contempt.
She brought no pride to the family-not like Jolie, who made them look good at every turn.
Deep down, Wayne had actually been relieved when Zora chose to leave the Knox Villa on her
own.
Listening to his words, Wendy couldn’t shake an odd feeling in her heart.
2/3
10:21 Sun, May 31
Chapter 75 Cold Accusations at Home
95
Finished
He wasn’t entirely wrong. Letting those online posts stay up forever would reflect poorly on the Knox family. Public family strife only invited gossip from outsiders and would taint everyone’s reputation, including the girls p>
“I’ll go talk to Jensen tomorrow and ask him to take the posts down,” She leaned into Wayne’s embrace and murmured quietly.
Havenridge High was co-founded by the Marlows, the Pierces, the Nolans, and a few other prominent families.
Only Jensen had the authority to remove the campus forum posts.
“You have to make sure Jensen agrees to take them down,” Wayne insisted, discontent edging into his voice. “This is hurting Jolie far too much. Jensen and the others acted completely out of line, letting Reed get away with spreading such rumors. They couldn’t care less about our family’s reputation, letting outsiders laugh behind our backs. And Zora is just as thoughtless- she didn’t even try to stop Reed.
“She never bothered to clarify things online either, just letting everyone drag Jolie through the mud. Her behavior is absolutely unacceptable p>
If Zora had stepped in to hold Reed back, and spoken out online to explain it was all a misunderstanding and that she and Jolie were close, Jolie would never have gotten tangled up in this public backlash.
30
1
2
3/3
10:21 Sun, May 31
The Real Heiress s New Family Adored by All