Chapter 244,Coolest Girl in Town
Elise didn’t say a word. There were some things that she didn’t want to tell him lest it made him feel even more irritable. However, she could sense that Madeline was hostile to her. Seems like it’s true that the relationship with one’s mother-in-law is the trickiest problem in the world. Perhaps I could reduce the conflict between us by avoiding her, she thought. At the thought of this, she made up her mind. When Alexander came out of Elise’s room, he gave Cameron a call. “Help me find out what happened at Moore Plaza today.” Cameron merely replied, “Yes, Young Master Alexander,” on the other end of the line without asking any questions.
After hanging up the phone, Alexander looked back and stared at the tightly closed door. Even though Elise said nothing about it, he could sense that there was something wrong with her mood today. What should I do to reduce her worries? he thought. Over the next few days, Elise went out from dawn till dusk, going to Brendan’s studio to help him with his work. As she avoided meeting Madeline almost every day, the two women rarely ran into each other, thus avoiding many conflicts.
However, Madeline wouldn’t let it go at that. One day, the servant received an exquisitely designed invitation card. “Madam, it’s an invitation sent by the SK Group.” Madeline took the invitation card and glanced at it. “Just put it there! I’ll make time to attend the event.” “Yes, madam,” Stella said. Just as Stella was about to leave, Madeline stopped her, saying, “Wait a minute, Stella.” “Is there anything else, madam?” Coming straight to the point, Madeline said, “You’ve worked for the Griffiths for years. I suppose I can talk about this with you without mincing words. You’ve served Dad by his side for so many years, so you know his temperament better than anyone else.
I’m just curious as to why he would arrange for Alex to get engaged to a country bumpkin like Elise.” Stella was troubled by Madeline’s question. “Madam, this is a matter within the Griffith Family. I’m only a servant, so I’m not qualified to comment on this.” Madeline immediately replied, “It’s okay, Stella. I just want to know what Dad thought, so you just have to be honest.” Still, Stella was unsure of what to say in response. In the past few days, she had noticed that Madeline seemed to be displeased with Elise. Naturally, she couldn’t say anything about it as a servant, though she felt more and more sorry for Elise.
“Madam, since you asked me the question today, allow me to say that Elise is actually a fine lady. She excels in her studies and is the top scorer in the college entrance exam this time. Back when the late Mr. Griffith was still around, she never exploited his fondness for her to do anything inappropriate. Instead, she always had the interests of the Griffiths in mind. As for her relationship with Young Master Alexander, I don’t think it’s proper for us to speak out of turn about the love between a man and a woman. But I believe that Young Master Alexander must’ve liked Miss Elise because there’s something extraordinary about her. Besides, they look like a perfect match. I think they’ll definitely be happy if they get married.”
“That’s enough…” Madeline interrupted Stella before the latter could continue her speech. “Getting married? How could she marry into the Griffith Family with such a family background? Isn’t that a bit too laughable?” Upon hearing Madeline’s words, Stella realized that Madeline disliked Elise because of the latter’s family background. Turns out that rich families value marriages between families of equal social standing above everything else. Well, the late Mr. Griffith was better; he didn’t hold such vulgar and old-fashioned views, she thought. Just then, Madeline said, “Tell me the truth, Stella. Has she done anything… indecent with Alex over the time she spent here?”
Upon hearing this, Stella immediately replied, “You’re overthinking it, madam. There’s nothing indecent between Miss Elise and Young Master Alexander. I can vouch for Miss Elise about this.” Madeline heaved a sigh of relief. Seems like they’ve yet to reach that point in their relationship. In that case, there’d still be a way to improve the situation, she thought. “Alright, I got it. You may leave.” Stella wiped the sweat off her forehead before going to the kitchen. Then, she breathed a sigh of helplessness, saying, “Why would a kind person like you come across such a mother-in-law, Miss Elise…”
Elise didn’t know what had happened, and she didn’t come home until 10PM as usual. Whenever she came back at this hour in the last few days, the lights in the living room would’ve already been switched off. Today, however, the spacious living room was brightly lit. “You’re back at last, huh?” Elise heard Madeline’s voice as soon as she entered the house. When she looked up subconsciously, she saw Madeline sitting on the sofa in the living room. She asked, “Why are you still up at such a late hour, Mrs. Griffith?” “I was waiting for you,” Madeline replied succinctly.
“Come here. Let’s have a talk.” Elise walked over to Madeline and sat down beside her. “Is there anything you’d like to talk to me about, Mrs. Griffith?” “Uh-huh,” Madeline replied. “I heard from someone in the family that you’d be staying here for only a year. Since it’s about time, I’d say you should consider moving out and staying somewhere else. After all, you’re a lady, so it’s quite improper for you to stay at someone else’s place all year round.” For a moment, Elise didn’t know how to respond to Madeline’s words. She came here because Jonah had invited her to, but now that Jonah was gone, it did seem improper for her to continue staying here. Moreover, Madeline had asked her to leave.
“You’re right, Mrs. Griffith. I should be moving out indeed.” Madeline then said, “I don’t mean anything else, but you’re a lady, so your reputation is quite important. Those in our family are mostly guys, so it’ll be embarrassing if word gets around about this. How about this? I’ve got a 2-bedroom apartment downtown, so you can stay there if you want.” “Thanks for your kind offer, Mrs. Griffith, but it’s not necessary. I’ll find a place to stay on my own.” Madeline heaved a sigh of relief when she heard Elise say so. “That’s good. You’re engaged to Alexander, but you two aren’t married yet, after all, so your relationship is still subject to change.
I’m doing this for your own good, so if Alexander and the others ask you about it later, I hope you’ll tell them that it’s your own decision.” To put it bluntly, I can’t say that she drove me out. There was no way Elise didn’t understand the meaning behind Madeline’s words. Indeed, she was like an outsider to this family, so it was a bit improper for her to stay here. “Don’t worry. I understand that.” Therefore, Elise packed up her stuff the next day. She had bought an apartment in Athesea long ago, though the place had always been vacant. Originally, she had planned to move there when she finished spending a year at the Griffith Residence as she had promised to Robin.
Now that she was going to move out, she could stay in that apartment for the time being. She announced right away during breakfast that she was planning to move out. In an instant, those at the dining table were surprised, and Danny was the first to speak. “You’re moving out? Why, Boss? Why are you moving out? You’re doing fine while staying here, anyway.” Brendan asked right after that, “Did something happen, Elise? Why do you want to move out all of a sudden?” Jack was puzzled, too. “Don’t tell me you want to move out because you have a hard time adjusting to it now that my parents are back?”
Elise immediately replied with a smile, “No, that’s not it. I just feel that I’ve bothered you guys a little by staying here for too long. Now that the college entrance exam has ended, I’ll be going to university at Tissote when the semester begins in September. It’d be inconvenient for me to continue staying here, so I decided I might as well move out.” “That can’t be true, Boss! Don’t move out, okay? If you move out of here, I’ll have a problem improving my ranking in games.
How am I supposed to play games with you then?” Brendan chimed in, “That’s right, Elise. There’s still a month before the semester begins, so you can totally stay until then.” As soon as Brendan finished his sentence, Alexander, who had been silent the whole time, looked up at Elise and asked, “Where will you be staying?”
Elise answered honestly, “I’ll be staying at Bollinger Gardens on Ellingmont Lane.” “I’ll help you move your stuff there later, then.” Elise nodded in agreement, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed deep down inside. He didn’t even ask me to stay, she thought to herself.
