Why don’t I have my servant bring you upstairs?” Elise nodded. “Sure!” Then, Faye instructed the servant to show Elise the way upstairs, and she only turned and paced in the opposite direction after Elise had left. Meanwhile, Elise followed the servant upstairs until they reached the attic on the highest floor. Opening the door for her, the servant said, “Miss Sinclair, please.” Elise gave her a nod and went in. In the room, the old madam of the Anderson family, Bertha Jenkins, sat across a deranged woman while muttering, “Jeanie, our lives are so miserable!
Austin and Trevor are lying in hospital, and you’re in this state now, leaving me to pit against that little fox. I’m already old and don’t have so much energy to deal with those things anymore. Seeing that this family is about to fall into that little fox’s hands, what do you think I should do…” The woman named Jeanie held a doll in her hands with an empty look in her eyes, sitting in a daze without a word. Getting no response from her, Bertha wiped away the tears on her face. When she wanted to stand up, it seemed a little strenuous for her because of the gnawing pain from her knees. “Madam… why are you here?” Astonished, Elise wondered, What’s the old lady I just helped an hour ago doing here at the Anderson’s place?
What’s going on here? At the same time, Bertha was equally astonished to see her, and even though she had a good impression of Elise, it didn’t mean that she could accept the fact that she showed up at her home so suddenly, not to mention that it happened in such a situation. Hence, she put on a glum face and asked in an unpleasant tone, “What are you doing here?” First, Elise gazed at her, then she turned to Jeanie, who had an empty look on her face. “Miss Anderson invited me here,” she answered honestly. “So you’re a spy sent by that little fox! Get out of here!”
Bertha yelled, blowing her top. Startled, Elise wanted to clarify the situation. “Madam, you misunderstood—” “Get out! There’s no misunderstanding. It must be that little fox who sent you to approach me, isn’t it? Here I am, wondering why there’s such a kind-hearted person in this world, and it turns out that you’re in cahoots with each other. Get out of here! I don’t want to see you again!” Agitated, Bertha was hopping mad in anger. Her entire face was flushed, and she was acting very defensive toward Elise. Although Elise wanted to explain, Bertha completely refused to listen to anything she had to say and kept chasing her out. Seeing how stubborn she was, Elise could only turn to leave.
But in the next second, the deranged Jeanie bolted toward Elise and clung onto her tightly. “Yoyo! You’re back, Yoyo. You’re back…” Stomping her foot in anger, Bertha shouted, “My dear Jeanie, come back here! Yoyo isn’t here. That’s the spy that little fox sent. Yoyo has been dead for a long time. She’s dead…” “No… No, Yoyo isn’t dead! She’s not dead! She’s right here. She’s Yoyo!” In her fit of rage, Bertha started coughing violently as she pointed a shaky finger at Elise. She wanted to say something, but was unable to catch her breath and fell abruptly. “Madam!”
Anxiously, Elise ran to her and caught her just in time. “How are you feeling, Madam?” she asked while rubbing her back. A few seconds later when Bertha caught her breath again, she pushed Elise away roughly. “Don’t touch me!” Staring at her, Elise said, “Madam, there must have been a misunderstanding between us, but it’s okay. If it’s only a misunderstanding, it will be resolved one day. Right now, your health is more important, and I hope that you’ll calm down. Your leg is already injured, and you should be taking care of it. If you don’t wish to see me, I’ll leave now.” Upon saying that, she took a couple of steps backward, but Jeanie kept shaking her head as her grip on Elise’s clothes turned even tighter.
“No, don’t go! Don’t go, Yoyo! Your mommy is here—I’m here!” Witnessing this, Bertha slumped to the floor. “Lord, what did I do to deserve this?” It was also beyond Elise’s imagination that things would turn out like this now. Just then, the door swung open before Faye’s voice echoed in. “Grandma, I heard that you’re home.” She walked in the same time they heard her, and she was also a little stunned at the scene in front of her. “Grandma, you—” Before she could finish, Bertha sprang up and chided rudely, “You little fox, don’t call me Grandma!”
However, Faye seemed unaffected by her words. “What are you talking about, Grandma? I’m your granddaughter, and I will be forever so! Even though Dad and Trevor aren’t here, I’ll do my best to take care of you and Mom.” “Bah! Don’t think that I have no idea what thoughts you’re harboring. All you want is merely the properties of the Andersons. Don’t even dream about it! I’m telling you—I’d rather donate all our assets to the country than leave a single penny for you!” In reply, Faye merely said with a chuckle, “What nonsense is that, Grandma?
I specially invited Miss Sinclair over to keep Mom company because I saw that she likes her a lot. As you know, Mom’s condition isn’t stable, and maybe it will get better with Miss Sinclair’s company.” “Scram! Get out, both of you!” Bertha wasn’t the least interested to listen to Faye; she chased them out straightaway.
When Faye was already chased outside the room, Bertha turned to Elise. “Do you want to walk out by yourself or would you like me to throw you out?” “Madam, I’ll go out by myself,” she said. Instead of saying anything, Bertha merely snorted indifferently and opened up the way for her.
As Elise started to walk out, Jeanie grabbed the hem of her shirt tightly and went out with her. “Come back, Jeanie! Come back here!” Bertha shouted, hopping mad in anger. Despite that, there was only Elise in Jeanie’s eyes now. She smiled widely, her eyes filled with love. “Don’t be afraid of Grandma, Yoyo! She loves you a lot…” Upon hearing that, Bertha was stunned. “Jeanie, what did you say earlier?”
