Chapter 97 Kneel
“Nicholas is right,” Erin agreed. She was the wife of Morgan, and she came up to Madeline. “Maddie, please be understanding. It’s normal to want Angie to stay. After all, she’s smart, beautiful, and adorable. Not to mention she’s been here for more than twenty years. If I were forced to send her away, I would die of heartbreak. Maddie, you can’t just think for yourself. You’re a daughter. You should love your parents more. No matter what, you have to ask them to keep Angie and make them happy.”
Madeline looked at Erin and observed her closely. The women in the Wendel family were beautiful. Her mother was gorgeous, of course. She used to be called the top beauty of Worrick. Benjamin’s wife—Felicia—was exquisite too. She was tall, lithe, and elegant.
Erin was beautiful too, but she was a far cry from Crystal and Felicia. Crystal and Felicia had top-notch looks and air about them. They could be top celebrities if they worked in the entertainment industry. Erin was just a regular beauty. She was beautiful, but there was nothing special about her. Compared to Felicia, she was nothing. But more importantly, Madeline had a feeling that Erin had darker ideas in her mind.
She sounded like she cared about Michael and his family, but Madeline could see that she wanted to make things more chaotic. So she doesn’t like Mom and Dad? She wants to stir things up and make things worse for them?
Madeline’s instincts were spot on. Erin did want to make things worse for Michael and his family. She had always been jealous of Crystal. To be exact, there weren’t many women in Wendel City who weren’t jealous of Crystal. She was born lucky. Before she was married, she was seen as the pride and joy of her parents and brother. After she was married, her husband loved her like she was the most precious treasure in the world. He did whatever she wanted to, and after she gave birth to four boys and a girl, she established her husband as heir to the Wendels, and that consolidated her position as well.
Crystal’s life was a smooth one. She grew up on a silver platter and married into another rich family. Everyone around her loved her deeply, and she had never suffered for a day in her life before.
Erin was one of the best people back when she was in her family, but after she married into the Wendels, she was overshadowed by Crystal’s brilliance. Crystal outclassed her in everything. Her husband was better and more loving than Erin’s, and even Crystal’s sons were better than hers. She kept comparing herself to Crystal, but it only hurt herself in the end.
It was the first time she saw Crystal in a predicament in more than twenty years, and she was delighted. Michael wants to send her away? Oh no. He can’t. Crystal is going to get her life back if he does. I can’t let him send her away. I have to keep her around. Only then can their daughter keep fighting Angie and make a mess out of her family.
And Angie will be a reminder of what a fool Crystal has been. Angie will be an annoyance that will slowly build up to be a fatal knife that will take her life. And once she dies, I will be the winner. So what if she has a good life? It’ll all be gone once she’s dead. It’s useless if she can’t stay until the very end. That scheme of hers was why she wanted to help Cedric.
Cedric had no idea about her dark idea. He only thought that she was a kinder person than his own brothers were. She’s helping Angie? Then he turned his attention to Madeline. “Maddie, even Auntie Erin is helping me. Just speak up for Angie and keep her around, alright? I’m sure she’ll be grateful for you. I know she’ll get along with you. It’s better to have more friends, right, Maddie?”
“Yeah, Maddie,” Erin agreed. “Angie might not be Michael’s real daughter, but he and Crystal have raised her like she is, and they’ve poured their heart and soul into her. They can’t possibly throw her away. They only want to send her to the Colts because they care about you. Since they care about you, you should care about them as well. Persuade them to keep Angie. That’s what a good daughter should do.”
“You can’t be that petty, can you?” Nicholas said. “Angie has lived here for more than twenty years, and now she’s going to be sent away because you showed up. You can’t be so cruel.”
“Yes, Maddie.” Erin went up and held Madeline’s hand, pretending to look solemn. “Maddie, I’m doing this for your own good. Angie is a gentle, adorable, and kind girl. Your parents and brothers love her. If she’s forced to leave and suffer because of you, I know your family won’t be happy. Angie is a lovely girl. You can’t let her go homeless because of you, right?”
Madeline smiled and was about to say something, but Angie suddenly said, “Dad, Uncle Benjamin, Auntie Felicia, Uncle Morgan, Auntie Erin, Eric, David, Jack, Nicholas, you’re here!”
Everyone turned around. Angie was in a white dress, and she was walking up to them.
Crystal and Cameron were both beauties, and Angie resembled both of them, making her a beauty as well. She had tears in her eyes, and she looked like she could fall over at any time.
Erin quickly went over and held Angie in her embrace. “My poor Angie. How could this happen to you? We’ve watched over you ever since you were a child. You’re such a sweet girl, and I’ve always seen you as my own. Your mother is the criminal here, not you. You’re innocent. Your parents can’t send you away just like that. I won’t stand for it!”
“Thank you, Auntie Erin.” Angie looked at her gratefully. She then went up to Madeline, bit her lip, and suddenly kneeled.
Shocked, Cedric and Nicholas shouted, “Angie!”
