Elise replied, “Thanks for your reminder, Mrs. Griffith, but you don’t seem to know your son very well.
His views might not be similar to yours, so what you said today didn’t crush my determination to stay
with him. Instead, it strengthened my resolve. I’m a bit tired, so I’ll be going upstairs for a rest. You
should rest early, too.” With that, she turned around and left, her back straightened. Madeline looked
sullen, her face livid with anger as she was left alone in the living room. What gives this country woman
the nerve to stand up to me? she thought. Then, she took out her cell phone and made a phone call,
saying, “Hey, Maya, it’s me!
Are you free tomorrow…” … When Elise returned to her room, all her disguises vanished at once,
leaving only a despondent look on her face. Back when Jonah was still in the Griffith Residence, she
seemed to have nothing to worry about. But now, Madeline was telling her outright to back out and not
ask for the moon. But was there room for turning back at this point right now? The next day, Elise got
up early in the morning. She had promised Brendan to go to his studio today to help him, so after
having breakfast, she had the chauffeur drive her to his studio right away without waking anyone else.
Brendan was somewhat surprised to see her. “What brings you here so early in the morning, Elise?” he
asked. Elise raised her eyes to look at him as she replied, “Well, it happens that I’ve got nothing else to
do, so I decided to come early. Is my office still where it was?” “Yeah, I cleared out a large space for
you around here. Let me show you the way.” Elise hurriedly followed Brendan all the way to the end of
the corridor before he stopped and pushed the door open.
Coming into view was a large room that had several mannequins wearing wedding dresses of different
styles placed at the door in various postures. “This is where you’ll be working during your summer
break. Take a look at it. Do you like it?” Brendan asked. Elise entered the room and looked around
before walking up to the French window. As she gazed out of the window, she had a panoramic view of
the incredibly beautiful scenery in the distance. “What a beautiful place this is! It’s simply a pleasure to
work here.” Brendan chuckled at her words.
“I just knew you’d like it. In that case, this room shall belong to you.” Elise gave him a smile in return.
“Don’t worry, boss! I’ll do my best at work.” Brendan replied, “Alright then. Go ahead and get busy. Tell
me right away if you need anything.” With that, he left the room, leaving Elise alone in the spacious
office. As Elise looked at the colored pencils and drawing papers before her, she suddenly had a
brilliant inspiration in her mind. Therefore, she sat down, picked up the pencils, and started drawing the
outlines. As it turned out, Elise was a workaholic who couldn’t tear herself away from her work once
she was absorbed in it.
It was already 12PM, and the other staff members in the studio had gone for lunch, yet the door to her
office was still tightly closed. When Brendan went out of his office, he subconsciously darted a glance
at Elise’s office. Then, he went over and knocked on her door. “Elise…” Elise was still drawing designs,
and she asked without even looking up, “Anything?” Brendan’s eyes were full of amazement when he
walked up to Elise and saw the completed drawings on her desk. “Did you draw all of these in one
morning?” “Uh-huh,” Elise mumbled in response.
“I’ve got my juices flowing today, so I drew a few designs.” “You’re so productive. Still, however busy
you are, remember to eat. Why don’t you take a break first?” Only then did Elise stop what she was
doing and look up at the wall clock. When she saw that it was almost 1PM, she was stupefied. “No way.
It’s almost 1PM?” Brendan let out a sigh of helplessness. “Should you go for lunch then?” Elise had a
stretch and then stood up. “Alright, I’ll be going for lunch now.” After leaving the studio, Elise searched
for a nearby restaurant with good reviews on her cell phone.
She went to the restaurant and ordered two spicy dishes, but her cell phone rang in her pocket halfway
through her meal. It was a phone call from an unfamiliar phone number. Elise hesitated somewhat, but
she answered the phone nonetheless. “Hi, may I ask who’s—” A familiar female voice sounded through
the phone. “It’s me. Where are you now?” When Elise heard the voice, she realized belatedly who it
belonged to. She quickly answered, “Hi, Mrs. Griffith. Is there anything you need from me?” “I’m now
shopping at Moore Plaza. Come and pick me up.” “Huh? But I—” Elise replied. Before she could finish
her sentence, though, Madeline interrupted her right away, saying, “You don’t want to?
Never mind then. Just pretend I never asked.” Elise breathed a sigh of helplessness. “That’s not what I
meant. It’s just that I’ve got some work to deal with over here. How about you do some shopping first?
I’ll be there later.” However, Madeline replied, “I’m giving you half an hour. You’ll suffer the
consequences if you fail to show up.” With that, she hung up right away. When Elise heard the
disconnect tone on the phone, she instantly lost all her appetite for the food before her. After checking
the time, she paid the bill and hailed a cab to Moore Plaza right away.
Meanwhile, a fashionably dressed lady was holding Madeline’s arm while asking in a soft voice, “Is she
really coming, Godmother?” Madeline let out a snort. “In any case, I’m now her future mother-in-law. If
she doesn’t show up, then there’s no need to maintain the relationship anymore.” Maya Dahlen was
inwardly delighted when she heard Madeline’s reply, but her face gave nothing away. Instead, she said
regretfully, “I think Alexander’s really nice, actually. I just couldn’t fathom why he would get engaged to
such a countrywoman.” Madeline immediately took Maya’s hand.
“Don’t you know, Maya? Your mom and I have been besties for so many years. To me, you’re my only
candidate for a daughter-in-law. As for Elise, she’s only the fiancée arranged by my late father-in-law.
Now that he’s passed away, the engagement is no longer valid, of course.” “Really? Is that so,
Godmother?” “It’s true, of course! Trust me. When Elise shows up later, we’ll let her know the gap
between her and our social circle.” Maya nodded vaguely, but what she said betrayed a note of disdain.
“She’s from the countryside, so she probably hasn’t been to a shopping mall.
Say, would she die of shame if she sees us casually spending tens of thousands on clothes and
handbags?” Madeline replied with a cold snort, “I simply don’t understand how such a country bumpkin
won Dad’s favor. I suppose she did so by pretending to be pitiful to angle for sympathy. Such a woman
just isn’t good enough for us Griffiths.” “Please rest assured, Godmother. I’ll help you teach her a
lesson later.” Madeline was relieved the instant she heard Maya say so. After about half an hour, Elise
hurried to them and stopped in her tracks while still panting for breath.
“I’m here, Mrs. Griffith.” Madeline threw a cold glance at her, saying, “Come shopping with us, then.”
Only when reminded by Madeline did Elise notice the presence of Maya, a rich young lady decked out
in designer clothes next to her. She nodded at Maya with a smile out of courtesy, saying, “Hi there.
Nice to meet you.” Maya smiled back at Elise, saying, “Hi, you must be Alexander’s fiancée, aren’t
you? I’ve heard about you from Godmother long ago. Alexander’s so lucky to be able to marry such a
pretty girlfriend like you.” As the saying went, an angry fist wouldn’t hit a smiling face.
Seeing how friendly Maya was to her, Elise found it rude to give her the cold shoulder, so she merely
replied, “Thanks. You look beautiful, too.” However, instead of answering Elise, Maya held onto
Madeline’s arm on her own. “Godmother, I heard that Chanel’s got a new product. Let’s go and take a
look.” “Alright, let’s go.” The two women then walked together affectionately at the front like mother and
daughter, completely ignoring Elise, who followed them from behind.
At the sight of the scene, Elise frowned slightly, but she had no choice but to follow them. The three
women then walked into the Chanel boutique, though Elise was totally uninterested in those clothes
and handbags. Seeing that Maya and Madeline were having a good time shopping, she sat down in the
lounge on her own. After a while, Maya came to her with two handbags. “Please help me take a look,
Elise. Which of these two handbags look better?”
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