Burglary! Large sums involved!
These two key points let Whitaker Scarlett finally breathe a sigh of relief. Wesley dared to commit such crimes during a crackdown? He was digging his own grave. Scarlett wasn’t worried anymore about him spreading falsehoods to drag her down with him. Would Wesley really want to add more charges to his name?
This news brought joy to the whole family.
Especially to Elizabeth, who was usually a meek, submissive woman. Even she hoped Wesley would get the death penalty. And if not death, then at least a 10- to 20-year sentence. By the time he got out, people would have likely forgotten to use Scarlett’s name to fuel gossip.
“The police did a great job! These criminals deserve to be arrested!”
Elizabeth spoke with tears in her eyes. How could anyone believe that Scarlett would ever be interested in someone like Wesley, a lazy bum nearing 30 who still hadn’t managed to find a wife? The old Scarlett might have been proud and headstrong, but her standards were high. Sadly, in the Whitaker family, only Elizabeth believed in her daughter. The rest not only didn’t stand up for her but even thought Scarlett had tarnished the family’s reputation.
Aunt Amanda tried to console her sister-in-law privately:
“One day, the Whitaker family will regret this. I can see Scarlett is destined for success. Just because she didn’t go to college doesn’t mean she’ll always be outshone by her cousin Rosaline. The Whitaker family is only propping up Rosaline’s reputation, and it’s Scarlett who’s paying the price.”
Elizabeth, being kind and simple-minded, wasn’t great at standing up for herself. Aunt Amanda, however, was more strategic. Perhaps that’s why William, despite being unreliable in the past, gradually straightened out after marrying her.
They said Scarlett seduced her future brother-in-law. But if you asked Aunt Amanda, putting Scarlett and Rosaline side by side, it was obvious most men would prefer Scarlett. It takes two to tango—if Scarlett hadn’t felt like Rosaline had stolen her match, she wouldn’t have had the confidence to blow things out of proportion.
In rural areas, it wasn’t unheard of for sisters in the same family to compete over a man. Everyone wanted to marry a good match.
The difference here was that the Whitaker family didn’t treat both parties equally. Instead, they sided entirely with Rosaline. That’s the power of being a “golden phoenix,” a college-educated woman. Even Aunt Amanda suspected someone from the Whitaker family might come looking for Scarlett eventually. She constantly coached Elizabeth, reminding her not to be afraid when Chris showed up.
“If you don’t stand up for Scarlett, the Whitaker family will only bully her more!”
Aunt Amanda hadn’t always liked Elizabeth. Despite being her sister-in-law, Elizabeth was about the same age. William hadn’t married until his thirties,. By the time she married into the family, Elizabeth had already been married off, so the two hadn’t spent much time together or formed a bond.
William used to secretly help Elizabeth and her daughter when they were struggling, which Aunt Amanda didn’t openly complain about but secretly resented. Why should they help Elizabeth when everyone is having a hard time?
Elizabeth was too reserved to curry favor with Aunt Amanda, and Scarlett’s proud demeanor didn’t help. Aunt Amanda had no reason to like them aside from maintaining appearances at the two family gatherings they had each year.
When William suddenly brought Elizabeth and Scarlett back from the Whitaker family, Aunt Amanda wasn’t thrilled. She only kept her complaints to herself to avoid tension in her marriage.
Of course, it also helped that William had been earning decent money recently. Over the past six months, he’d been going out frequently and giving Aunt Amanda a good amount of cash, making the household more financially stable. Feeding two more people wasn’t as big a strain. If they were still dirt poor, Aunt Amanda might have resorted to passive-aggressive tactics to drive Scarlett and Elizabeth away.
Besides, Scarlett and Elizabeth weren’t freeloading.
Elizabeth took over most of the household chores, and Scarlett was generous with her earnings. She had a knack for business and wasn’t stingy about spending her money to support the family.
