Maria gently tugged on Albert Whitaker’s sleeve, and Albert, taking on the tone of the eldest brother, nodded solemnly.
“A family will always have its ups and downs. Scarlett should come back and apologize to her grandmother. We’re still a family, after all. That girl has no sense of propriety. Forget about the rumors outside—just look at how upset she’s made her grandmother.”
Chris Whitaker looked eagerly at his mother, the Whitaker matriarch, who let out a heavy sigh through her nose.
“She doesn’t need to apologize to me. After causing such disgrace, the person she should apologize to is Rosaline. Rosaline hasn’t held a grudge against her because Rosaline is magnanimous!”
It was a fair point.
Now that Rosaline and Walter Janson’s relationship was public, everyone expected them to marry after graduating from college. A family’s bonds run deep—was Scarlett really going to sever ties with her cousin and future brother-in-law? She was young and naive, always competing with Rosaline over trivial matters. But to make a mistake and then refuse to admit it? How could the family accept her like that?
Chris took the matriarch’s words as her softening stance and immediately felt a wave of relief. He agreed enthusiastically:
“I’ll go to William’s house tomorrow to bring them back. Scarlett will write an apology letter to Rosaline—not just one, but as many as it takes until Rosaline forgives her!”
Maria knew it was her moment to step in. Unlike Veronica, who was brash and loud, Maria always spoke calmly, earning Chris’s respect as his eldest sister-in-law.
“Rosaline doesn’t hold anything against her, but Scarlett’s personality… leaving her at William’s place might cause trouble for them. It’s better to bring her back so we can keep an eye on her. She’s still young, and with proper guidance, she can change.”
Maria’s words painted her as the peacemaker, which irritated Veronica.
“If she’s back in the house, who’s going to come and propose to Helen? Unless, of course, our dear Maria plans to have Rosaline introduce Helen to one of her college friends?”
The latter part of her statement revealed a glimmer of hope in Veronica’s eyes.
Maria’s eyebrow twitched at the suggestion. Introduce Helen to a college student? College students weren’t exactly easy to come by, and Helen was the least remarkable of the Whitaker sisters. She hadn’t even completed middle school and still held a rural household registration that made her ineligible for most jobs. A college student would have to be blind to consider her as a match.
“Enough with the nonsense,” the matriarch snapped. “If Chris wants to salvage this situation, he’ll go to William’s house tomorrow and bring them back!”
William wouldn’t be easy to deal with, and the matriarch was deliberately setting Chris up to fail. Albert, oblivious to the underlying intentions, offered eagerly, “I’ll go with him tomorrow.”
Maria noticed the disapproval written all over the matriarch’s face and quickly added, “I’ll go with Chris instead. You men have a way of talking that might escalate the situation unnecessarily.”
Chris looked at Maria with gratitude in his eyes.
Veronica, unwilling to be left out, rolled her eyes and declared, “Then I’ll go too. Between Maria and me, we’ll bring Elizabeth back, even if we have to carry her!”
