Chapter 2: No Conscience

Clara froze for a moment before forcing on a bright, fake smile. She hurried forward and latched onto Catherine’s arm like they were lifelong friends.

"Catherine, I know you like Lucas Johnson, but you know perfectly well that Lucas and I are in love. Please, I'm begging you not to break us up! What did you say to Lucas yesterday? He hasn't even talked to me today."

Catherine looked down at Clara’s hand on her wrist, her expression cold. With a flick of her arm, she shook her off.

“Oh, that reminded me, some ugly guy asked for my number yesterday. I thought he was too ugly so I didn't give it to him. Turns out he's your lover."

Clara’s face twisted with rage.

"Catherine! What did you just say?"

Catherine stared back, unimpressed.

She genuinely didn’t understand what Clara saw in Lucas.

Lucas had so many girlfriends in his phone that they could form a women's soccer team right there and then.

They all looked pretty much the same too - the same type as Clara. If you didn't know better, you'd think he was collecting stamps.

A walking red flag. And Clara treated him like a trophy. Fine. She could enjoy the consequences.

Clara caught the disdain in Catherine’s eyes and felt it stab her pride.

Why?

She was already the daughter of the Smith family now!

What right did Catherine, this fake, have to look at her like that?

Jealousy flickered across Clara’s face. Spotting Celeste approaching, she took a tiny step back, then suddenly flung herself onto the ground.

"Catherine, why did you push me!"

Catherine was speechless.

Seeing Clara pushed to the ground by Catherine, Celeste quickly rushed over to help Clara up with concern.

Catherine looked at Clara crying endlessly in Celeste's arms and said,

“Enough with the theatrics. The two of you really love performing.”

Celeste was stunned: "What do you mean by that? Blaming me for favoring Clara before?"

She dusted her hands lightly, a cold smile tugging at her lips. "I don't blame you. I look down on you completely. It's normal that you don't understand what I'm saying. After all, you didn't give birth to me. Intelligence - that's something you don't have."

Celeste said angrily,

“That’s enough! What are you even talking about?!”

Clara hid her smirk behind a facade of innocence and quickly tried to calm her.

"Mom, don't be angry. Catherine doesn't even know how hard her life was after going back home. I feel sorry for Catherine. I heard that girls from the mountains have very tough lives."

As soon as she said this, the servant who had raised her for years immediately chimed in.

"Ms. Smith is right. Looking at Catherine's temper, if she gets married at all, it'll only be to some old man who can't afford a wife. She'll get beaten as soon as she marries!"

"Ms. Smith is too kind, still caring about Catherine."

"Ms. Smith has always worked harder than Catherine since childhood."

These voices fell pleasantly on Clara's ears.

She smiled, but noticed that Catherine was still smiling calmly, as if she didn't want to bother with them.

How could Catherine still smile?

She must be pretending.

Celeste, now livid, suddenly snatched Catherine’s laptop from her hands.

"Who do you think fed you all these years? Today, even if I have to make you strip naked and get out, you have to listen to me!"

Clara's eyes widened.

She watched Celeste with great anticipation.

This was too exciting!

Oliver rushed over and grabbed the laptop, stuffing it back into Catherine's arms.

After all, Catherine and he had been father and daughter.

If things got this big, how could he maintain his position in the business world?

Oliver cared a lot about his reputation. He didn't want his name dragged through the mud!

"Catherine, is there anything else you want before you leave? Our family has plenty of wealth, we can give you something."

The servants were still relentless, adding fuel to the fire.

"Every time I see Catherine, I feel a chill down my back."

"After all, she's from some poor backwater. Who knows what weird tricks she might know?"

"I say we shouldn't let her take anything. A girl who dares to install surveillance in the house - it's scary when you think about it!"

Catherine ignored them and bent down to pack up all her belongings.

She raised her clear eyes and stared at Celeste and Clara in front of her.

She smiled lightly: "You mother and daughter look so alike - only just noticed after all these years? You're only anxious now because of the engagement with Lucas, right? Well, thanks actually. Otherwise I'd have to figure out how to break off the engagement myself. That would be such a hassle."

Since childhood, no matter what Catherine did, Celeste always favored Clara.

She even told her that grades didn't need to be too good, since the Smith family didn't need to rely on academic performance. Later she found out it was because Clara had cried to Celeste during that time, jealous of her good grades.

If her test scores were too high, Celeste would scold her, saying she didn't consider Clara's feelings.

A so-called "servant's" daughter was more important to Celeste than Catherine, her biological daughter.

What that represented - Celeste, who had done something wrong, should know very well herself.

Catherine smiled and looked at Oliver.

"I don't want anything, but in return, I've prepared a 'big gift' for you all. I hope you'll like it. It'll be delivered after I leave."

These words were ice-cold, drawing a clear line with the Smith family, showing no intention of having any connection with them.

Oliver's expression looked somewhat unpleasant.

Hearing what she said, Celeste only felt that Catherine was threatening her even as she was leaving.

Burning with anger, ignoring Clara's fake attempts to stop her, she rushed forward to slap Catherine.

"How dare someone like you talk about breaking off the engagement with the Johnson family? Let me tell you, don't even think about coming back after you leave. We won't recognize you anymore!"

Celeste tried to grab the suitcase from Catherine's hands. Before her slap could land, Catherine dodged. The people behind couldn't pull her back in time, and Celeste's head crashed into the wall, immediately raising a huge bump!

Celeste let out a loud scream, "You actually dared to push me!"

Clara was startled and quickly rushed forward to help Celeste.

Catherine stood in place, cold as ice: "I haven't even slapped you yet."

In her eyes, Celeste and Clara were nothing but clowns.

This look made Celeste feel somewhat guilty, and the hand she had raised never dared to come down.

Oliver, wanting to smooth things over, tried to mediate: "What does it look like making such a scene? Let's all see Catherine out together. This might be the last time we see each other."