Chapter 399
Chapter 399:
Stephen narrowed his eyes slightly, but he forced a smile.
“Thank you for your input, Miss. However, I’m quite satisfied with my life and don’t feel any helplessness or sadness.”
After speaking, he instinctively glanced at Wendy.
Janice caught the subtle gesture, sensing that Stephen was under Wendy’s influence, something she was clearly exploiting. In her company, he had to feign contentment with his life, or else things could turn sour for him later.
“Well then, I must have misunderstood. After all, I don’t know much about the piano.”
“No worries. If you’re ever interested in discussing the piano further, we can chat when there’s a chance.”
“Of course.” Janice returned to her seat, her demeanor relaxed.
However, the earlier lady wasn’t pleased, especially since Janice admitted to not knowing much about the piano, which only deepened her disdain.
“I told you—if you don’t understand, don’t speak out of turn. It’s just ruining the atmosphere.”
“Who do you think you are, speaking to Janice like that?” The lady, assuming Nina wouldn’t defend Janice, was taken aback.
“I’ve never liked you. Haven’t you been slapped before?” Nina continued.
“I—I haven’t.” The lady stammered, her face going pale as she hadn’t anticipated Nina defending Janice so fiercely.
“Nina, she’s just ignorant of the rules. Don’t let it upset you.” Wendy quickly interjected to mediate.
“Enid, apologize to Nina and Janice right now.”
Nina raised an eyebrow at the words. No wonder Wendy was so skilled at winning people over—she knew exactly how to flatter and please.
“I’m sorry, Nina. I misspoke. And to you, Janice, I apologize if I’ve offended you.”
Feel inspired on gⱯlnσν𝓮𝓁s．cо𝗺
Janice glanced at Nina, noting her anger had faded. It wasn’t worth lingering on, so she decided to move on.
“Watch your words next time. You won’t always have someone to back you up. If you speak out of turn again, you might just get slapped.”
“Thank you for the heads-up.” Though she felt wronged, Enid Hudson had no choice but to endure it, given the circumstances.
Janice sat back down, and Sierra quickly linked her arm with hers.
“Janice, why did you say that back there?” Sierra was frustrated. Janice was clearly very talented, so why pretend not to understand the piano?
“Just keeping a low profile to avoid drawing unwanted attention.”
“I don’t understand!”
“Neither do I!”
Nina and Sierra exchanged glances, both looking at Janice with confusion.
Janice sighed, then lowered her voice. “Stephen seems to be under Wendy’s control. By pointing out his flaws, I may have put him in a difficult spot. To protect him, I had to throw him off the scent.”
“Now I see!”
Nina and Sierra both suddenly grasped the situation. Their shared understanding was so effortless, it made Janice smile inwardly.
However, this scene was deeply unsettling for Leonie, who watched from a distance. Sierra was her daughter, yet she seemed so at ease with Nina and Janice. This made Leonie feel more out of place.
Was she truly failing as a mother?
With Nellie in her current state and now Sierra drifting away from the family, Leonie’s position within the Ramirez family seemed more unstable than ever.
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