Chapter 66

"You're just making excuses," Gabrielle snapped, her eyes narrowing at Christina.

Seriously, what kind of attitude was Christina showing? She was still an elder, after all.

And she thought she could become Gabrielle's daughter-in-law with that behavior? What a joke.

Whoever ends up marrying Christina would be in for a nightmare, having their household turned upside down.

William called the butler over. "Check the living room's surveillance footage and send it to me right away."

"Yes, sir. I'll get on it," the butler responded promptly.

After reviewing the footage, Nicholas came down from his study.

He took his seat at the head of the table, immediately sensing the tension in the room. "What's going on here?"

In front of Nicholas, Gabrielle didn't dare make a sound.

Even if Christina had been trying to seduce her son, today was Nicholas's birthday party. If she caused a scene in front of him, who knew if Nicholas might take his anger out on her.

William projected the surveillance footage. It clearly showed Christina reaching for a drink without speaking to anyone.

Instead, it was Walter who handed her the drink, and Christina smiled in thanks. There was nothing inappropriate between them.

The video proved Christina's innocence.

Nicholas, still unclear on the situation, watched as Gabrielle in the video slammed the table and accused Christina of seducing her son.

Nicholas's face darkened. "Gabrielle, what are you doing? Even if they were strangers, isn't it normal to help pass a drink?"

Thankfully, it was a family gathering with only the Cavendish family present. If there had been other guests, the family's reputation would have been ruined.

"Nicholas, I..."

"Look at the mess you've caused today. Enough. As an elder, you should know better than to make such a scene," Nicholas said, not softening his tone.

Gabrielle sat down quietly, not daring to make a sound.

With the issue resolved, Christina didn't push further and took her seat.

Elisa, mindful of Nicholas's presence, sent Christina a text: [Stay away from Walter from now on.]

Christina understood this well enough without being told.

Walter was a decent guy and treated her well, but his overbearing mother was a problem.

After today's fiasco, Christina didn't want a repeat.

As Christina was about to reply with an emoji, Elisa sent another message: [If you had prepared properly for the date I set up, today's incident wouldn't have happened.]

[What does that have to do with the date?] Christina sometimes couldn't understand Elisa's logic.

Gabrielle's outburst today had two reasons: she disliked Elisa and she disliked Christina.

Whether Christina was dating, married, or single, Gabrielle would always see her as a troublemaker.

The guy from the last date, even though Christina had only seen him briefly, had this look in his eyes that made her feel sick to her stomach.

If she had to spend her life with a man like that, living together and even having a child, it would be a fate worse than death. She'd rather end her life than endure such torment.

[How does it not matter? If you had hit it off and set a wedding date, Gabrielle wouldn't dare bother you. You'd have a man to back you up.] Elisa sent a long message.

Christina felt a deep sadness.

Why should a woman have to rely on a man for support and protection?

If men were so reliable, there wouldn't be so many suffering women in the world.

But she didn't want to argue with Elisa.

Elisa's mindset was fixed, and no amount of reasoning would change it.

Christina decided to focus on her own life.

She would never cooperate with Elisa's matchmaking, rejecting every suitor.

The family dinner ended, and everyone began to leave.

Gabrielle pulled Walter aside quickly, emphasizing, "Walter, you can negotiate on other things, but you must listen to me on this. Stay away from Christina. If she latches onto you, you'll never shake her off."

"Mom, why are you so biased against her? We're just friends, nothing inappropriate," Walter felt she was overreacting.

Nicholas accepted Christina, making her part of the Cavendish family.

Even if Gabrielle disliked her, she shouldn't be so obvious about it.

"Walter, are you listening to me?" Gabrielle stopped, her expression serious.

Walter nodded, agreeing just to appease her.

Satisfied with his promise, Gabrielle changed the subject.

Meanwhile, Christina was tired of Elisa's nagging about dates. She found an excuse, "I have plans to see a movie with a friend, so I won't be going home. You guys go ahead."

"Which friend? A guy or a girl?" Elisa wanted more details.

Raymond intervened, "She's an adult with her own friends and life. We shouldn't interfere too much."

Elisa finally dropped the subject.

After parting ways, Christina left the Cavendish Mansion, feeling relieved that the social obligations were over.

She wanted to hail a cab and enjoy some freedom.

Suddenly, a car pulled up beside her. The window rolled down, revealing William's face. "Get in."

"I've already called a cab. I don't need a ride," Christina's first instinct was to refuse.

She wanted to stay as far away from William as possible.

But William didn't budge. He gave her a cold look, "Do I need to get out and drag you in?"

He was the type to follow through on his threats. If he forcibly pulled her into the car, it would be embarrassing.

And they were right outside the Cavendish Mansion. If anyone saw, it would only fuel more gossip.