Chapter 87: Stirred The Hornet’s Nest
Lottie slammed the phone down, her face flushed with anger. She could not believe that Lyse had hung up on her. She had expected gratitude, not this sort of defiance and disrespect.
Lyse was supposed to be their pawn, their tool to manipulate. But it seemed that now the girl thought that she had a mind of her own, and she wasn’t playing by their rules.
This was the last straw. Lottie had been patient, had tried to reason with Lyse, but the stupid brat was proving to be stubborn and selfish.
A dangerous thought began to form in Lottie’s mind. If Lyse would not help them, then they would have to take matters into their own hands. She would expose Levi and Lyse for the ruthless, heartless people they truly were. She would turn public opinion against them, and she would make sure that they paid for what they had done to her family.
So, she called a press conference. She sat before a sea of reporters, her face a mask of righteous indignation and the heartbreak of a long suffering mother and poured out her heart to them, they ate up her sad story.
"As a mother," she sniffled. "I have tried my hardest to give Lyse the best opportunities that i could give. As the daughter who was born out of wedlock, it was important for me to protect her against the bias society would fling in her face. But Lyse has decided to make an enemy out of me and the rest of the family who have done nothing but love her despite all of her efforts to ruin our reputation."
With her black outfit, red rimmed eyes and soulful expression, it was easy to see that people would buy her story of being the persecuted victim. Lottie had always made sure that Lyse had no one to protect her from them. And despite all they did to her, she always ended up looking like the guilty party.
"My husband, step daughter and I have tried our hardest to conceal Lyse’s atrocities over the years, like when she ran away from home when she was just sixteen, or when she lied about her mother to her former fiancé and now that she has married a man old enough to be her father. But she has stepped across the line by using Levi Van Doren to frustrate us."
"Are you saying, Mrs. Chadwick. That your daughter’s husband is responsible for the damage your husband’s company recently faced."