“I’m sure everyone now knows that Aunt Isabelle is Yvonne’s mom. Although Yvonne isn’t Uncle Nathan’s daughter, I still grew up with her, and Yvonne had been nothing but kind to me. I feel sorry for the things I’ve done in the past, and I’m happy that Yvonne chose to forgive me. I could never have finished the painting if Yvonne didn’t encourage me to do so. I’m glad that I have the opportunity to talk to all of you here.” Crystal held onto Isabelle’s arm with a calm expression.
“Exactly. Crystal is a good kid, and those rumors about her were too exaggerated. People misunderstood her because they didn’t know her well. I’ve been spending time with Crystal ever since I came back, and I could tell that she’s a kind-hearted young girl. It’s just that everyone expects her to be perfect because she’s like an idol figure to the public.”
Isabelle continued saying with a smile, “I believe it’s more important for her to learn from her mistakes. It’s unfair to dismiss her based on the rumors alone. I believe she will be a great artist in the future.”
“Mrs. Goldstein, do you mean that Ms. Goldstein has forgiven Ms. Yates for snatching her husband and her spot? Isn’t that a stretch?” one of the journalists asked a provocative question.
“Not at all. Anyone who came in contact with Crystal would know that she’s not a bad person. Besides, evidence can be falsified, and the truth can be fabricated too. Things are not always what they seem to be on the surface. Do you understand me?”
Isabelle’s expression darkened as she made it clear that she was defending Crystal.
While I stood there listening to her praises for Crystal, the glint in my eyes dimmed bit by bit. Those things that she mentioned were all traumatic wounds that I never dared to bring up. But somehow, she made them sound irrelevant.
That made me wonder if those painful experiences were even worth going through. I was never a vengeful person, but I was still human. Even if I chose not to take revenge, that wouldn’t mean that I’d somehow stop hating on Crystal. Moreover, I would never forgive her.
“Isn’t it weird to see Isabelle’s attitude toward Crystal? It doesn’t seem like her to be this forgiving. At least, she wasn’t that merciful when she was trying to bring down the Tanner family.” It was rare for Christopher to analyze the situation with a frown instead of offering me some comforting words.
“So you noticed it too. There’s something I didn’t tell you. I helped Yvette with something previously, and she told me about this. Back then, I thought she was trying to sow discord between Mom and me. However, reality proves that she was right. Mom really adores Crystal,” I said with a gloomy expression.
“So, Isabelle was the one who asked you to give the painting to Crystal.” Christopher frowned in confusion. “Something is fishy.”
I had never told Christopher about this, and I responded with a nod. “You’re surprised, aren’t you? I find it hard to believe that she’s treating Crystal this well. It feels like I can no longer understand my mom.”
“Something does not feel right. Could it be…” Christopher suddenly growled in a low voice. He turned around and looked at me. Upon seeing my gloomy expression, he swallowed his words and patted me on the head. “Perhaps I’m reading too much into this situation. The chances of that are close to zero.”
“What?” I was puzzled.
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “Your mom treated you well during your childhood, didn’t she?”
“She did. Those days made up my happiest memories.”
With that, the crowd dispersed, and my mood to go out on a date was gone too. Mom’s attitude this time was no different from Nathan defending Crystal back then. The only difference was that Nathan slandered me, but Mom didn’t.
Both of them adored Crystal so much.
But why Crystal?
I had been asking myself this question countless times.
