Chapter 31
Nina was in a hurry to eat and didn’t bother acknowledging Jessica.
Clifford? Even less likely.
Jessica bit her lip, frustrated, and called out again, louder this time. “Nina!”
Her voice was so piercing–almost ghostly–that Nina finally stopped. She glanced back her gaze curious but indifferent.
“What?”
Jessica’s jealousy of Nina was eating her alive. But with Nina looking at her, she had to put on a façade of sisterly affection. Softening her tone, she asked sweetly, “Nina, we’re sisters, aren’t we? Can I join you for lunch?”
Jessica’s plan was simple: Clifford seemed to have a soft spot for Nina. If Nina spoke up for her, maybe Clifford would forgive her for sneaking into the main building–maybe even let her dine with them.
But social norms and subtle manipulations didn’t work on Nina.
The moment Nina heard Jessica’s request, her bright eyes widened in disbelief.
“Jessica, didn’t you hear what Mr. Snce just said? He told you to leave and not come back. Why would you even think about having lunch with us? You say I don’t follow rules, but it seems like you’re not much better at it either.”
Her tone was honest, professional–no malice, no ulterior motives. Just the blunt truth.
But to Jessica, it felt like an unrelenting slap across the face.
Her cheeks flushed with humiliation. Feeling the sting of judgment from those around her, she covered her face and ran off, sobbing.
“Jessica!” Oliver, alarmed, chased after her.
Nina watched them go, baffled. She turned back to Clifford and asked, “Mr. Snee, was I wrong? Jessica knew the rules and broke them. Why is she acting like the victim now?”
Nina had no clue what made Jessica tick.
Clifford raised an eyebrow.
From a social perspective, Nina was undeniably out of line. Calling out her sister in front of everyone, without the slightest regard for her feelings, came across as cold and unkind.
But society’s unwritten rules were not always right. Jessica wanted to leverage their sisterly bond to serve her own agenda, never stopping to consider how it might impact her older sister.
If Nina had followed those so–called rules and helped Jessica, Jessica would’ve walked away with all the benefits while Nina bore all the risk. Why should she go along with that?
“You weren’t wrong,” Clifford reassured her with a faint smile.
“Nina, following the rules is the right thing to do. If you keep lowering your standards for the sake of ‘politeness,‘ you’ll eventually find yourself in real trouble. Always stick to your principles. Understand?”
“Got it,” Nina nodded earnestly, then grinned. “So, can we go eat now?”
As always, her mind circled back to food.
Clifford’s smile turned indulgent. “Let’s go. Order whatever you want.”
Nina lit up, her excitement spilling over. “Okay, then I want king crab, botan shrimp, beef, and caviar!”
“Done.” Clifford agreed without hesitation.
Captain Brown, standing nearby, hesitated before stepping forward nervously. “Uh, Mr. Snee, we don’t have king crab, botan shrimp, beef, or caviar
here…”
Clifford turned to him, his gaze sharp. “Then go buy it.”
1/3
Chapter 31
“But… that’s against protocol…”
Captain Brown wiped his brow, laughing awkwardly.
Clifford shrugged it off casually, “Rules are guidelines, not laws. Just bill me.”
Captain Brown was dumbfounded, thinking. ‘So you’re dead set on having Nina indulge in those expensive delicacies that are against military protocol? You were just preaching about sticking to principles. How convenient that your standards are so flexible:
“Jessica!”
Oliver caught up with her outside the main building and grabbed her hand.
Jessica stopped, then spun around to collapse dramatically into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Oliver, I’m so humiliated! Why does Nina treat me like this? We’re sisters! She just wants to ruin me–she probably wishes I’d drop dead!”
Oliver hesitated, his gaze flickering.
After a long pause, he spoke quietly. “Jessica, this isn’t entirely Nina’s fault. Clifford made it clear you needed to leave. Asking Nina to intercede for you would have put her in an impossible position. You can’t blame her for that.”
Jessica froze, pulling back to stare at him.
“Are you defending her?” she asked, her voice trembling with disbelief. “Nina humiliated me in front of everyone, and instead of helping me, you’re taking her side!”
If Oliver had said his piece, it would’ve been even worse.
Jessica’s behavior this time was downright shady, taking advantage of the situation.
One minute, she’s at odds with Nina, and the next, she’s pulling the sister card, trying to manipulate people into helping her out of some sense of family loyalty. Who would fall for that?
Now that she’s been turned down, Jessica’s acting all hurt and wronged.
But if Nina had helped her and ended up getting chewed out by Clifford, Jessica would never have felt the slightest bit of guilt,
Since he cared for Jessica, Oliver didn’t want to say something too harsh.
“Right, sure, you’re all reasonable and I’m just the crazy one!” Jessica snapped, crossing her arms and leaning into her anger.
Oliver stepped closer, his voice firm. “Jessica, calm down.”
“Calm down?” she hissed, stepping back to avoid his touch.
Her eyes were red with fury. “I was humiliated, and all you can say is to calm down? Fine! If you think I’m being unreasonable, don’t bother with me anymore! Go back to your precious Nina–be with her forever! Get lost! Just leave me alone!”
With that, she stormed off, tears streaming down her face.
Jessica didn’t know how far she’d run before she finally stopped. Exhausted and hurt, she felt her anger simmering into something more calculating.
She couldn’t afford to sever ties with Oliver completely. Even if she couldn’t win Clifford’s favor, she had to keep Oliver under her thumb.
She glanced back, expecting to see Oliver chasing after her like he always did.
But there was no one there.
He hadn’t followed her.
Jessica was so shocked that she almost lost her breath.
She felt betrayed. ‘Oliver, of all people? I thought he liked me. Why didn’t he follow me? Men are so disappointing,‘ she thought bitterly.
