“No, it’s not like that…”
Florence spoke in panic. Facing pairs of questioning and persecuting eyes, her tongue became dry and she didn’t know how to explain.
Her mind was a panicky mess.
Benjamin narrowed his eyes maliciously, but his expressions looked considerate.
“Flory, I know you have Ernest in your heart. But if that is the case, you don’t need to cover for him. What he did is immoral.”
The pompous words spoken from the commanding height of morality didn’t help in the least, instead pushed her and Ernest on the crest of the storm.
The rumors had been circulating during this period and now, each sentence of every topic lead to Florence and Ernest.
The lie was told so many times that it became the truth, and more importantly, it was still the truth.
Florence was extremely flustered. Her face turned pale and she didn’t know how to refute this matter powerfully once and for all.
She could only refute bluntly, “It is not like you said…”
“Flory, actually no one is blaming you. They can all understand you. But it is not good to scam others after all. Clarence is Ernest and everyone already knows it. It can’t be concealed anymore.”
Benjamin spoke earnestly as if saying this for her best while blocking anything she tried to say in explanation.
Florence’s face changed colors from white to red and her heart became even more flustered. She was too anxious.
After so many difficulties, she was finally able to stay with Ernest happily and comfortably. It hadn’t even been a few days of happiness yet. If this question was raised, was she going to be forced apart from Ernest again?
Florence’s heart hurt just thinking about it.
Florence’s chest felt uncomfortably suffocated. Just as she felt depressed and wanted to cry, she heard the man’s voice sound out naturally.
“How did I not know about this? Since when did I become Ernest?”
Clarence walked out calmly and gracefully from the side hall wearing a dark blue suit. A small graceful smile full of irony played on the corner of his mouth.
His gaze swept consciously across all the people present and finally fell on Benjamin. He didn’t attempt to conceal the contempt in his eyes even a little bit.
Being rejected in public, the color of Benjamin’s face was a little bit off.
Suppressing the urge to smash Clarence to pieces, Benjamin smiled at the corners of his mouth and raised his chin nobly.
He said, “Mr. Jenkins, no rumor is unfounded, let alone this matter. Right now, the whole Fraser family knows that you are Ernest. It doesn’t make sense to continue to insist on pretending. Why don’t you just confess leniently? Am I right, Uncle Ernest?”
Hearing the sharply targeting words, Florence’s temples began to throb.
She looked at Clarence nervously, stepped forward subconsciously and grabbed his arm.
Her figure moved forward a little, blocking him a little from view as if protecting him.
“They are just talking nonsense. Don’t worry about it. You don’t have to be a part of such senseless things. I will take care of it; you can go back to your room.”
Florence anxiously wanted Ernest to leave first. After all, if he wasn’t there, things would not be completely sure and there might be some room for maneuver.
Clarence lowered his head a little and glanced at Florence’s little hand that was holding on to his arm.
Then he smiled with his thin lips and said softly.
“Don’t worry.”
He gently let go of Florence’s hand and turned to look at Benjamin. There was a bold and frank expression in his eyes as he said, “I am me, not anyone else. I can’t accept you calling me Uncle Ernest. Also, I would like to remind you not to cross the line between us.”
He didn’t try to hide the sarcasm in his words.
Benjamin’s face changed slightly. Clarence implied as if he was crossing the line between them and trying to appear closer to him to climb up the social circle.
He was the dignified young master of the Turner family. He was a powerful figure. Why would he need to use N City’s small family’s son to climb up the social circle?
This sentence not only stomped on him but the entire Turner family.
Everyone in the Fraser family had determined that Clarence was Ernest. Now, that they heard Clarence say such things, no one could say anything.
Ernest was the first successor of the Turner family. The Turner family’s honor was his honor. No matter how much he hated Benjamin, he was never going to humiliate his own family among outsiders.
Was it possible to say that Clarence was really not Ernest?
Seeing other people’s expressions waver, Benjamin’s face turned even more ugly. He said with a dark face, “Uncle Ernest, you are the first successor of the Turner family and everything you do represents the Turner family. You have already embarrassed the Turner family by impersonating someone else. Yet, you want to talk like this without considering the Turner family’s reputation?”
The big families cared the most about their reputation.
Benjamin’s words confirmed that Ernest had burned his boats by deliberately saying so and also revealed that Ernest was a selfish person who didn’t care about the family’s reputation.
If he was Ernest, he was a low person and a hypocrite through and through.
“What does the Turner family’s reputation have to do with me?”
Unexpectedly, under the scrutinizing and persecuting gazes, Clarence’s expressions were calm and even a bit contemptuous.
The Turner family was completely ignored by his cold and arrogant attitude.
It seemed like the Turner family had nothing to do with him.
Benjamin was almost choked out of breath by his words. Clarence’s indifference made him unable to find a rebuttal for a while.
He was Clarence; so of course, the Turner family had nothing to do with him! But he was not just Clarence…
“Uncle Ernest, you have always been straightforward and upright. I didn’t know that if something happened you will become this shameless scumbag.”
Benjamin said bitterly and hatefully as if what Clarence had done was embarrassing and contemptible.
The people of the Fraser family also eyed Clarence suspiciously. At first, they believed the rumors to just be rumors, but when Benjamin repeated it so many times, they all were almost convinced that Clarence was Ernest.
However, Clarence’s behavior just now made them less sure.
After all, the children of any family would have been proud of being a member of that family, not to mention being a member of a super-wealthy family like the Turner family that stood on top of the world.
Florence stood aside blankly, looking at Clarence’s tall body with flickering eyes. Her heart was hit by waves of rage and then dull depression.
She was glad for his wisdom. He had been able to save such a dead-end situation with just a few sentences and was able to waver the Fraser family’s suspicion.
She was also sad for him to have to discredit himself. He was originally a member of the Turner family and he was also going to be the leader of the Turner family in the future. It must have been hard for him to smear his family’s name in the dirt like this.
Ernest really paid too much for her.
Florence’s eyes were red. It was very hard for her to hold back her tears and keep them from falling.