Beyond the Divorce

"You might as well say that you're smart. That's the crux of the matter," Arnold teased.

I wasn't affected at all.

"Exactly. Wasn't it supposed to be super exclusive, as Melvern prepared it? How did they get caught?"

"At first, the parents involved in the event suspected us, the Beringer brothers, because only a few of us left the gathering. The leak could only be from us," Arnold explained. "All fingers pointed at us. That's a typical reaction."

"Are you saying someone reported this?" I asked curiously. It seemed unbelievable, as the informant had to be one of the attendees.

I glanced at Arnold, asking, "Was it someone from here?"

"Yes, it was someone with inside information." Arnold didn't deny it. "You don't think it was us, do you?"

He looked at me, teasingly smiling. "At that time, all accusations were directed at us. Grandma warned us not to say anything. So, regardless of how the outside world criticized the Beringer family, we just ignored it."

"Grandma Rose is indeed wise! It's a smart move to stay silent," I said thoughtfully. "Some things do tend to get worse when explained."

"You're just as smart as her. No wonder Grandma has such high hopes for you," Arnold teased.

So what happened next?

dragged me away, a few followed

person also left the

Arnold shook his head, adopting a deliberately elusive tone. His last statement was

it?" I was

Arnold told

"Atticus?"

answer left

it did sound

Atticus is a bit arrogant, but his father is just a contractor. Their family is a typical nouveau riche." I

that for Melvern, Atticus was nothing. Therefore,

time,

was a person with a plan. I had always thought Atticus was a person with deep hidden intentions, and restraint seemed to be

steady was

us. Naturally, it was later than us because when we left, everything was normal. We were just drinking and dancing, but