After ending the call, Sephina set her phone down.
"Is she coming, Mother?" Clara asked.
Sephina gave a short nod. "Yes. Let's see for ourselves who this so-called husband of hers is."
"Grandma, I already looked into the name," Selena said with a smug smile. "There's nothing remarkable about him. Just some ordinary man with no status."
"That makes things easier," Sephina replied coldly. "If he's a nobody, taking full control of the company will be simple."
"Reed will be here too," she added.
Clara frowned. "Why involve him? Shouldn't we keep family matters private if we want to maintain our image?"
Sephina's lips curved in disdain. "On the contrary. I want him to see what a disgrace the woman he loves truly is. Let him watch her humiliation."
"As you wish," Clara murmured.
Moments later, Elena arrived at the Cross residence by cab. As soon as she stepped through the tall gates, the servants noticed her and began whispering among themselves. She ignored them.
This house, heavy with her mother's memories, was the only reason she ever returned. Otherwise, she would have gladly left it behind forever. After her mother's death, the family had treated her as nothing more than a burden. They had cast her aside once, sending her away to suffer, and even now she endured them only because she still foolishly considered them family.
Inside the drawing room, the entire household sat waiting.
"Where is your husband?" Sephina demanded, her eyes shifting to the door behind Elena as though expecting someone to appear.
"He didn't come," Elena said flatly, her tone showing no desire for conversation.
"I told you to bring him."
"And I told you—I don't know him," Elena replied evenly, her expression calm despite the sharp words.
Sephina's glare hardened. "So ashamed of him that you'd rather hide him?"
"You could say that," Elena answered without emotion. She had no interest in arguing. None of them would ever believe her anyway. Her only thought now was to collect her few belongings and walk away.
The older woman tapped her cane against the floor. "Even after what you've done, you feel no shame? I thought sending you away would finally teach you obedience. Clearly, I was wrong."
Elena lifted her chin, defiance shining in her eyes. "And you're only realizing that now? It's been two years since I came back from the place you abandoned me to."
The cane struck the floor again, its dull echo filling the room. "I sent you there to break that stubbornness, the same one your mother had. But it seems even five years weren't enough."
After ending the call, Sephina set her phone down.
"Is she coming, Mother?" Clara asked.
Sephina gave a short nod. "Yes. Let's see for ourselves who this so-called husband of hers is."
"Grandma, I already looked into the name," Selena said with a smug smile. "There's nothing remarkable about him. Just some ordinary man with no status."
"That makes things easier," Sephina replied coldly. "If he's a nobody, taking full control of the company will be simple."
"Reed will be here too," she added.
Clara frowned. "Why involve him? Shouldn't we keep family matters private if we want to maintain our image?"
Sephina's lips curved in disdain. "On the contrary. I want him to see what a disgrace the woman he loves truly is. Let him watch her humiliation."
"As you wish," Clara murmured.
Moments later, Elena arrived at the Cross residence by cab. As soon as she stepped through the tall gates, the servants noticed her and began whispering among themselves. She ignored them.
This house, heavy with her mother's memories, was the only reason she ever returned. Otherwise, she would have gladly left it behind forever. After her mother's death, the family had treated her as nothing more than a burden. They had cast her aside once, sending her away to suffer, and even now she endured them only because she still foolishly considered them family.
Inside the drawing room, the entire household sat waiting.
"Where is your husband?" Sephina demanded, her eyes shifting to the door behind Elena as though expecting someone to appear.
"He didn't come," Elena said flatly, her tone showing no desire for conversation.
"I told you to bring him."
"And I told you—I don't know him," Elena replied evenly, her expression calm despite the sharp words.
Sephina's glare hardened. "So ashamed of him that you'd rather hide him?"
"You could say that," Elena answered without emotion. She had no interest in arguing. None of them would ever believe her anyway. Her only thought now was to collect her few belongings and walk away.
The older woman tapped her cane against the floor. "Even after what you've done, you feel no shame? I thought sending you away would finally teach you obedience. Clearly, I was wrong."
Elena lifted her chin, defiance shining in her eyes. "And you're only realizing that now? It's been two years since I came back from the place you abandoned me to."
The cane struck the floor again, its dull echo filling the room. "I sent you there to break that stubbornness, the same one your mother had. But it seems even five years weren't enough."
A faint smile touched Elena's lips as she stepped closer. Though Sephina tried to look imposing, Elena's height and unwavering presence reminded everyone of Carryn. Mother and daughter shared a quiet strength, one that only grew fiercer when cornered. It was this unyielding will Sephina despised most because she could never control it.
"Do you want to try sending me there again?" Elena asked coolly.
Years ago, they had exiled her to a remote, dangerous place, leaving her to survive on her own. No one had cared if she lived or died. She had endured it, escaped, and built her way back. None of them could ever understand what she had gone through.
A cruel glint flickered in Sephina's eyes. "Do you think I can't?"
"Go ahead," Elena challenged, refusing to back down.
Her father's voice cut through the tension. "Elena, is this how you speak to your grandmother? Sometimes I think it would've been better if you'd died with your mother." Elena returned with a small suitcase and walked towards the door, not glancing at anyone.
"Wait," Sephina called out.
Elena offered her a lazy look, only to hear her say, "First, sign those papers."
Elena felt confused, not knowing what they wanted her to sign. "I will sign them if it means that from this moment onwards, I have nothing to do with any of you and we are strangers."
"You want to break your relationship with us? Sure, sign those papers, and I will grant your wish."
Elena walked towards the table and picked up the file. It was a share transfer agreement. Out of the thirty percent share she held from her mother's company, half of it was to be transferred to Selena's name. Elena could not believe their audacity and wondered where they got the confidence that she would sign it.
She slammed the file on the table and glared at Sephina. "Not a chance in hell. You can dream on!"