Liza returned, struggling under the weight of several packages. She set them down on the coffee table with a huff, wiping the sweat from her brow.Blake’s expression shifted instantly. His sharp gaze locked onto the familiar wrapping, the distinctive embossed logos, and the handwritten foreign addresses.His jaw tightened.“Grandma, these are the gifts I sent to Eva,” he said coldly, stepping forward. “Why are you with them?”Liza froze for only a heartbeat before forcing a casual laugh. “Oh, these? I just… helped her keep them safe. You know how deliveries can be—sometimes they end up at the wrong address.”“Wrong address?” Blake’s voice was icy. “Then why are they all unopened? And why were they in your room?”Despite being caught red-handed, Liza straightened her back, her tone dripping with self-righteousness. “I was only protecting you, Blake. That woman doesn’t deserve these. Who knows if she’s just pretending to be dignified while taking advantage of you? I was doing you a favo
After the farce the other day, the scandal about Eva and the mysterious foreign man quickly became a hot topic across social media and gossip columns.But unlike before—when the crowd mocked, doubted, and even ridiculed her—this time, public opinion took a dramatic turn.“Wow, Eva is incredibly charming! The sender has to be either a CEO, a high-ranking official or a mysterious billionaire. Man, she is so attractive!”“I support Eva. Who says a woman can’t find love again after divorce? She’s thriving!”It wasn’t just the lavish gifts or the grand gesture that won people over—it was the way Eva carried herself. Gone was the woman who once lived quietly in the shadow of a crumbling marriage. Now, she walked with a confidence that turned heads, her style refined, her aura unshakable.A video clip of her stepping out of a sleek black car, dressed in a white satin blouse and high-waisted trousers, went viral. Her hair was softly curled, her makeup glowing, and her every move exuded elegan
Liza was afraid that Eva would go back on her word. She had seen that uncertain flicker in her eyes — the hesitation, the internal war. And she knew Eva too well. If given another second, she might snatch everything back and claim it all for herself. Without a second thought, Liza lunged forward, her hand darting toward the pile of boxes stacked neatly in the delivery man's arms.“Give them to me right now!” she barked, her voice sharp with desperation.Eva took a startled step back. Her lips parted as if to protest, but no words came out. Maybe she didn’t expect Liza to act so quickly. Maybe she thought she still had control.The delivery man froze, caught between the two women like a child between feuding parents. His eyes darted from one face to the other, unsure whom to believe. The tension in the air was thick — almost tangible — and it made his skin crawl. He clutched the parcels uncertainly, scanning the names again.“These were sent by... Blake, right?” he asked, mostly to him
“What do you mean?” Liza asked and suddenly felt a little uneasy.Eva didn’t mince words or show any reverence for the elderly woman standing before her. Her voice was calm but charged with bitterness, as though she'd been waiting a long time to speak.“During the time I was married to Blake, I never spent a penny of his money!” she said sharply, her eyes steady on Liza’s.Liza's expression twisted into disbelief. “Bullshit,” she spat. “Blake gave you so much money. He bought you a house, a car—he spoiled you!”Eva narrowed her eyes. “A house? You mean the one he put under his name and threatened to throw me out of every time we had a fight? Or the car I paid for the gas and repairs myself, because he said luxury came with responsibility?”Liza’s lips parted, but she had no words.“I stayed silent for years, Liza,” Eva continued. “Out of respect. Out of love. But you coming here to question my integrity? That’s where I draw the line.”“Don’t act like you were some saint,” Liza snapped
Jackie and Marian returned home in embarrassment.Their shoes barely made a sound on the marble floors of the Torres estate, but the silence between them was deafening. The evening had been a disaster. Not only had they failed to secure the engagement between Marian and Brady Cruz—a match they had been carefully orchestrating for months—but they had also managed to further fracture the already fragile relationship between the Torres and Cruz families.As soon as they stepped into the grand living room, they were greeted by Liza Torres, Blake’s formidable grandmother. Seated like a queen on her high-backed chair, Liza’s posture was rigid, her hands clasped tightly around the knob of her carved cane. Her silver hair was pulled back into a severe bun, and despite her age, her sharp eyes missed nothing."You two are fit for nothing," Liza barked, her voice cold and cutting. "It was a simple matter. You couldn’t even handle that!"
Jackie felt downcast after she realized that Marian had intentionally bought a counterfeit item, despite her clear and firm instructions not to. Her heart pounded with a mixture of disbelief and betrayal. She clenched her fists at her sides, the room suddenly too quiet, too heavy with unspoken tension.She turned slowly to Marian, locking eyes with her. Fury burned in Jackie’s gaze like a wildfire barely contained. “You knew,” she said, her voice low and trembling. “You knew it was fake, and you still went through with it.”Marian shifted uncomfortably, her eyes darting to the floor. “I—I thought I could get away with it. You were never supposed to find out.”Jackie took a step forward, the sound of her heels echoing sharply in the room. “That’s your defense? You thought you could deceive me?” Her voice was cold now, each word a dagger.“I didn’t think it mattered,” Marian replied, her tone defensive. “It was just a clock. It looked real enough. And you were so fixated on appearances—