เข้าสู่ระบบDaphne, Elaine, and Rayne stood frozen. No one had expected this. No one had imagined Lucille would go this far beyond every boundary they had ever set for her."Dad!" Daphne's composure shattered. "If we don't deal with this now, she's going to tear everything apart!"Lincoln snapped back to attention.He slammed a hand onto the armrest, his eyes turning cold and calculating. "Daphne. In addition to taking custody of the child, accuse her of stealing the Prescott Group's core confidential materials, specifically the Sage Tower architectural plans."Have her blacklisted across the entire industry. Freeze all her assets, and have the authorities bring her in for questioning."He was not finished. "Also, ruin her reputation. I want everyone in Coasthaven to know exactly what kind of daughter-in-law our family ended up with. Spread the word about her ingratitude and her complete lack of basic decency. Put it everywhere."Killing intent burned in his eyes, an expression he rarely sho
"Why would I come just because you told me to? Are you the King? What makes you think you can summon my daughter and me with a 20-minute deadline?"20 minutes? That's actually funny. What do you take me for? A delivery driver? Even when you order delivery, the bare minimum is common courtesy."Lucille was done tolerating every last bit of the Prescotts' self-importance. She had spent five years trapped in the haze of managing their egos, and she would never do it again.The speakerphone was on. In the Prescott mansion's living room, every word came through with perfect clarity.Lincoln's face went through several shades before settling into a dark, swollen red. The veins on his forehead bulged visibly."Lucille! I am your father-in-law! How dare you speak to me like this! You have absolutely no manners! What did your parents teach you? What kind of family raises someone so crude and disrespectful?"He was coughing now, his anger rising faster than his body could contain it.Befo
Rayne had been waiting for this moment. She pressed Play.Every word of the argument echoed through the room.By the time the recording ended, every face in the living room had gone pale.Lincoln's expression was the worst. It was dark and rigid, as though he were forcing himself to contain something on the verge of breaking free.He braced both hands on his knees and let out a long, heavy breath. "Gideon has always been hard and disciplined in the way he handles things. How has he become someone his own wife slaps whenever she feels like it, yet simply endures it?"Daphne's eyes narrowed. "Because he's been too soft on her. If he hadn't been, she never would have gotten this far."She turned to her father. "Dad, we need to act. We need to make Lucille understand she's gone too far."Lincoln's expression turned icy. "Get me Lucille's number. I'll call her myself. I want to see whether she'll show me the same disrespect."In five years of marriage, Lincoln had met Lucille only a
Daphne had expected gratitude. She had expected Lucille to accept the opportunity she had been given and step away from the fight with grace, the way any sensible person would when someone extended a hand.Instead, Lucille had called in her friend to scream at her. She had pointed a finger in Daphne's face and publicly listed every way Daphne had failed as a sister-in-law, without stopping for a breath.It was the first time in Daphne's life anyone had spoken to her that way. She could still feel the sting of every word.The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that everything she had done for Lucille had been wasted: the thought, the money, and every compromise that had cost her a piece of her pride.'Lucille has a daughter. Fine. Let her find out what that is worth. Let her understand that the child's blood is Prescott blood, and that blood comes with rights the family fully intends to exercise,' Daphne thought.By turning this into a power struggle, Lucille
Elaine had returned home from the hospital to recover.She was reclining on the living room sofa with her eyes closed when Daphne walked in, her face dark and still simmering with anger.Without a word, Daphne headed for the stairs.Elaine cracked one eye open. "Well, if it isn't the sister-in-law who went to make peace with Lucille. Back so soon? Judging by that face, I'm guessing she took a swing at you too?"Daphne stopped, turned, and fixed her mother with a glare sharp enough to strip paint. "This is all your fault. If you'd shown Lucille even the slightest bit of decency from the beginning, we wouldn't be in this situation. The marriage is falling apart. I hope you're satisfied."Elaine let out a short, satisfied laugh. "I told all of you from the very beginning that Lucille was trouble. Did any of you listen? No. You all took her side. Now you've finally seen what she's really like, and you're still thinking about defending her?"Daphne dropped onto the sofa, barely contai
Gideon stood with slap marks on both cheeks, blinking as exhaustion settled over him.He turned to look at Rayne, his expression utterly cold. 'Of all the times for her to show up. What is she doing here, and why now?'Rayne looked at the marks on his face and instinctively reached up to cup his cheek. "Giddy, does it hurt?"He shoved her hand away and took two steps back. "How do you know this address? And how did you get inside?"Rayne nearly lost her balance from the shove. She steadied herself and quickly arranged her features into a hurt, plaintive expression. "You weren't answering my calls or reading my messages. I was worried about you. I got the address from the steward at Blossom Court. He told me you'd been staying here temporarily."She paused, and a coy smile touched her lips."The code was so obvious. You still use my birthday as your password. You've always been that way." She let out a small, delighted laugh. "I recognized it right away."Gideon went still. His d
Rayne's expression froze."What?" she shrieked. "Lucille, you're disgusting. Delete it. Delete it right now!"The weak, delicate act vanished at once.She lunged forward and grabbed for the phone in Lucille's hand. Her soft, pretty face twisted into something vicious and arrogant. "You can't beat
The moment Gideon opened his mouth, Lucille felt her heart drop straight into hell. "Gwen, stop trying to stir things up. Lucy is baby Connor's aunt. We're all family. If she can help, she should. There's extra milk anyway."'Baby Connor. He said the name with such easy intimacy, as if the boy were
After the examination, Lucille remained asleep.The doctor stood in the hospital room and explained her condition to Gwen. "The patient's body is severely depleted after childbirth. She has already suffered a major hemorrhage and undergone emergency treatment, so she is highly prone to hypoglycemia
Grace rushed out of the room in a panic and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Earthquake? Was that an earthquake?"Nancy ran out as well, clutching the crying baby. She had heard the crash, panicked, and bolted for the door barefoot, her handbag still in her hand. She had not even stopped to put on







