?Chapter 967:


    She had assumed she had slipped back unnoticed, yet here was her mother, effortlessly aware of every step she had taken.


    Swallowing her difort, Andromache epted the cup of coffee Penny handed her. She stalled for a moment to collect herself. After a brief pause, she spoke with forcedposure. “I meant well. Since Corrine is involved with Nate, it is only natural to consider her part of the family’s future. I only wanted to ensure she understood her ce and behaved appropriately. But instead of gratitude, all I received was her mockery and scorn. She humiliated me in front of everyone. I have never been so thoroughly shamed in my life.”


    Evelyn’s lips curved, the smile devoid of warmth. “Your so-called good intentions,” she said, her voice silken but cutting, “are nothing more than a mask for the malice you hide beneath.”


    The color drained slightly from Andromache’s face. “Mom… you…” Her voice faltered, disbelief etched across her features.


    Evelyn’s expression shifted in an instant, the warmth draining from her face, leaving behind a cold, cutting re. Her eyes, sharp as shards of ice, locked onto Andromache. “I may be old, and my eyesight might not be what it once was, but do you think I cannot see through your pretenses?”


    “Do not mistake me for a fool incapable of telling right from wrong. I will not sit here and let you twist the truth right in front of me!”


    There was no hiding her bias—her stance leaned unmistakably in favor of Nate and Corrine.


    “Corrine has always been a gentle and well-mannered girl. If someone like her was driven to the point of seriously injuring another person, then she must have been pushed to the very edge. Instead of reflecting on the sheer arrogance of the Burgess family, you have the nerve to pin all the me on Corrine! I am curious—just what kind of benefits did the Burgess family offer you to make you so disgracefully biased?”


    Andromache’s frustration simmered beneath her skin, threatening to boil over. “Even if the Burgess family overstepped this time, was it not Corrine who provoked them first? At Leah and Bruce’s engagement party, she deliberately exposed Leah’s scandal in front of everyone, humiliating the Burgess family and turning them into a joke. Would they not retaliate with everything they had after being humiliated like that?” Her voice sharpened with barely concealed resentment. “Besides, their plot failed in the end. Why can she not just let it go?”


    “Shut your mouth!” Evelyn’s furious shout cracked through the room like a whip. Without hesitation, she grabbed the porcin cup beside her and hurled it to the floor near Andromache’s feet. The cup shattered, shards flying as hot coffee sttered across the tiles. The suddenness of it made Andromache leap up from her seat, her heart lurching in her chest.


    ?????????? ?????????????? ???????? ???? ?????????ν?????????????


    “Listen to the nonsense you are spouting. You im their schemes failed, so Corrine should simply move on?” Evelyn’s voice dripped with scorn, her eyes zing with righteous fury. “Then tell me this—if they had seeded, what would you have done? Would you have joined their celebration, toasting their victory? Do not think I am oblivious to your underhanded schemes!”


    Andromache’s throat tightened, her mind scrambling for a response.


    .


    .


    .