Chapter 98 Make It Difficult


    Dressed in a burgundy velvet suit paired with a ckce camisole, Corrine projected both professional prowess and a subtle allure. Her hair, twisted up casually into a bun with wisps yfully framing her face, lent an air of rxed elegance.


    With each step, Corrine exuded a sense of innate pride and purpose.


    Her every action resonated with a powerful presence.


    Such an aura seemed to be an intrinsic part of her, cultivated over time, giving her a demeanor of controlling everything effortlessly.


    Leah found Corrine''s self-assurance intolerable, as if nothing in the world was worthy of her attention.


    She wondered how Corrine, a woman of modest beginnings, could disy such audacity before her.


    Quickly masking her disdain, Leah said to her with a forced smile, "It''s been too long, Corrine."


    Corrine gave her a nk stare and said coldly, "Still making the same old mistakes, I see."


    Looking down, Leah''s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "Is there no room for forgiveness, Corrine?"


    As Leah reached out, Corrine smoothly sidestepped her grasp, continuing her walk toward Farris'' room.


    Seeing this, Rita bristled with anger. "Corrine, can''t you see? How can you just walk by the elders without a word?"


    With a cold smirk, Corrine''s eyes swept the room, sending a chill down everyone''s spine. "Respect is earned by those who genuinely nurture others. Are any of you here truly worthy?"


    Her past encounters with everyone in the room had been harmful.


    They carried an air of refinement and nobility, but their actions were disgraceful and hical.


    It was mercy enough that she hadn''t sought revenge. Thinking she would grovel for their favor was pure fantasy.


    "All dressed up and dismissive as ever. I guess you think you''re better than the rest of us now that you''ve found a stronger backer," a woman in a purple dress said, her tone heavy with sarcasm as she shot Corrine a mocking smile and a scrutinizing nce.


    Bruce''s uncle''s wife was known for her beauty in her younger days, yet age had sculpted her features into sharp lines of bitterness.


    Back when Corrine was living with the Ashton family, this woman frequently belittled her, and her disdain only grew after Corrine''s departure.


    With such arge gathering, drama was inevitable, and the swirling gossip seemed ready to drown Corrine in criticism.


    "Strutting around like a peacock, have you dismissed your humble beginnings?"


    "Had Bruce not generously brought you into our family, who knows where you''d have ended up? Now that you''ve moved on, you look down on us? How ungrateful can you be, Corrine?"


    Corrine couldn''t help butugh, though her eyes remained cold. "You think you''re qualified to preach gratitude to me? Have you forgotten that without my intervention, the Ashton family would have faced ruin? Now, tell me who''s being ungrateful?"


    "How dare you!" Tracy eximed, mming her fist on the table as she stood up suddenly. "Do you think this is the ce for your careless behavior?"


    Corrine met her gaze with a smirk. "Whether you permit it or not, I''ve acted this way before. What''s one more instance?"


    "You!" Tracy''s anger was unmistakable, her sneer cutting. "You publicly humiliated and hurt Leah, and now you disrupt the peace here. Is this how you admit defeat in joining our family, by causing chaos?"


    Corrine arched an eyebrow, her eyes sweeping the room. The delight in their expressions was clear.


    They weren''t just here for idle chatter; they were here to hold her ountable. Her face betrayed nothing but a slight, sardonic lift of her eyebrows.


    They were great ating together, using their position as elders to judge and criticize.


    In the past, she put up with it all for Bruce. Now, there was nothing stopping her.