“Brendan, do you remember I mentioned to you the other day that Ileana seemed


    distractedtely, like something was weighing on her mind?”


    Brendan frowned, trying to recall. “I think you did say something like that…“.


    Back then, he’d been swamped with work at thepany, barely keeping his head above water, let alone paying attention to family matters. Karen had only mentioned it in passing; the details were long gone from his memory.


    s tapped


    “Was there anything unusual going on during that time?” Alessia’s faster against the table, a sign that she felt she was on the verge of piecing things together.


    “Anything unusual…? No, nothinges to mind…”


    Brendan and Zachary both shook their heads.


    The trail ended there. Even Alessia couldn’t hide her frustration, but at least she had a new lead to follow.


    “I’ll ask my older brother and Liamter. Maybe they’ll remember something.”


    Alessia nodded and stood up. As she turned away, she caught sight of the three of them, heads bowed, and let out a quiet sigh.


    “You don’t need to beat yourselves up over this. Eddie said Ivan is doing much better than most other children with autism. Now it’s clear his issues are psychological. I’ll be taking him to Eddie for counseling over the next few weeks.


    As for Ileana…”


    Karen and Alessia locked eyes.


    “I saw her today. She broke her leg–nothing serious–she’ll be out of the hospital in a month. But let me be perfectly clear: if she ever pulls something like this again. with York or anyone else, don’t expect me to go easy on her just because of you.”


    Alessia had never cared for Ileana’s petty schemes, but this time, Ileana had crossed a line. Frankly, Ileana should be grateful she was the one who got hurt. If York had ended up bedridden for a month, Alessia would have made sure Ileana spent the rest of her life lying in a hospital bed.


    The thought made Alessia’s eyes grow even colder.


    “I’m not some saint, and I don’t believe in turning the other cheek. <b>If </b><b>someone </b>makes my life miserable, I’ll make sure <b>theirs </b><b>is </b>even <b>worse</b><b>.</b><b>” </b>


    te miser


    <b>Chapter </b>154


    “I understand you’ve lived with Ileana for seventeen years, and it’s hard to let go. <b>But </b>that’s your problem, not mine. So I’mying it out now: if this happens again, don’t bother begging me for mercy. I won’t let Ileana off the hook.”


    Alessia knew she was being harsh. Normally, she’d leave room for negotiation–she’d learned well from the Tate family to always keep things civilized. But today, she was too irritated to care. All she wanted was to put the fear of God in anyone who dared cross her. Whether the Mortons liked it or not wasn’t her concern.


    “Lessie…” Zachary hesitated, feeling that if he didn’t say something, th they’d worked so hard to rebuild as a family would shatter all over a


    agile bond


    Karen was stunned as well. Alessia’s coldness made her panic, as if she was on the verge of losing something precious for good.


    “Ileana cut ties with us the moment she returned to the Tate family,” Brendan said quietly. “If she really did those things, she brought it on herself.”


    Brendan’s words snapped both Karen and Zachary out of their daze.


    They nearly let a backstabbing outsider drive a wedge between themselves and their own daughter–their own sister.