The night was warm.


    In the hospital corridor, a small figure slipped into Mrs. Spencer Sr.''s room after the nurses had left. She ced a small pill in Mrs. Spencer Sr.''s mouth, then disappeared as silently as she hade.


    Meanwhile, at the Scott family home.


    Joanna and Sebastian had just returned from dinner. Wendy and Nathan were both home. Their four sons were good-for-nothings who rarely came home. Wendy was now single-handedly running thepany, with Nathan as her assistant. The Scott family was barely staying afloat. The recent termination of their partnership with Ceryn Corp. had cast a dark cloud over her. She couldn''t understand why they had unterally canceled the contract when things had been going so well. Sebastian''s partnership had been canceled as well. And Natalie''s words still echoed in her mind, filling her with a sense of unease.


    Nathan''s face lit up when he saw Joanna and Sebastian. "Joanna, Sebastian, did the Spencer family have any demands regarding the partnership?"


    Joanna smiled triumphantly. “Dad, the young Mr. Spencer didn''t have any demands. But since Natalie pushed his grandmother into the water, he''s demanding that she publicly kneel and apologize to the Spencer family tomorrow."


    Nathan''s face contorted with rage. "That disgraceful girl! She''s nothing but trouble. I never should have brought her back. First she schemes against you, now she''s going after the Spencer matriarch. She''s a waste of air."


    Wendy''s heart skipped a beat. Before, she would have joined in on the criticism of her own daughter. But now, she realized with a jolt of horror that Nathan was practically wishing for his own daughter''s death. The seeds of suspicion in her mind began to sprout. Natalie was right. Nathan could easily interfere with any of the three major DNA testing facilities in Yaro. She would have to go out of town to get a real test done.


    To avoid arousing Nathan''s suspicion, she put on a cold expression. "You''re right, Nathan. I never should have brought that unrefined country girl back. She''s caused Joanna so much pain."


    "Don''t worry, I won''t let her set foot in this house again. She''s an embarrassment to us all."


    Nathan''s eyes flickered. "It''s not us I''m worried about," he said, his face a mask of concern. "It''s Sebastian. He has to deal with that vicious woman every day. It must be so difficult for him."


    Wendy''s heart sank. He was tantly trying to turn Sebastian against Natalie, all so Joanna could marry him. But it was Joanna who had abandoned Sebastian after his ident, when he was blind and crippled. If she hadn''t run away, she would have been the one to marry him.


    Sebastian listened to the three of them tear Natalie apart. Before, it wouldn''t t have bothered him. But today, their words were like nails on a chalkboard. He thought of the way Natalie had so carefully cared for him, the way she had read him the financial reports with such enthusiasm, encouraging him to keep fighting. A wave of irritation washed over him. He stood up abruptly, his voice colder than ever. "I''m going home."


    "Joanna, see Sebastian out," Nathan said with a smile. "You two will be husband and wife soon enough."


    Tet


    Wendy looked at his smiling face, and it suddenly seemed grotesque. On the night of Joanna''s birthday party, it was Joanna who had staged the whole thing to frame Natalie. Which meant that all the other times... She couldn''t bring herself to finish the thought. They had never listened to Natalie''s side of the story. They had always just taken Joanna''s word for it. A sharp, needle-like pain pierced her heart. Had she really been so blind? Was Joanna the one who had been causing trouble all along?