A wave of panic washed over Jerome as he took in his mother''s serious expression. Had Natalie gotten to her, too?


    "Mom, please, can you stop this nonsense?" he pleaded. "I can''t give you the shares, and you know it. Besides, I know you have what it takes to save thepany."


    He knew what his mother was capable of, even if others didn''t. She''d been thrown into the cutthroat world of business at eighteen, molded into a powerhouse by his grandfather. She had always been a force to be reckoned with, the one who had carved out a ce for the Scott family in Yaro.


    Wendy stared at him, her expression unreadable.


    Jerome''s brow furrowed as he tried to decipher her thoughts. A sudden tension seized him, making it hard to breathe. Though it was a cool autumn day, he felt as if he were in the dead of winter, a thin sheen of sweat coating his back.


    "Mom, why are you looking at me like that?"


    Wendyughed, but it was a soundced with disappointment and pain. Her voice grew raspy. “Yes, I''m the one making a scene," she said, her words dripping with sarcasm. "But your reaction was all the answer I needed. I was just testing you, Jerome. Testing to see if you genuinely care for Joanna."


    She paused, her gaze piercing. "If you truly care for her, then I can rest easy."


    But not for me, your own mother, she thought bitterly. That Joanna was really something else. With all her tears and melodrama, she had my foolish son wrapped around her little finger.


    Jerome was speechless for a moment, then managed an unnaturalugh. “Mom, that''s not a funny joke."


    Wendy patted his shoulder again. "No, it isn''t funny, Jerome. Don''t betray the bond you two have. In the heat of youth, don''t do anything to hurt your sister. Cherish her. She''s our family''s little princess, after all."


    She straightened up, her tone shifting. "Just forget what I said. I don''t really believe your father would do that to us anyway."


    "Right, I''m heading to the office. You should get going, too."


    Still, Jerome felt a lingering unease. His mother had been acting so strangelytely. "Mom, are you sure you''re okay?"


    "I''m fine. I was just testing you. Seeing you defend your father and Joanna like that puts my mind at ease. I don''t believe what''s on that recording either."


    Yes, the man I''ve lived with for over twenty years, always smiling while secretly plotting to poison me, she mused silently. It''s terrifying.


    And what a shame. The proof was right in front of her foolish son, and he refused to see it.


    "Mom, was it Natalie? Did she give you that recording?" Jerome knew Natalie was still desperate to get back into the Scott family She couldüt get ?ver Sebastian;


    years, she''d practically been trying to fuse herself to his side.


    Wendy''s voice turned sharp.


    "Jerome, stop trying to me


    Natalie for everything! Do you know


    why you never grow? It''s because you refuse to listen to anyone, trusting only what you see with your own eyes. Even when disaster strikes, you cling to the surface and


    never think any deeper. You''re just too naive."


    She softened her tone with mock concern. "Pretend this conversation never happened. And don''t you dare mention it to Joanna, or your dear sister might get upset and try to kill herself again."


    Then, the final, cutting remark. “Oh,


    and one more thing. We should congratte Zenobia. Leaving an idiot like you was the smartest thing she''s ever done Marrying you would have ruined her life."


    Of course he couldn''t tell Joanna, Jerome thought. She really would try to kill


    herself if she heard any of this.


    But if it wasn''t Natalie, who could it be?


    And what did his mother mean with thatstment? What did Zenobia leaving


    have to do with him?