Joanna was startled by Wendy''s sudden appearance.


    How did she get here? And she''d overheard them.


    To make matters worse, Robert had stood her up, leaving her in a foul mood.


    Her voice was cold and impatient. "You must have misheard."


    Wendy looked at her incredulously. "Joanna, how could I have misheard? I heard you call her ''Mom.'' I''m the mother who raised you! You know better than anyone how I brought you up. How could you call her ''Mom''?"


    "This slut is the woman your father had an affair with! How can you call Nathan''s mistress ''Mom''? Have you forgotten everything I did for you? I''m the one who raised you since you were a child! Rain or shine, I kept you by my side, even neglecting your four brothers. You were our most cherished child. How could you call this woman ''Mom''?"


    Wendy''s voice grew more and more agitated.


    Joanna was taken aback. She knew Wendy was bitter, but what could she do about it?


    She had outmaneuvered Wendy. Why should Wendy have everything while her own mother had nothing?


    Sophia was furious at being called a slut. "Wendy, Joanna is my biological daughter. If you want to me someone, me Nathan! He''s the one who threw away your daughter and gave you mine to raise."


    "You stand there calling me a slut, but you''re the real slut. I can''t stand fools like you. You have nothing now, so a ce like this is no longer for you. I am the rightful Mrs. Scott now."


    She had waited over twenty years for this day.


    Finally, she could stand before Wendy and feel utterly triumphant.


    Wendy feigned a look of devastation, stumbling back a few steps.


    "You... what did you say? Joanna is your and Nathan''s biological daughter?" Wendy''s eyes widened in mock horror.


    Though she had known the truth for some time, tears still streamed uncontrobly down her face.


    "That''s right," Sophia gloated. "But the one who deceived you was Nathan. It had nothing to do with me. She pressed on her voice dripping with malice. And you inws knew about me all along. I am the daughter of your


    mother-inw''s cousin. Nathan and I


    were childhood sweethearts. You


    were the third party in our


    rtionship."


    "What?"


    Wendy had never encountered such shamelessness.


    "Mom," Joanna warned under her breath.


    But Sophia was unstoppable now. She looked at Joanna. "Joanna, at this point, there''s no need to hide it from her. She has nothing and can''t cause any trouble. And those four useless sons of hers arepletely worthless."


    "Mom, shut up! There are too many people here..."


    "No, Joanna, I''m going to say it! I''m tired of people pointing fingers at me. It was


    never my fault, so why should I be the one to take the me?"


    "Wendy was the one who came between your father and me. You are three days


    older than Natalie. Even if this went to court, I would be in the right."


    Wendy was stunned. Her only goal had been to expose Joanna and


    Sophia''s rtionship knowing they would be frere and that repor reporters


    were secretly filming. This would ruin Joanna''s movie premiere.


    Wendy looked shocked. "So, your marriage to Nathan was a fraud from the very beginning?"


    "No, he never deceived you. You were the one who shamelessly seduced him. How can you call it marriage fraud?"


    "Marriage fraud?" Wendy sneered. "So it was marriage fraud?"