In that moment, her hopes for a family had shattered. She had thought that if she


    tried hard enough, if she was obedient enough, her mother would eventually see her worth ande to love her, her own daughter.


    But in the end, what did she get? Wendy''s heartless humiliation and a signed disinheritance agreement.


    Lost in her own thoughts, Natalie was pulled back to the present by Sophia''s mocking voice. "Wendy, don''t try to make yourself sound so noble. You say Natalie is your daughter? But we all know she''s just your adopted daughter."


    "You don''t even have the courage to acknowledge your own biological daughter. What right do you have to call yourself Natalie''s mother?"


    Wendy''s greatest regret was hurting her own daughter for the sake of that wretched Joanna.


    She said painfully, "You''re right. Family is the most precious bond in the world, and no excuse can justify denying that connection. But I did. For Joanna, who cried and schemed against my own daughter while ying the victim, I made my biological child into an adopted one."


    "I didn''t know the truth back then. My immediate instinct was to protect Joanna, to shield her from any burden or second thoughts. I even refused to acknowledge my own flesh and blood for her sake."


    Her hateful gaze fell on Joanna. "But what about you, Joanna? You turned out to be nothing but an ungrateful snake I warmed in my bosom."


    Joanna was thrown into a panic, her face flushing with embarrassment. Wendy''s words wouldpletely destroy her public image.


    Taking a deep breath, she pulled a document from her purse. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am deeply grateful for Mrs. Scott''s dedicated guidance, and I appreciate her concern for me over the years But what we said. earlier is all true. Wendy is a mental patient. She has suffered from delusions in the past. I took her for an evaluation, and this is the official diagnosis of her mental illness."


    She had anticipated that Wendy mighte looking for trouble once she found out


    herpany had been taken from her. To prevent any future problems, she had arranged for a fake psychiatric diagnosis. She had always intended to have Wendymitted to a mental institution.


    Joanna held up the diagnosis for


    everyone to see. Looking at the


    nothing


    crowd, she said, "Everyone, please take a good look. Everything Scott saying right now but nonsense. Don''t be fooled by her. Natalie has framed and schemed against me many times. Our feud has always been because of Natalie''s plotting. You''ve all seen the headlines. There are truths and lies, lies and truths. You are all intelligent people. I trust you can make your own judgments."


    In her haste, she failed to notice Sebastian standing in the crowd, his head lowered.


    The crowd looked at the psychiatric report in Joanna''s hand, then their gazes shifted


    to Wendy, now filled with suspicion.


    Mumurs rippled through the onlookers.


    "So she really is a lunatic. No wonder she''s been screaming and shouting here."


    Another woman replied with a cold


    was Nathan and Sophia, those two scoundrels, who drove her to it Wend raised a mistress''s child


    in


    be an outstanding woman, and return, that ungrateful viper publicly déres her adoptive mother insane, disregarding years of love and care. Is a woman like that truly worthy of sympathy?"


    Joanna heard thement and shot a sharp, furious re at the woman who had spoken. She was seething. If you don''t know how to speak, then shut your mouth.