Natalie released her finger, sneering. "Ms. Yates, you, a properdy, think it''s eptable to poke someone in the chest while you talk? Did you expect me to be polite about it?"


    "I''m killing you? You started this. Why does that make me the murderer? If you have the guts to provoke someone, you''d better have the guts to face the consequences, right?"


    "Judging by your manners, you must be all mouth and no brain."


    The crowd was silent.


    Yeri was so stunned by the insult she forgot the pain, staring nkly at Natalie.


    Natalie then turned to Joanna. “Joanna, you shouldn''t feed a dog too much. When it''s full, it gets ambitious."


    "So let me be clear: I won''t tolerate anyone''s nonsense. Give an inch, and you''ll take a mile. Take one step back, and you''ll push even harder. I''ve warned you before to leave me alone. I''ve kept my distance. If you provoke me again, your movie really won''t see the light of day."


    Natalie''s warning was ice-cold.


    Joanna bit her lip, her eyes filled with murderous rage. She knew exactly what Natalie was referring to.


    "Natalie, why must you be so foul-mouthed?"


    "Oh, and I suppose your words smell like roses?" Natalie shot back with a cold smile. She had never been a primdy, and she certainly couldn''t be the helpless damsel Joanna yed so well.


    “Natalie, you... I''m just trying to advise you to have some ss. This isn''t some backwater town like the one you grew up in," Joanna said, deliberately raising her voice.


    "Hah..."


    Natalie let out a coldugh, her gaze chilling. "If your heartless father hadn''t secretly taken me away and abandoned me, would I have grown up in the countryside? You usurped my life and became the celebrated and talented Ms. Scott."


    "And you''re actually proud of it. You really think highly of yourself, living a stolen life.


    Don''t forget, your own mother came from the countryside. If Nathan hadn''t swapped me out, she would have taken you back there to work the fields."


    "And onest thing, Joanna. There''s no shame in growing up in the country. People there work hard and earn a living with their own two- hands. The shameful ones are people like you so calleddies who look down on others while feasting on the fruits of theirbor. People like you are the most despicable of all."


    Joanna was speechless.


    The crowd was silent.


    They felt like they had all just been scolded by Natalie, though they couldn''t prove it.


    "p, p, p..." Mrs. Wilson


    stepped forward, apuding. She looked at Natalie with a smile. "Natalie, you''re absolutely right. Go back three generations and who among us wasn''t descended from.. farmers? Some people have no shame themselves but look down on others without taking a good look in the mirror."


    Seeing Mrs. Wilson defend Natalie, Joanna felt a sense of foreboding.


    Natalie smiled. "You''re right, Mrs. Wilson."


    Mrs. Wilson turned to Sophia, a malicious glint in her eyes.


    Seeing that look, Sophia instantly regretteding inside. All she wanted to do was leave.


    She couldn''t let Mrs. Wilson trap her. That woman had been domineering since she was young; there was no way she would let the affair with Mr. Wilson slide.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, before the


    dinner begins, I''d like you all to


    watch a short video. Please bear witness, so that when I divorce r


    my


    husband, he''ll be forced to leave with nothing."


    As Mrs. Wilson finished, Sophia''s face went pale with terror.


    Natalie was surprised. She hadn''t realized Wendy had managed to team up with Mrs. Wilson to take on Sophia.


    Sophia was on edge. A video? What video?


    She forced a smile. "Mrs. Wilson, it''s gettingte, and everyone must be hungry. Why don''t we eat first?"


    "Eat? Why don''t we let everyone see how you usually devour men instead?"


    With that, Mrs. Wilson snapped her fingers.