''Dad, we''rete.'' Teresa entered, speaking cautiously, her voice tinged with timidity. It was clear she was terrified of Mr. James Sr.


    Mr. James Sr.''s face was grim, and he said nothing. It was Marcia who spoke first. "Late for a family dinner? I guess Dad doesn''t matter to you."


    "That''s enough," Mrs. James Sr. interjected. "George just got into trouble; your older sister is going through a lot. She''s just a littlete. We can wait."


    The mother-daughter duo''s back-and-forth left Teresa so humiliated she couldn''t even look up.


    "She really thinks she''s something, making the whole family wait," Joshua added, impatiently picking up his utensils and serving himself.


    Joshua starting before Mr. James Sr. was a clear breach of etiquette, but as the favored youngest son, he could get away with it.


    Mr. James Sr. said nothing and picked up his own utensils.


    Seeing this, everyone else began to eat in silence, ignoring Teresa and her children.


    Teresa stood awkwardly, unsure whether to sit or remain standing. Jerome looked like he wanted to say something but ultimately didn''t dare to intervene.


    It seems the old saying is true: a new wife means a new father. Life in this house was suffocating for Jerome and Teresa.


    Yvonne had no intention of standing there like a statue. She walked straight to an empty seat.


    After sitting down, she picked up her silverware and helped herself to a piece of venison before turning back to the still-frozen Teresa and Jeffrey. "They''ve started eating. What are you two standing there for? Waiting for a formal invitation?"


    Jeffrey snapped out of it and pulled Teresa down into a seat.


    Mr. James Sr. shot them a cold nce, his eyes lingering on Yvonne for a few extra seconds before moving on. He didn''t say anything, however.


    rcia who scoffed and


    It was Marcia wh


    sneered, "Trash will always be trash,


    can''t even wait to stuff her face. I


    hate to say it but kicking yit out a


    wonderful girl like Queenset=


    about to marry into the Rogers family, and treating this peasant like a treasure... it''s hrious


    Marcia finished with a dramaticugh, covering her mouth with her hand.


    Yvonne hadn''t wanted to get involved in the James family drama, but since Marcia


    was targeting her, she wasn''t about to take it lying down.


    "Queena is the bastard child of


    George''s affair. Should we have kept


    her around for the holidays? Auntie


    you seera so fond of her is it so because you feel a sense of kinship? After all, you''re both bastards."


    "You bitch, who are you calling a bastard?!" Marcia snapped, furious.


    "Did I say something wrong?" Yvonne asked, blinking her beautiful, clear eyes with an air of pure innocence.


    "If you keep spouting nonsense, get out of this house," Mr. James Sr. said, his anger rising.


    The hall fell silent. Teresa''s face went pale with fear.


    "Grandfather, are you getting senile? I''m not talking nonsense. Grandma passed away twenty years ago, but Auntie here is already forty. My, my, what is she if not a bastard child?


    The world''s morals have really gone downhill, with illegitimate children being weed into the family one after another."


    Yvonne clicked her tongue as she spoke.


    The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.


    Mr. James Sr.''s face was ashen, his small eyes practically bulging out of his head.


    Mrs. James Sr. and her daughter didn''t look too pleased either.


    Teresa was about to scold Yvonne, but Jeffrey stopped her. He gave Yvonne an encouraging and appreciative look, making her wonder if his whole reason for bringing her here today was to stir up trouble.