Chapter 1065

[ 758 words ]

The moment Yvonne returned to the Schultz estate, she dove straight into Mona’s ledgers and began a relentless audit.

The sight of her poring over the accounts wiped the color from Mona and Yale Schultz’s faces. “You marched in and took over the family yesterday, turned everything upside down this morning, and now you’ve got the nerve to audit the books?” Yale snapped, nearly sputtering with rage. He’d been trapped indoors all day, afraid to even show his face to his friends, mortified that news of his frozen assets might leak out.

Oblivious to his anger, Yvonne riffled through the paperwork. “Just so you know, I checked your accounts. Over the past two years, you’ve traveled to Novaderma fifteen times. At your busiest, twice a month. Mind telling me what you were up to?” At the mention of Novaderma, Mona’s heart skipped a beat.

She locked eyes with Yvonne, searching for any hidden meaning, but there was nothing to read-only calm, opaque detachment. Was she just imagining things?

“Let me guess-meeting up with a secret lover?” Yvonne mused aloud, glancing over at Tristan, who’d just stepped into the room. Instantly, a tense hush settled over the living room.

Mona’s face darkened with fury. “What nonsense are you spewing?”

Yale cut in, voice dripping with contempt. “Yvonne, have you lost your mind? Or is that pregnancy brain finally kicking in? Stop spouting this garbage!” He seethed— was she trying to sow discord between his wife and him just to seize control of the Schultz family? She had to be crazy—or just plain vile.

Yvonne arched an eyebrow, noting the growing storm on Tristan’s face, then turned back to Mona. “Or was it visits to an illegitimate child? A son, maybe? Or a daughter…?”

“Yvonne, don’t push your luck!” Mona finally exploded. Her chest rose and fell in rapid, agitated breaths as she trembled, glaring at Yvonne with barely restrained rage.

Yvonne remained cool. “Why so defensive? If it’s not a secret lover or a child on the side, then by all means-explain. What exactly were you doing in Novaderma fifteen times in two years?” She drew out the words “fifteen times,” letting the number ring out in the silence.

Mona ground her teeth. “I was traveling. Is that such a crime?” she bit back curtly.

“A vacation?” Yvonne echoed with a thin smile. “You must have worn out the entire city by now. What’s in Novaderma that’s so exciting you couldn’t stay away for more than a couple of weeks at a time?”

Mona fell silent. Exciting? She couldn’t name a single attraction in Novaderma-her trips had always been about keeping tabs on Berry’s endless cosmetic procedures.

Yvonne paged idly through a stack of receipts. “Funny-there’s no record here of any entrance fees, hotels, or anything else a tourist might need. Not a single payment for sightseeing.”

Mona’s mind draced, nerves

beginning to fray. Why was Yvonne harping on Novaderma? Did she really know something? Mona glared coldly trying to stare her down but Yvonne’s dark, steady eyes seemed. to see straight through her sending a pulse of unease through Mona’s chest.

“Tristan, do you really think it’s appropriate for her to go rifling through my accounts?” Mona demanded, clearly hoping for backup.

Yvonne cut off any possibility of an alliance. “Don’t call Dad now-he’s just as interested as the rest of us in your Novaderma escapades. Aren’t you, Dad?”

The cornered look on Mona’s face answered for her. Tristan’s eyes shifted, his gaze now edged with suspicion.

“I’m surprised,” Tristan said quietly, “I never realized how many times you packed up for Novaderma. What were you doing there?”

Mona bristled under the weight of his scrutiny. What could I possibly have been doing? I told you, I was traveling. I didn’t keep the receipts, alright?” Her voice rose, brittle and raw, before she spun on her heel and stormed out, radiating anger from every line of her body.

Yvonne turned to Tristan, face bright with feigned innocence. “Dad—”

“Yvonne, I’m getting too old for this kind of drama,” Tristan murmured wearily. Whenever she was around, she always had a way of stirring up trouble, leaving him drained and uneasy.

But he had to admit—thanks to Yvonne, the seed of doubt had been deeply planted. What was Mona really doing on all those trips?

As if reading his thoughts, Yvonne pressed on, “You know, in the last two years,

she’s visited Novaderma more than she’s been to see Regina in prison.”

She paused, letting the words sink in. “Actually, has she even visited Regina at all? Anyone who didn’t know better might think her real daughter was lying in Novaderma, not behind bars.”

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