Chapter 1035
[ 684 words ]
The living room was suddenly charged with tension.
Yvonne absentmindedly ran her fingers over her still-flat belly-a gesture that made Yale’s blood boil. Her stomach wasn’t even showing yet. Who was she trying to impress with this little act? Was she afraid people might somehow miss the fact that she was pregnant? So she was expecting-so what? Did she want a medal?
Mona’s expression darkened ominously. She turned to Tristan, voice brittle with frustration. “Aren’t you going to say something?”
Yvonne didn’t so much as look at Mona. “If you won’t let me manage the household, then Xander, you’ll just move into the Quinn estate with me. I’ll make sure everyone knows you’re taking the Quinn name and living under my roof. Don’t worry-once you’re there, I’ll put you in charge,” she said, her words glinting with threat.
Tristan’s face blackened further. Invite Xander to join the Quinn family-publicly, no less? She didn’t just want to trample his dignity; she wanted to grind it beneath her heel for all to see.
“Have you lost your mind?” Yale snapped. “You’d let him run the Quinn estate? What, is your brother dead already?”
The mention of her brother-implying his death-made Yvonne’s eyes glint cold as steel. In a heartbeat, she was on her feet, one hand still draped protectively over her abdomen as she walked toward Yale, her presence radiating raw intimidation.
It was the kind of chilling authority they’d only ever seen in Ronald, and it explained why, across all of Ferrowland, no one dared to get too close to Yvonne. Just standing near her at full force was enough to make anyone shrink back.
Confronted with this side of Yvonne, Yale instinctively stepped away. “What… what are you doing?”
A sharp slap rang out in the tense silence and left Yale’s cheek stinging with pain.
He covered his face in shocked disbelief, staring at her. “You-you actually hit me?”
“And if my brother ever heard you curse his name, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill you, Yvonne replied, her voice soft but heavy with menace. Her glare simmered with a dangerous intent that made Yale’s heart thump uneasily. He started to retort, then swallowed whatever comeback he had under the weight of her gaze.
Mona had half risen from her seat when Yale was struck, but at Yvonne’s words, she dropped back onto the sofa, her anger instantly cooled She, too, had never shaken, off the fear Ronald had instilled in her the memory of what he’d done to the Schultz family still vivid for all of them.
Yvonne returned to her seat beside Xander and, this time, laid her hand on his knee.
He covered her hand with his own in an easy, natural show of solidarity.
That simple gesture made them seem perfectly matched, entirely in tune with one another.
Yvonne looked squarely at Tristan. “My brother has better things to do than run household affairs,” she said with unwavering calm. The meaning was clear: if she said Xander was fit to be master of the house, then that was that.
“So it’s simple: If I stay here at the Schultz estate, I’m in charge. If Xander comes with me to the Quinn estate, he gets the reins. That way, neither of us has to put up with being treated unjustly.”
Her tone left no room for argument.
Mona’s jaw was clenched so tightly she could barely speak. “Who would dare treat you unjustly?” she managed, incredulous. Yvonne was notorious throughout Ferrowland. Who would have the guts to cross her? Was she really so intent on grabbing onto every scrap of authority?
“
Yvonne shot her a withering stare, lips curling into a cold smile. “When you marry into a family with a replacement at the helm, you learn quickly that survival is a solo sport.” That pronouncement sent another uneasy ripple through the room.
Mona’s face turned an ugly shade of green with fury.
Yvonne turned her gaze back to Tristan, voice laced with pointed innocence. “Isn’t that right, Father?”
That word—”Father.” The last time she’d used it so sweetly, she’d managed to talk him out of a fortune. Now, any time she called him that, Tristan felt an instant headache coming on.
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