Is this really the time for jokes? How dare they laugh right now!

Xander slung an arm around Yvonne's shoulders. "Alright, you can sit here and stew all you want. We're going to bed."

Yale spluttered, "You-!"

"If you were pregnant," Xander cut in with a smirk, "we'd let you go rest, too."

Yale nearly fainted in outrage. So now it was his fault for not being pregnant?

Xander was already leading Yvonne upstairs, leaving the atmosphere downstairs thick with tension.

Mona immediately rounded on Tristan. "Tristan, what are you going to do about this?"

Her voice was shrill with indignation. “Did you hear that? Now she says we get a thousand dollars a month—do you realize how insulting that is? After all these years in this family, after everything I've sacrificed for the Schultzes! And now I'm being treated like this?"

Mona was practically shaking with anger. In just a few short hours, Yvonne had stormed in and taken back everything she'd failed to snatch last time. People always said the Quinn family's eldest daughter was no pushover, but this-this was something else altogether.

"She's pregnant,” Tristan said, his face grim and drawn.

He wasn't thrilled with Yvonne's high-handedness tonight either, but what choice did he have?

"She's Ronald's sister, and Lottie's daughter," he said flatly. "If you don't hand it over tonight, do you really want to find out what will happen to the Schultz family tomorrow? I don't think I need to spell it out for you."

Mona's lips pressed into a tight line. Yale's face went pale.

It was true. If they didn't go along now, there was no telling what would happen come morning. Ronald doted on his little sister; Lottie cherished her children above all else. She fawned over Stella, who wasn't even her real daughter-so what wouldn't she do for her own flesh and blood, Yvonne?

"But now she's running the whole Schultz family!" Mona burst out. "Where does that leave Yale and me?"

Yvonne had taken everything. The little stash they'd squirreled away wouldn't last long.

Her mind was already racing back to her plans with Berry-they'd counted on time, and on money. But with Stella's pregnancy advancing so quickly, everything had to happen before she gave birth. Berry's face needed to be a perfect match for Stella's by then. Only if it was flawless would they have a real chance. After that—then, finally, things would go their way. And there was still the matter of securing Berry a new identity every step needed cash.

Now Yvonne had suddenly returned and, in just a couple of hours, cut them off financially.

Damn it! Hadn't she ever seen money in her life? The Quinns were sitting on a fortune what was left here at the Schultzes that was worth Yvonne's trouble to come and strip bare?

"You just need to bear it for a while," Tristan said wearily.

“Bear it?” Mona fumed. “How? Are you kidding me? We're used to spending millions without blinking, and now she's got us down to a thousand a month!"

Yale jumped in, indignant. “Dad, Xander is completely out of line.”

"She's pregnant now," Tristan said, trying for reason. "I doubt she can keep up with all this for very long. Just give it a few days-she'll get tired of playing house."

Mona paused Tired... Yes! Why

hadn't she thought of that? Yvonne had always, ignored the Quinn family's business-now she wanted to run everything at the Schultzes? Did she really think it was that easy? In two or three days she'd be exhausted, and want nothing more to do with it.

And if she wasn't worn out on her own, Mona would make sure the world knew what pregnancy fatigue meant.

Mona's mind was already churning with ways to wear Yvonne down.

Just then, the housekeeper who'd escorted Yvonne and Xander upstairs came back down. "Sir, Madam-Ms Yvonne said to have the household's financial ledgers ready for her first thing tomorrow."

"The ledgers?" Mona repeated.

"Yes, ma'am," the housekeeper confirmed.

Mona's face went another shade paler. Damn it—what did she want with the ledgers? Was she planning to audit her? Did she even have the nerve?

Mona looked at Tristan, silently pleading for help.

But the husband who'd always supported her simply said, in a defeated voice, "Give her what she wants."

Tonight, Tristan had sided with Yvonne every step of the way. Whatever she asked for, he gave.

All because she was a Quinn

daughter? Fine. Soon enough, Mona

thought coldly, she would have a

Quinn daughter of her own. And her child wouldn't be some naive fool like Steffa, who never fought for thing.