But outwardly, she denied everything.

Awakened by the noise, Tristan came downstairs to find a bloody, dead snake lying in the living room. His face darkened instantly. "What are you all fighting about now?"

His tone was sharp with displeasure, and the word "now" made it clear who he was blaming. If it weren't for the fact that Yvonne was carrying the Schultz family's first grandson, he wouldn't bother dealing with her at all. The Quinn family had brought the Schultzes nothing but trouble over the years, turning a once-amicable relationship into this mess. Now, Yvonne's marriage to Xander had yielded no benefits, and the entire household had been in turmoil for days.

Seeing Tristan, Mona burst into crocodile tears. "Tristan, you can't just let her talk to me like that! I've been a mother to Xander, regardless of the blood between us."

She continued her wail, "But look at how they treat me! From the moment Yvonne set foot in this house, she has shown me zero respect. I may not have been perfect, but I've worked tirelessly for this family. How can they do this to me?" She pointed a trembling finger at the snake on the floor, her face still pale with fright.

Tristan glanced at the gruesome snake, then fixed a stern gaze on Yvonne. "Yvonne, what is the meaning of this?"

His expression was grim, his tone accusatory. Mona's heart-wrenching sobs only solidified his instinct to side with her.

Faced with Tristan's biased judgment, Yvonne's temper flared. "You're asking me? Why don't you ask her!" she yelled back, showing no deference.

Tristan was stunned by her audacity. Dealing with this disrespectful younger generation was taking years off his life. His glare intensified.

"Tristan, it seems this family has no place for me anymore," Mona cried. "I'll leave. I'll just leave. Now that you have Yvonne, I suppose this house doesn't need me. I'll hand everything over to her. I'm sure she can manage it well."

That last line, "manage it well," was a pointed jab, reminding everyone of the chaos that had plagued the Schultz household for the past two days. Yvonne hadn't managed anything—she had simply done nothing after taking over, and now the house was in a constant state of upheaval because of her.

At Mona's words, Tristan's expression grew even stormier. The past few days had been utterly miserable for him. His meals were off, his sleep was disturbed, and even his favorite coffee had been changed. Yvonne's excuse? The economy was bad, and they needed to be frugal.

"Leave? That sounds great!" Yvonne retorted. "A home is for family. There's no room for outsiders."

"You..." Mona gasped.

"You, be quiet!" Tristan snapped at Yvonne.

Yale, who had been silent until now, finally exploded. "Yvonne, don't you go too far!"

"Oh, right," Yvonne drawled, turning to him. "Are you a Schultz, or an outsider?"

"You-what nonsense are you spouting? You... you absolute bitch..." Yale sputtered.

"Tristan!" Mona shrieked, beside herself with fury.

"By the way," Yvonne continued, her eyes fixed on Mona, "do you happen to have a half-sister? From your mother's side?"

Mona froze. The color drained from her face, and the hand she had been pointing at Yvonne turned to stone mid-an Her eyes widened in shock her breath catching in her throat as her heart began to pound uncontrollably. sŵnovels

Yvonne watched her reaction, a brow raised. "Why are you looking at me like that?

Don't tell me it's true?"

Mona was speechless.

Tristan's gaze shifted to Mona, a new suspicion dawning.

Yale, however, lost it completely. "Yvonne, you crazy bitch! You just

want to make sure no one in this house has a moment of peace, don't you?" With a roar, he grabbed a heavy ashtray from a nearby table and hurled it at Yvonne.

Before it could reach her, Xander, who had been standing silently by her side, moved with lightning speed. He caught the ashtray in one hand and, in a single fluid motion, whipped it back, smashing it against Yale's forehead.