Teresa left the room and hurried downstairs. The nourishing broth was being kept warm in the kitchen. As she carried the soup back upstairs, she ran into Mrs. James and Marcia on the staircase.

"Well, well, the devoted mother got kicked out so quickly. All those hundreds of thousands spent on bedding, tens of thousands on cups and decor, and it seems Mrs. Thompson couldn't care less. And here you are, still eagerly fetching nourishing broth for her. That ungrateful brat won't appreciate it."

Marcia sneered. Mrs. James had warned her not to provoke Yvonne, but she hadn't said anything about targeting Teresa.

Marcia was infuriated by the sight of Teresa acting all high and mighty, gloating over her daughter's good fortune.

Mrs. James stood beside Marcia without a word, clearly condoning her daughter's remarks.

Teresa was trembling with anger at Marcia's unprovoked taunts, but she was never good with words and couldn't win an argument against her sharp-tongued sister. Just as she was fuming, she saw the elder Mr. James and his assistant coming up the stairs.

The Thompsons were coming to pick up the bride tomorrow. This marriage alliance was a monumental event for the James family, and no mistakes could be tolerated. The elder Mr. James was instructing his secretary to double-check the next day's schedule.

Seeing the elder Mr. James coming upstairs, Teresa suddenly had an idea and threw the bowl of soup in her hands onto the floor.

With a crash, the bowl shattered, splashing its contents all over the ground.

Teresa let out a sharp gasp and stumbled, falling onto the steps.

The elder Mr. James looked up at the sound, his brow furrowing at the mess. "What are you all fighting about now?" he demanded angrily.

Teresa looked pathetic as she stumbled. Seeing the elder Mr. James, she began to sob. "Yvonne said she wasn't feeling well and wanted to rest early. I had the maids make her some nourishing broth to have before bed. I was just coming upstairs when I ran into Marcia, and she lashed out and sent me sprawling. I don't mind falling, but Yvonne is still waiting for her soup."

Tears of frustration welled in Teresa's eyes.

Marcia was shocked to be falsely accused and immediately retorted, "Stop telling such blatant lies! You're the one who dropped the bowland framed us!"

Teresa rubbed her eyes, looking as if she were about to cry. "If you say I dropped it, then I dropped it. It's all my fault for being careless. I'll go make a new batch right aw away se

Yvonne doesn't have to wait too

long."

With that, Teresa hurried downstairs. As she passed the elder Mr. James, she clearly saw the fury on his face.

Years ago, when Teresa was young, Mrs. James had been two-faced, and Teresa had suffered greatly at her hands.

Now, Teresa was paying her back in kind. It was their turn to taste what it felt like to be falsely accused.

Sure enough, as soon as Teresa reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard the elder Mr. James's enraged voice.

"Did I not warn you two not to cause trouble? If you're tired of living in the James family, then get out!"

"Dad, it was clearly that bitch Teresa who framed..." Marcia began to protest indignantly, but Mrs. James pulled her back.

Mrs. James understood that the elder Mr. James had already made up his mind. He believed they were

at fault and wouldn't sten to their explanations.

It was just like all those times in the past when they had framed Teresa, and the

elder Mr. James had refused to listen to her explanations.

But now, their roles were reversed, and Mrs. James could only swallow her frustration.

"Marcia was careless. I will have her apologize to Teresa," Mrs. James said, swallowing her pride, but the elder Mr. James was still seething.

"Get out of my sight, both of you. Don't come back until after the wedding is over."

In the elder Mr. James's mind, nothing was more important than Yvonne's marriage, nothing more important than him latching onto the Thompson family.