Amanda was no fool; she knew what needed to be done. "No matter what, she is your grandmother. What's the harm in apologizing to her? Ann, listen to me. Pick your battles wisely. We just need to endure a little longer. Once your uncle passes away, won't the Gonzales family be ours to control? This is not the time to burn bridges."

Hearing this, Ann forced herself to calm down. She took a deep breath. "Fine. I'll go with you."

Her mother was right. Stuart didn't have much time left. She could endure it a little longer. Once he was gone, she would finally be able to crush Caitlin beneath her heel. Then, she would make sure to repay every bit of humiliation she had suffered.

The mother and daughter drove to the Gonzales Manor. Keira was still feeling unwell and was resting in bed, a cloth on her forehead.

"Mom, I've brought Ann to apologize to you."

"Grandma, I'm sorry." Ann dropped to her knees on the floor, her voice choked with tears. "I embarrassed you."

Keira, already furious, became even more enraged at the sight of Ann kneeling. She grabbed a ceramic figurine from her bedside table and hurled it in Ann's direction. It missed, shattering on the floor.

Amanda immediately knelt in front of her daughter, her eyes red. "Mom, if you're going to blame someone, blame me. I failed to raise her properly. She's my only child, and I had such a difficult birth with her-I almost bled to death. She was so weak when she was born, she had to stay in an incubator for over two weeks. All these years, I've been so afraid of not giving her enough..."

Amanda's words were a heart-wrenching performance, and it reminded Keira of her own experience giving birth to Amanda. She too had endured a difficult labor, struggling for a full day and night. It was why she had always doted on her daughter, even letting her and her husband live at the manor and setting up a generous trust fund for them. Seeing her daughter now, weeping for her granddaughter, Keira's heart softened. She was a mother, too.

"Spare the rod and spoil the child, Amanda!" Keira shook her head. "If you keep indulging her like this, she's going to cause a real catastrophe one day!"

Ann quickly chimed in, "Grandma, I promise, I'll change! I'll change everything! I swear I'll never make you worry again! I'll listen to you, and I'll listen to my mother."

Amanda looked up at Keira. "Mom, please give her one more chance. She never had grandparents on her father's side, and my father passed away so long ago. You're the only grandmother she has in this world."

Keira sighed. Thinking of how Amanda had cared for Stuart all these years, she relented. "Get up. For the sake of your mother, who has taken care of your uncle for so.

care of

many years, I will give you one repre chance. But let me be clear, Ann, this is the last time. If you ever cause trouble like this again, you will not be welcome in the Gonzales family home."

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Ann's lowered eyes glinted with malice. *That wretched old hag,* she thought. If it had been Caitlin who made a mistake, would Keira have said the same thing? Of course not. *Just you wait. You won't be so smug for much longer.*

Despite cursing Keira a thousand times in her head, Ann put on a remorseful expression and choked out, "Thank you, Grandma!"

She and Amanda rose to their feet. "Thank you, Mom, for giving Ann another chance," Amanda said.

Keira sighed again. "What good does my giving her a chance do? Her reputation in our social circle is completely ruined." At this point, it would be difficult for Ann

to find a suitable husband from a family of equal standing, or even from a lesser one.

A flash of hatred crossed Ann's face.

Amanda tried to appear composed. "Don't worry, Mom. From now on, I will watch her closely. This will not happen again. In a year or so, once Ann has achieved something of her own, people will forget." In Amanda's eyes her daughter was brilliant and would surely accomplish something great in no time.

"Let's hope so," Keira said. Her eyes then fell on Amanda's face, and she frowned. "What happened to your face? Who hit you?"

Amanda touched her cheek. "It was Gavin!"

"Gavin?" Keira was stunned, then shook her head. "Impossible. Absolutely impossible. He's like a mouse in front of a cat with yous How could he dare to hit you?" Keira knew exactly what Gavin's status

was in her daughter's home. He wouldn't dare defy Amanda.

Ann stepped forward. "Grandma, it's true. My dad hit her."

Keira stared at Amanda, her eyes wide with shock. "Gavin really hit you?"

Amanda immediately started crying again. "Yes, Mom, you have to stand up for me! Gavin is a monster! Not only has he abandoned his wife and child, but he's also abusive!"