Lisa couldn’t believe it.Not only had she made up her mind to return, but she was also ready to take whatever came her way for choosing to return to the family after what happened, and now she was going to be sharing a house with Alicia?There was no way she was going to let that happen, especially since she wouldn’t be able to use the baby against them anymore.There was another baby now, and hers wasn’t the only baby in the family. And not only did Alicia bear triplets, but that was triple the baby in her belly.Alicia was probably going to cause a lot of trouble in the house, and from experience, Lisa knew they would all take Alicia’s side because of her family background.Evelyn’s head whipped toward her, shocked by the sudden outburst, while Tina’s face drained of color.Lisa’s hands were shaking as she pointed toward the door, her chest heaving.“You can all call her whatever you want, but she’s not taking my place!”“How can the mistress come live with the family?” she demande

As soon as Lisa left the office, Tedmond rose from his seat. Since she had left the hospital ward, there was no reason for him to stay there anymore.His lips curled into a grin. He hadn’t expected Lisa to go that far—or to give him something so entertaining to watch. Now, he was certain the rest of his plan would unfold naturally, just as he wanted.“Get the car ready,” he said to Thomas. “Let’s go.”Thomas immediately nodded. “Yes, sir.”Once Thomas left the room, Tedmond pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. It had been a long time since he had reached out to Persis or Bianca.His finger hovered over Persis’s name, but he didn’t press it. Not yet. He wasn’t done with the current mess, and hearing their voices might make him hesitate—or worse, change course.He shoved the phone back into his pocket.Without another word, he walked out of the room, his footsteps echoing faintly in the corridor. Thomas was already waiting at the entrance, the car door open.Tedmond

Dinner time.Everyone in the Griffin family was seated at the long, polished dining table. The candles flickered softly, casting warm light over the room, but the atmosphere was tense.Neil sat in the middle, carefully positioned between Evelyn and Tina, maintaining a calm, composed posture as the maids quietly brought out the dishes. The family matriarch had not yet arrived, leaving a strange emptiness at the head of the table.Lisa sat at the far end, isolated. Most of the family ignored her entirely, exchanging small talk among themselves. Her hands rested on her lap, gaze flicking between the food and Neil, though she said nothing. Her thoughts, however, raced over everything that had just happened.“I had no idea Max had a type for women,” Frank said, smiling at Alicia.“Right.”Disbelief among the family slowly gave way to delight.Frank leaned back, a broad smile spreading across his face.“Well… I suppose that’s wonderful news! A baby on the way—finally some joy in this ho

Everyone stayed quiet. After all, Vivian was still the head of the family. If they said what they truly thought, she might get angry, and worse, she might hand one of their belongings to Tedmond as an apology gift. No one wanted that.It wasn’t the first time she’d done something like that.They were used to it by now, and whenever she gave out someone’s property, they’d quietly return it to the original owner. But this time, the “owner” was Tedmond, and they all knew he wouldn’t give it back.After all, Tedmond hadn’t even returned Otis’s assets or money.When no one dared to speak, Evelyn swallowed hard and lowered her gaze.“Mother, please—there’s been a misunderstanding—”“Misunderstanding?” Vivian’s cane struck the floor with a sharp crack. “You call humiliation and rejection a misunderstanding?”She turned to Tedmond, her stern expression softening slightly. “Did they truly treat you like this, my boy?”Tedmond’s jaw tightened. She was one of those who had treated him the wor

Neil wondered what she was going to say, and his lips tightened slightly as he waited for her to speak. After all, her words were going to determine how the events would unfold.She paused, her expression darkening. “We will decide what comes next.”Neil blinked, stunned, then slowly nodded.His gaze shifted to Tedmond, uncertain.Tedmond met his eyes and gave a faint nod—barely visible, but enough to tell Neil to keep going.Neil drew a quiet breath and turned back to Vivian.“There’s… one more thing, Elder Griffin,” he said softly. “Before I came here, I invited my uncle, Mr. Lin. My father isn’t around, and I didn’t want to come alone, so I asked my uncle to come on his behalf to dinner.”Vivian froze.Her cane stopped mid-tap.Her eyes widened slowly. “Lin?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper. “As in the Lin family?”Neil nodded once. “Yes, ma’am.”Vivian’s eyes flickered over his features, the shape of his eyes, the fine line of his jaw, that faint elegance in his bearing, and