The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

The video that played was evidence of all the times Chloe had bullied me in the past. Each incident she had committed was far worse than what she had just claimed.

As Chloe watched, her face suddenly turned pale. "Did I permit you to play that? I command you to turn off the video right now!"

I chuckled and replied, "Why should I listen to you?"

Chloe immediately shot back, "I'm your mother-in-law!"

I reminded her, "But I've divorced your son, so let's be precise here. You're my ex-mother-in-law."

As everyone watched the unfolding drama, their expressions toward Chloe shifted to disdain.

Chloe's expression darkened, but she stubbornly retorted, "What are you looking at? Back then, she was my son's wife! How I chose to discipline her is our family matter. It's none of your business."

I nodded. "True. I didn't stand up to you back then. That was my weakness, and I deserved it. So I swallowed my grievances and said nothing."

Chloe's expression softened slightly as she tried to redirect the focus. "What we should be discussing now is Jessica."

The next video played revealed Chloe discussing her relationship with Steven with Jessica. Everyone was shocked.

"What? A mother helping her son find a mistress?"

"What kind of mother is this?"

"She claims it's for Annalise's sake while undermining her. Was it all just to enable her son to cheat?"

People began to gather around Chloe, pointing fingers and whispering. Even though Chloe was quite shameless, she struggled to handle the scrutiny. "How long ago was that? Why are you bringing it up now? You're so petty!" she yelled.

Sasha looked at me in surprise. "Did you put this together just now?"

I replied with a smile, "Pretty much. I've wanted to share this for a while. I just never had the chance."

Sasha raised an eyebrow.

Chloe's outburst was an attempt to

make everyone criticize me.

Unexpectedly, I cleverly seized the

opportunity to counterattack,

tarnishing Chloe's reputation in the

process.

en

Sasha looked at me with admiration. She had always thought Zane was intelligent, but now she realized I was no slouch either.

Chloe, growing impatient, continued,

I at

"This is why I don't like you. came

how Jessica would handle the

situation-she wouldn't care at all." novelbin

Even at this point, she was still trying to tarnish my name. I raised my chin and gestured toward the big screen.

"Not so fast. The video isn't finished yet. Keep watching."

Chloe turned stiffly, just in time to see Jessica deliberately stirring trouble while I acted defensively.

The crowd's disdain only grew. "Her new daughter-in-law is playing the mistress and ruining someone else's relationship. And she wants to spread rumors to make the original partner look bad?"

"Honestly, she deserves every criticism!" Everyone began to voice their disapproval of Jessica.

Chloe's expression was increasingly grim, but she still clung to her defense.

"Even if what you're saying about Jessica is true, she's a pregnant woman. It's normal for her to be emotional. You should be more accommodating." "Why should I?" I challenged.