Chapter 240
240 Alice’s Demands
sha sin
Ruby had just parted her lips to call for Shirley when Alice spoke up, her tone light but sharp enough to draw blood
“You really should make it yourself. How else is anyone supposed to see how much love you’ve got for your daughter–in–law?”
She smiled, but it didn’t soften the blow.
“Anyone can bark orders. Moving your mouth isn’t exactly exhausting”
Ruby froze.
She had spent years living in comfort, far removed from kitchens and frying pans.
To her, the idea of cooking felt ridiculous.
But Alice seemed to know exactly what she was thinking.
“It’s fine, my lovely mother–in–law,” Alice said sweetly. “Even if you turn it into charcoal, I’ll still eat it. I’m starving.”
She tilted her head and added, “Didn’t you just say taking care of me was your responsibility? I’m sure something this small won’t be a problem.”
Ruby’s jaw tightened.
She took a slow, deep breath, then another, swallowing her temper down inch by inch.
She forced a smile and gave a tiny nod.
“Of course.”
She turned and called Shirley anyway, making her way to the kitchen with carefully controlled grace.
Across the room, Irene’s expression shifted. Just slightly. But it was enough.
Is Ruby seriously letting Alice boss her around ?
Something about Alice really wasn’t right.
“You didn’t come here for a visit. This is about everything blowing up online, isn’t it?” Irene glanced at her watch, then looked up with a cold stare.
“Let’s not drag this out. What do you want?”
Alice sat down across from her without saying a word at first.
The pressure in the room changed the second she did.
It felt like a sharp edge had sliced right through the air.
Irene’s eyes narrowel.
She had misjudged Alice.
There was no way a backwoods girl could’ve developed this kind of presence in such a short time.
Irene had stayed out of the business world for too long. She had kept her distance from people, from deals, from anything outside her bubble.
And now, the cracks were showing.
Alice leaned forward slightly. Her voice stayed calm and even.
Tm not here to point fingers. I’m here to collect for the emotional damage I’ve endured.”
Silence fell.
Emotional damage?
Of course she would say that. No hesitation. No shame.
When she married into the family, she’d already cost Irene a chunk of assets with that wedding gift.
And then she brought down Matt and Josh by herself, shoving them into the penitentiary.
Irene had pulled every string she could find, spent a fortune trying to protect them.
But there was too much blood on their hands.
Not even her strongest connections could wipe it away.
In private, everyone whispered the same thing–Irene had finally met someone she couldn’t beat.
Alice’s voice sliced through again.
“Irene.”
The word alone brought the room to a halt.
Irene’s face darkened. “What is it that you want?”
Alice smiled, slow and thin. “I heard you’ve got a cauldron. I’ll take that.”
The name dropped heavy between them.
The cauldron wasn’t just an antique. It hadn’t been legally traded in years.
Irene’s had been passed down through her family. She was supposed to donate it to the state.
But she couldn’t bring herself to let it go. It was too important. Too personal.
So she had stalled, and the matter had stayed buried.
“You know it’s illegal to trade something like that,” Irene said stiffly, her voice tight as a wire.
Alice didn’t blink at Irene’s outburst. She kept her tone steady.
“First, I want you to post a public apology. Let everyone know you were behind the smear campaign.
“Second, the cauldron–you’ll get paid for it. Call it compensation.”
Irene slapped her palin flat against the table.
The sound snapped through the room. “Absolutely not!”
That cauldron was sacred to her.
A family heirloom. And to be forced into an apology? Unthinkable.
As the tension thickened, Eric chimed in, his expression unreadable.
“Grandma, there’s no need to keep holding onto this.”
Irene stared at him like he’d spoken a foreign language.
“Eric, what did you just say?”
Alice didn’t soften. Her eyes stayed cold.
“Irene,” she said, “whatever he just said doesn’t matter. There’s something I want him to hear.
“Three years ago, the day of the accident–you met his driver, didn’t you?”
Irene’s pupils shrank.
“You’ve got some nerve,” she snapped. “Trying to turn us against each other.”
Alice gave a soft laugh. “If there’s nothing to hide, what exactly am I turning him against?”
She leaned in just enough. “Come on, Irene. Why don’t you tell him what you and the driver talked about that day?”
Irene’s skin turned gray, Her power, her poise–gone. She looked like a statue starting to crack.
For years, she had acted like royalty. She only met with CEOs, never with drivers.
If she had talked to one personally, it must have been for something serious.
Irene’s face turned five shades whiter. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
Just then, voices rose from outside the house.
A loud shuffle echoed through the windows, followed by bursts of laughter and chatter.
Everyone in the room turned toward the yard.
A group of people had gathered, all grinning, all looking toward the house with eager faces.
Standing in front was Yvette.
She wore a full wedding dress and held a bouquet of roses in both hands. Her makeup was perfect.
The air wasn’t hot, but it wasn’t the kind of weather where someone would wear a wedding gown unless they meant it.
Yvette lifted her chin.
Eric. I know you’re in there,” she called.
“Whether you come out or not, I’ve got something to say.”