Chapter 179 Eleanor, what have you shown my mother?!

Chapter 179 Eleanor, what have you shown my mother?!

I finished speaking and turned to leave.

I knew perfectly well that this mother and daughter would soon stumble onto that trending topic themselves.

I didn't want to stay and watch them tear into each other in public. It would only be embarrassing for me.

But Thalia stepped in front of me, blocking my way.

Her self-control was far beyond what I'd expected. Jane had just gotten slapped by me, and even though rage was boiling in her eyes, Thalia still managed to force down every bit of emotion and speak calmly. "Ms. Russell, that's not a fair way to look at things."

"You should know that Jane and William grew up together. They've been close for years, and everyone in the Spencer family has always accepted their relationship."

"Ms. Russell, you need to understand your place. You're the one who came later. Your marriage to William is already settled, sure, and Jane can be strong-willed and a bit spoiled, but have you ever thought about how she feels? Watching the man she's cared about for years get taken by a stranger—how could that not hurt?"

"Ms. Russell, you've already hit her. That should be enough to let go of whatever anger you have left. She's my only daughter. And I can tell, you and William don't have feelings for each other anymore—haven't for a while."

"How about this—name a number. Whatever it takes for you to divorce William, I'll pay it, as long as I can. What do you say?"

This deliberate show of weakness was crafted perfectly, painting her as a gentle, doting mother.

She was playing the victim again, trying to win sympathy and the moral high ground.

In that instant, I fully understood where Jane's shamelessness came from.

It was ingrained—deep-rooted in how she was raised.

Jane did whatever she wanted, and Thalia always knew it, yet she just kept indulging and covering for her.

In their minds, anything they wanted was simply theirs to take.

That kind of selfishness was baked into them, impossible to change.

But a bit of dark amusement suddenly stirred in me.

I really wanted to see what would happen to Thalia's shameless devotion to her daughter once she learned the whole truth.

"Thalia, no matter how far out of line your daughter goes, you'll always find some excuse to forgive her and protect her, won't you?"

Jane daring to cross the line with a stepfather she wasn't even related to by blood—that had to come from years of Thalia looking the other way.

"That's right. I know my daughter better than anyone."

Thalia held herself with the air of an elder, her tone certain. "She's just a little spoiled sometimes. What pampered young lady doesn't have a temper? Jane is good and pure at heart. When I gave birth to her, I nearly died. If I don't protect her, who will?"

"I see. That's understandable, then."

I looked at Jane's face, which had suddenly gone pale, and slowly asked a question meant to hit hard. "Let me put it this way—what if she took something that belonged to you?"

"That's not possible."

Thalia clearly didn't catch the hidden meaning in my words, her tone casual. "I'm getting on in years. Everything in my name will go to Jane sooner or later anyway. No need to waste your time guessing."

Jane panicked instantly, sensing there was more behind my words.

She rushed forward and grabbed Thalia's arm, snapping at me, "Eleanor, what exactly are you trying to do?! Taking William from me wasn't enough, now you want to drive a wedge between my mother and me too?"

"Mom, let's go home right now. Don't waste another second with someone this vile. It's disgusting just standing here."

She tried to pull Thalia away by force.

"Jane, don't worry."

Thalia pulled Jane behind her protectively, standing tall, her eyes full of arrogance and disdain.

She trusted her daughter completely, genuinely proud of her.

The way this mother and daughter deceived themselves was honestly laughable.

"Jane's right."

Thalia turned to me, her words sharp. "You have no idea what a bond between mother and daughter even feels like. You grew up with no one to depend on, so of course you can't understand this kind of warmth. Daniel and I remarried, sure, but he loves Jane even more than I do. Jane grew up in a warm, loving home—something you'll never have. That's exactly why you're jealous of her."

Her expression stayed gentle, but every word was aimed precisely to wound—the cruelest things said in the softest tone.

None of it touched me. I spoke with a hint of meaning. "I'll admit, Daniel really does 'love' Jane in a special way."

I turned, unhurried, to look at Jane, whose face had gone tense, my tone deliberately teasing. "Isn't that right, Jane?"

Jane's eyes shook violently. She hid behind Thalia, her voice clearly panicked. "Mom, I suddenly feel dizzy. I didn't eat breakfast this morning. Let's go get lunch first—I'm really not feeling well."

"Okay, okay, we'll go right now."

The moment Thalia heard her daughter wasn't feeling well, all thought of the argument vanished. She gently soothed Jane, then turned and shot me a cold warning. "Ms. Russell, I've said everything I have to say to you, good and bad."

"Take my advice and quit while you're ahead. Divorce William soon, and don't push us to the point of no return. Once Daniel steps in himself, I won't be nearly this gentle with you!"

I was actually looking forward to Daniel showing up right now.

I really wanted to see, with my own eyes, how pathetic he'd look, tangled up in this messy relationship with this mother and daughter.

Just as the two of them were about to walk out of the hall, Jane's face had already relaxed with relief.

I spoke up right on cue, calling out to stop them. "Wait a second."

"Ms. Russell!"

Thalia turned back, clearly irritated. "Don't push your luck! My daughter isn't feeling well—we're going to get food now!"

I smiled, unhurried, and walked closer. I pulled out my phone, opened the trending topics page, and held it right in front of Thalia. "That 'special love' your husband has for your daughter is quite something."

Thalia's whole body froze on the spot.

Her eyes went wide, her hands shaking violently, staring at the phone screen in disbelief.

She recognized them instantly—the two people in the video—the husband she'd fought so hard to win, and the daughter she'd raised with her own hands.

A whirlwind of shock, shame, panic, and rage swept over her features.

I quietly watched her completely lose control. The moment she lunged at me with a look of fury, trying to snatch the phone, I quickly pulled the device back and stepped away to avoid the clash.

I didn't want to get dragged into this mess, so I said quietly, "That topic's been sitting at the top of the trending list. You can check it yourself on your own phone."

Jane stood off to the side, unable to see the phone screen clearly.

She watched Thalia frantically searching through her phone, then turned to me with eyes full of resentment. "Eleanor, what exactly did you show my mother?!"

"Something well worth watching, of course."

My smile widened. I pointed at her phone. "Go ahead—open the top trending topic. The leading lady of this whole show can't miss her own scene."