Chapter 181 Mother and Daughter Break Ties

Chapter 181 Mother and Daughter Break Ties

Bang!

Jane shoved her hard, and Thalia lost her balance instantly, slamming into a pillar in the hall. Blood slowly seeped through her hair.

Ignoring the pain in her body completely, she stared at Jane in disbelief and muttered under her breath. "You... you actually pushed me—wishing me dead... I worked so hard to root myself in the Spencer family, all for your sake! Every bit of the good life you've had since childhood, I gave you! How could you do this to me?"

"Nonsense!"

Jane's face was full of resentment as she stepped forward, slowly crouched down, and grabbed Thalia's hair, mimicking the exact motion Thalia had used to shake her earlier. Her tone was ice cold. "When you want something, crying gets you nowhere. Fighting for it with everything you have is the only way. Whatever you grab becomes yours. The strong control everything, and nobody cares about the losers' grievances."

"You taught me all these lessons with your own hands! If Daniel could help me get closer to William, so what if I slept with him? I never coveted anything that belonged to you, and you know that perfectly well."

"Who would willingly settle for a middle-aged man whose body is falling apart? I've always listened to you and followed your example, doing things your way. Why are you turning around and blaming me for it? Mom!"

"No... no..."

Thalia was completely stunned, staring at her own daughter like a stranger, her eyes brimming with tears, filled with regret and fury, shaking her head over and over. "No, I never taught you any of this! Never!"

Like someone who had completely lost her mind, Thalia struggled up from the ground, sobbing hysterically and muttering incoherently, her eyes hollow and unfocused, and rushed out of the hall.

Bang.

Jane's whole body went limp, and she collapsed onto the floor, staring at the strands of hair scattered around and the traces of blood left on the ground.

Suddenly she leaned forward, buried her face on the floor, and cried her heart out.

A moment later, she jerked her head up. Her eyes were hollow and rigid, like a body drained of all life, and she stared straight at me, twisting her face into an eerie smile. "Eleanor, are you satisfied now? Watching a mother and daughter tear each other apart with your own eyes—you must feel completely relieved, completely pleased with yourself."

"Just okay, I guess."

I felt remarkably calm inside.

This falling out between mother and daughter was bound to happen sooner or later.

Hidden problems can never stay covered forever. I just tore the truth open a little early. Making someone feel good was only a side effect. At its core, this was all cause and effect coming full circle.

The bitter fruit Thalia had planted years ago had finally landed on her own daughter, and now it was striking back at her, twice as hard.

"Eleanor, do you really think you've won?" Jane gritted her teeth, her eyes burning with resentment. "Just you wait..."

"Save it. Threats are better saved for later."

I raised my hand and pointed at the crowd of onlookers around us, smiling as I said, "You'd better start packing and move out soon, and maybe go find your mother while she's off somewhere losing her mind. Even if the Spencer family can keep a lid on public opinion, once she's out of control and talking to anyone who'll listen, this thing will never fully die down."

"Jane, every outcome here is one you brought on yourself. You have no one to blame."

"You—!" Jane was about to lash out again when she caught sight of the bystanders around her, all holding up their phones recording everything. Her expression immediately tensed, and she lowered her voice, hissing viciously, "Eleanor, count yourself lucky this time!"

With that, she shielded her face with her bag and fled the scene in a hurry.

I was slightly surprised. Someone this selfish to the core still cared about saving face.

Once the main players had left, the crowd of onlookers quickly scattered too.

And with that, this ridiculous farce came to an end.

Seeing a few bystanders still eager to come over and strike up a conversation, I turned around right away and drove straight back home.

On the way back, Emily's call came in, her voice full of excitement. I told her to hang on a bit and that I'd be home soon.

Emily had been staying at my place lately, hiding from the outside world, killing time with games and TV shows all day. She deliberately avoided Michael and almost never went out, because she knew Michael was aware of where she was hiding.

Just as I pulled up under my apartment building, I saw a Porsche's window slowly rolling up not far away, then the car sped off.

That was Michael's car.

I hadn't expected him to be so persistent, waiting quietly downstairs, watching from a distance the whole time.

I shook my head lightly and headed upstairs.

I opened the door, and Emily rushed over with her tablet in her arms, beaming. "This is so satisfying! Get the divorce settled first, then the scandal breaks—two birds with one stone. I never expected you to be this decisive. Look online! People have already pushed Daniel and Jane's scandal to the top of the trending list. Everyone's slamming them—it's so satisfying."

While changing my shoes and scrolling through the comments, I couldn't help but laugh helplessly. "That wasn't me."

Emily had assumed all along that I'd exposed all the evidence myself right after finishing the divorce paperwork.

No wonder William was so convinced it was me, and even Emily jumped to the same conclusion right away. In everyone's eyes, I was the only one who both had the evidence and had every reason to use it.

But William and Emily are fundamentally different.

I could explain it a thousand times and William still wouldn't believe me.

But Emily—all it takes is one word from me, and she trusts me without question.

"So who actually did it, then? Whoever it is did us a huge favor! Do you know them? I have to take them out for a proper meal to say thanks!"

"It looks like a good thing on the surface, but it actually messed up my plan."

I walked over to the sofa in my slippers and sat down, sighing softly, looking at Emily. "Whoever it was threw off my timing."

"What happened?"

Emily opened up the delivery drink, stuck in a straw, and handed me a latte. "Don't worry, take your time. We'll figure this out together."

"My divorce didn't go through."

I was full of frustration, taking a big gulp of the iced coffee to calm myself down. "Just one signature left, that's all. If the other person had waited even ten more minutes to expose everything, I would've been able to end this marriage without a hitch."

"Damn, what are the odds?!"

Emily looked utterly stunned, and I just shrugged helplessly.

"That's exactly the odds we got."

I had no way of knowing how much longer it would take next time to convince William to cooperate and go through with the divorce paperwork.

"Don't be upset, Eleanor. A divorce decree is just a piece of paper. The law clearly states that once a couple has been separated for two full years, either party can file to end the marriage unilaterally. William can't hold you hostage forever—just wait it out. You can basically treat yourself as already divorced and go on living your life as normal."

I'd said the exact same thing to William at City Hall.

I nodded with a smile, then changed the subject, pointing toward the window. "I saw Michael's car downstairs just now. He didn't come up to find you?"

Michael knew this place well. He'd been here before during the move, so he'd surely remember the address. And even if he didn't, he could easily get it from William.

At the mention of Michael, Emily's energy dropped instantly. She gave a tight-lipped smile. "He wouldn't dare come up so easily."

"Why's that?"

"Simple. The person he's most afraid of is William."