Chapter 549

+15 BONUS

Cassandra had no way of dealing with Tyler, so her only option was to try talking some sense into William. It wasn’t like she could go talk Tyler down. When had anyone ever been able to reason with him?

Besides, who in their right mind would pick a fight with Tyler? Even Thomas couldn’t keep him in check. What could they possibly do? It was laughable to even think they had a chance.

William was so worked up by now that he wasn’t thinking straight anymore.

“Mom, what are you even thinking? Rachel used to be my wife! And now out of nowhere, she’s going to be my aunt? That’s already insane enough, and now you expect me to apologize to her?”

Cassandra snapped too. She yanked her arm out of his grip and shot back, “If you insist on being this stubborn, then I have nothing more to say. When your grandfather comes looking for you later, let’s see how you explain yourself.”

With that, she turned to leave.

“Mom!” William called, panicking.

“Oh, now you remember I’m your mother? A real man knows when to compromise and when to stand tall. What’s the point of getting hung up on this?”

Not far away, Rachel noticed William beginning to cave. She instinctively glanced at Tyler. Their eyes met, and they shared a subtle, knowing smile.

Samantha saw every bit of it. She pursed her lips, and her narrowed eyes glinted with jealousy.

It was obvious that those two were doing this on purpose. They wanted William to lose face in front of everyone.

If William was humiliated, then Samantha would be humiliated too. After all, she was his wife. If things blew up like this in front of so many people, what then? What if Rachel actually did marry into the Lewis family? How would Samantha ever hold her head up again?

Samantha stepped forward. Her voice was soft, humble, and as meek as ever.

“Rachel, I think William didn’t mean to be rude just now. His words were harsh, yes, but I’m sure you understand how confusing this all is for him.

“One day, your ex–wife suddenly becomes your future aunt. That’s not an easy thing for anyone to accept. Maybe he said something offensive in the heat of the moment. If so, I’d like to apologize on his behalf.”

It sounded like an apology, but anyone really listening could tell that Samantha was just shifting the blame onto Rachel.

The implication was clear that Rachel had entered a relationship with Tyler out of spite for William. She was still bitter over their divorce. This was seen as a petty act of revenge.

But Rachel wasn’t the same pushover she’d been five years ago.

The moment she heard Samantha’s words, she shot back without hesitation.

“From the way you put it, it sounds like I planned this whole thing out. Are you saying that after William and I got a divorce, I still have to get the Lewis family’s approval on who I date?

“Even if he did insult me out of frustration, is saying sorry really that hard? I’m his uncle’s girlfriend now. That makes me his future aunt. Accepting that and showing basic respect is the bare minimum, isn’t it?

“Or what, are you suggesting William has the right to tell me who I can and can’t be with?”

Samantha stood frozen. She never expected Rachel to come at her this hard and with so many harsh words that she couldn’t even get a rebuttal in.

After a moment, Samantha let out a shaky breath. Her eyes filled with tears, and when she spoke again, it was obvious she had started crying.

“Rachel, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just hoping we could keep this from blowing up any further.”

Chapter 550