Joseph put his hands on his hips and looked serious. "This isn't just for the two of us," he said. "It's for us, too! Think about it!"

Upstairs, Brittany felt embarrassed. She was eavesdropping on Arianna's parents' argument, and it felt inappropriate to remain. She wanted to return to her room, but feared being discovered. Arianna stood silently nearby, her expressionless face pale, her hands gripping the stair railing tightly. Brittany wanted to comfort her but didn't know what to say. Unaware of the upstairs observers, the argument continued.

Eloise spun around, sat on the sofa, and snorted. "For us?" she scoffed. "Humph! Let's be blunt—it's for you and that little hussy outside! Joseph, look at yourself! Who allows a mistress into the house? It's a slap in my face! I'll be the laughingstock of Ruby City! 'For us'? Thanks for the laugh!"

"You're being petty," Joseph retorted. "You don't understand. Arianna is a disappointment; she has no interest in the family business. My brother still controls the corporation and refuses to relinquish power. It's my fault for not having a son to inherit the business. But even if you'd had a son…"

Eloise's resentful glare cut him short. He stopped speaking.

"So, you blame me for not having a son?" Eloise demanded. "I've been married to you for years, managing this family inside and out. Do you think it's easy? Your family is useless—a bunch of good-for-nothings! I do everything, and you blame me for not giving you a son? Even if I had, would you still have found another woman? Would anything stop you?"

She slammed her hand on the coffee table, a loud thud punctuating her years of pent-up frustration. "Have I ever bossed you around? You secretly bought a house and a car for that woman and her child. You even hired him at your company! I ignored it, but you're testing my patience. Now you want to bring them into our family? How do we even address each other? Have you considered my feelings? Arianna's?"

Brittany glanced at Arianna. Though outwardly calm, her lips were pressed together, her grip on the railing even tighter, her knuckles white.

"This has nothing to do with Arianna," Joseph said impatiently, waving his hand dismissively. "It's between you and me. If you agree to this, there won't be any other problems."

Eloise sneered. "Why doesn't it matter? Isn't Arianna your daughter? Our child? She's your family! You care more about that brat than your own daughter? You've never bought Arianna a house or a car! Never fought for her share of the company!"

Joseph's temper finally exploded. "Who told her to be a girl?" he roared. "How will my daughter inherit anything? How will she run the family business? Do you want our business to fall into the hands of someone with a different last name?"

Brittany was shocked. She'd always known Arianna's father as kind, but this revealed a deeply ingrained patriarchy she hadn't suspected, and one Arianna didn't seem to have inherited.

She looked at Arianna again. Arianna had released her grip on the railing and was heading back to her room. Perhaps alerted by the sound of footsteps, or finally realizing they weren't alone, Eloise looked upstairs, stunned.