Chapter 462 Mother-in-Law Meets Mayhem

These media hounds had no moral baseline. All they cared about was clicks and headlines—outrageous the angle. They’d say anything to provoke a reaction and capture her most humiliating moment.

Lily’s face turned bright red. Furious, she shouted back, “I don’t even know her! I was just running my mouth! What does this have to do with you?! Get out of my way—move!”

She couldn’t even get through the crowd.

Just then, a pair of hands broke through the press and yanked her out of the circle.

Dazed and breathless, Lily stumbled into a car and looked up to see Oscar climbing into the driver’s seat.

Owen stepped on the gas, leaving the paparazzi choking in dust behind them.

Lily finally exhaled. But no sooner had she caught her breath than she started picking at Oscar, her tone sharp and bitter. “What, you waiting for me to drop dead before you show up? I raised all of you and not one of you gave a damn.”

Hands steady on the wheel, Oscar replied, “At least I showed up. Where are your precious Owen and Elsie? Why didn’t they come get you?”

Lily was momentarily speechless. She quickly pivoted. “I heard someone say Oscar’s getting married. What’s that about?”

Oscar corrected her, “Not getting married. Married. We got the license yesterday. The seal’s probably still warm.”

Lily shot upright in her seat. “What?! I was still rotting in a holding cell and he had the nerve to get married?!”

“Who’s the bride?! Which family in Silverburch? Did her parents not teach her basic manners?! I’m his mother and I was in jail—she actually dared to sneak off and marry my son?!”

Oscar nearly laughed. She thinks it’s a rich girl? Wait till she meets Peggy—that’ll be a show.

He knew Lily never favored him and wouldn’t bother confiding in him, so he kept his mouth shut. He said nothing else about Owen.

He dropped Lily at the gates of the Saunders family estate.

“Hey-!”

Lily had barely stepped out before Oscar peeled off in a cloud of exhaust.

Coughing from the fumes, she waved her hand in the air. “Ungrateful little brats! Not one of them gives a damn about me!”

Muttering as she walked toward the house, she grumbled, “It’s all Yunice’s fault. She turned my eldest against me…”

But the moment she stepped into the courtyard—

A massive porcelain vase shattered at her feet.

Shards flew everywhere. One even cut her face.

Lily froze, stunned by the sudden sting and the sheer shock of it.

Owen and Elsie came running out, clearly heartbroken—not for her, but for the broken vase.

“That was an antique!” Owen wailed. “I spent a fortune on that at auction! How could you smash it like that?! Do you have any idea how much that’s worth?!”

Elsie looked up and finally noticed Lily standing there, wide-eyed. “Mom?”

Owen turned too, just as stunned. “Mom? You’re back?”

Before Lily could respond, a young woman strolled casually out of the house.

Her tone was smug and playful. “This is Owen’s house. And Owen’s house is my house. That means everything here belongs to both of us. If I want to break something, I will. If I want to spend money, I will. You, as an outsider, have no say.”

Peggy stood with arms folded, oblivious to Lily’s presence.

She fanned herself with a marriage certificate and added proudly, “I’m married to your brother now. From now on, all you outsiders can get your names off his household registry.”

Elsie glared at her, then turned and ran into Lily’s arms, clinging to her like a child and sobbing. “Mom! Thank God you’re back! You have to do something about this crazy woman! While you were gone, she’s been making our lives miserable!”

Lily blinked in confusion, completely lost. She turned to look past Elsie—just in time to lock eyes with Peggy, who also looked completely thrown.

For a second, neither of them said anything.

Then Peggy’s eyes lit up. She suddenly bolted forward and grabbed Lily’s other arm, yanking it toward herself with way too much enthusiasm. “Mom! You’re my mom, right?!”

“I saw your pictures with Oscar at home. Now that I’ve met you in person, you really are as young and beautiful as the photos. No wonder Oscar got your good genes.”

She turned and fluttered her lashes at Owen. “So handsome—”