Chapter 453:

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“I only need to speak with her about a few things. You go first, and I will come check on you soon. Tonight, I will stay in your room with you. How does that sound?”

Lexie still looked uneasy, but the steadiness in Joslyn’s eyes seemed to calm her. At last, she slowly let go. The housekeeper carefully helped her up, and Lexie shuffled away, looking back over her shoulder with nearly every step.

Joslyn lowered her eyes briefly, took out her phone, and sent Connor a message without hesitation. “Your mother is here. Come back now.”

Only after Lexie’s door clicked shut did she put her phone away and turn back to Evelyn.

“Speak.” Then Joslyn sat down on the sofa opposite her, spine straight and expression composed.

At this point, there was no need for false courtesy.

Evelyn studied her for a moment. A trace of surprise flashed across her face, quickly followed by impatience.

“I will not waste time circling the point.” Her words were direct, leaving no room for pretense. “I know everything that happened between you and Brandon.”

Joslyn did not so much as blink. “Whatever existed between Brandon and me ended before I married Connor.”

Evelyn gave a cold, derisive laugh. “You were together for years. Do you truly think that kind of history can be erased just because you claim it is over? I was young once too. There are some things that cannot be dismissed as though they never happened simply because one person says the word ended.”

As she spoke, Evelyn leaned forward slightly.

𝖳𝗁𝘦 𝗺o𝗌t 𝗽𝘰p𝘂𝗹а𝗋 ոо𝗏е𝗅ѕ о𝘯 𝗴𝘢𝗅𝗇𝘰v𝘦𝗅s.𝘤𝗼𝗆

“The Newman family may not be made up of rigid traditionalists, but we still have standards when it comes to integrity. The woman who bears the title of Mrs. Newman does not need some illustrious family background, but her past must at least be clean. There can be no stains, and there certainly cannot be any improper ties with another member of this family. Ties that trample on even the most basic sense of decency.”

Her final words slowed, growing heavier with each syllable, as if she intended every one of them to strike Joslyn like a blow.

Joslyn’s face lost some of its color, but her composure did not break. “Evelyn. Brandon and I were in a normal relationship, and that relationship ended in a normal way. Only after that did I meet Connor and marry him. The two were never tangled together. I truly do not see how that tramples on the most basic sense of decency as you are describing.”

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