Chapter 455:

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“You are right about one thing. When I first married Connor, I did have practical considerations. I have never denied that.” She paused for a moment before her voice grew calmer and firmer. “But beyond those practical reasons, there is real feeling between us. There is also the promise we made to build a life together. Marriage is never as simple as love alone. It needs affection, but it also needs reality. Valuing only emotion makes a person naive, while valuing only benefits turns the whole thing into a transaction. Connor and I are fortunate enough to have both. So when you try to use money to drive me away, you are not only insulting me. You are insulting Connor as well. In your eyes, is Connor truly so worthless? Is he so lacking as a person that no woman could ever love him for who he is? Does he have nothing to offer besides wealth and power?”

For a brief second, Evelyn was left without a reply. “You… you are twisting my words. How I regard Connor is not something you are qualified to judge.”

Joslyn let out a long, weary breath. “I have always thought that one woman tearing down another woman is the most foolish thing in the world. I never expected someone as capable and clear-minded as you to lower yourself to such a thing. What exactly do you gain from this? Other than making everyone suffer more and forcing Connor into an impossible position, what is the point?”

“You…” Evelyn’s breathing grew uneven. In all her years, no one of a younger generation had ever dared to criticize her so directly.

She pressed down the anger surging in her chest with effort, finally realizing that Joslyn was far harder to deal with than she had expected.

This woman was not merely calm. Her reasoning was sharp, her stance was steady, and neither financial humiliation nor moral condemnation seemed able to shake her.

The coldness in Evelyn’s eyes deepened into calculation. Slowly, she straightened her back and gathered that superior, commanding air around herself once more.

“You do have a sharp tongue. I admit, arguing with you would be a waste of effort.” Her voice lowered, turning colder. “But there are some realities you clearly have not considered deeply enough. Perhaps you can afford to ignore your own reputation. Perhaps you can even ignore what outsiders think of the Newman family. But you should at least think about Connor. He is not an ordinary man. He is the head of Zenith Group and the one holding the Newman family together. A single stain on his reputation is enough to become a lifelong burden. If people learn that his wife was once involved with his adopted son, that stain will never be washed clean. It will become ammunition in the hands of his enemies, the greatest danger to his career, and a threat to the future of the entire Newman family.”

A cold heaviness sank into Joslyn’s stomach.

𝘑𝗈𝗶ո 𝗼ur 𝖼о𝘮𝗆uո𝗶𝘁𝘆 оn gа𝘭𝗇o𝘃𝖾𝗅𝗌.com

Evelyn caught the slight disturbance in Joslyn’s eyes with frightening accuracy, and she knew at once that she had finally touched a weak point.

This time, she deliberately slowed down, letting each word settle before moving on.

“If you still think I am only trying to frighten you, then let’s speak of something more practical. Do you know how many shares I hold in Zenith Group?”

Joslyn’s lashes trembled. She did not know the details of Zenith Group’s ownership structure, but the warning hidden in Evelyn’s tone was impossible to miss.

“Twenty percent.” Evelyn answered her own question, the corner of her lips curving into a faint, cruel smile.

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