?Chapter 289:


    Dani didn’t actually think Alexander would embezzle. She simply wanted nothing more to do with him. After all, hadn’t he always chosen Katrina and her daughter? And now, he was acting wounded? Who was he trying to deceive?


    Cedric stood behind Dani, silently watching the scene, his face betraying no emotion. But inside, he knew exactly what was unfolding. Men always had a way of seeing through each other. So now, Alexander regretted it? He wanted to fix things?


    Cedric’s eyes darkened.


    “Dani, you’re being too harsh,” Katrina interjected, attempting to y the role of the peacemaker.


    “Look at Alexander—you’ve hurt him deeply.


    You can’t just erase the past because you have someone new in your life.


    Your father and I are family; no matter how much you hurt us, we’ll ept it. But Alexander isn’t.


    You’re divorced, remember? Is it fair to target him?”


    Cedric frowned and was about to speak when Dani raised a hand to stop him. She then turned to face Katrina, her gaze sharp and cutting like a knife.


    Katrina’s confidence wavered, her heart pounding as Dani’s cold stare pierced through her.


    “Katrina, there’s no need for you to add fuel to the fire. I stopped caring about Alexander a long time ago. Don’t think you can use the past to manipte me. Let me be clear—I do what I want. As for you, you can plot all you want, but it’ll be in vain. I tolerated you before, but not anymore. Soon enough, you’ll long for the days when I was more patient with you.”


    Her words were sharp and blunt, leaving Katrinapletely humiliated. She opened her mouth to fire back, but before she could say anything, Dani spoke first.


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    “Just days after my mother passed away, you moved into my house. A woman like you has no right to talk about morals or decency. Honestly, I thought you’d lost any shred of shame long ago.”


    Katrina shook with fury, her finger usingly jabbing toward Dani.


    “Dani! I’m still your stepmother! How dare you speak to me this way?”


    Dani’s eyes fixed on Katrina’s sharply pointed red nail, the bold gesture only fueling her anger. Slowly, her expression hardened, and her gaze deepened with intensity.


    From the side, Alexander scowled and snapped, “Dani, have you lost it? Do you even hear what you’re saying? Calling Katrina that way means you’re calling Caiden indecent too. He’s your father, and he’s lying in that bed!”


    Katrina’s rage exploded. It had been years since anyone had the audacity to speak to her like this.


    Had she known Dani would cause so much trouble, she would have taken care of her along with her mother all those years ago. She thrust her finger even closer to Dani’s face and screamed, “Dani! You ungrateful little brat! You’re nothing but a motherless orphan! I’ll teach you a lesson for your father!”


    The instant the words left Katrina’s mouth, a loud crack rang out through the room. And then, the whole room wentpletely still. Even Katrina froze, her mouth agape in disbelief.


    At the doorway, Joyce froze, her face drained of color in surprise. The thermos she had been holding slipped from her grip and crashed to the floor with a loud ng.


    A sharp crash rang out, shattering the silence, followed by a haunting stillness. Dani slowly lifted her gaze, her expression icy, before casually pulling a wet wipe from her bag and cleaning her hands. The simple gesture jolted Katrina back to reality. A piercing scream tore from her throat, echoing through every corner of the room. Pain shot through her injured finger.


    Dani leaned in, and her lips curled into a sinister smile as she asked, “Doesn’t it hurt?”


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