"Zara, are we late?"
Speak of the devil!
Zoe and Preston had predictably arrived together.
Zara was wearing a pink gown today, featuring red trim around the neckline and a flared skirt that gave off a distinct princess vibe.
Yet Zoe had audaciously worn pink as well. She was in a pink vintage dress, accessorized with a string of pearls around her neck and her hair elegantly pinned
up.
It looked like a blatant attempt to upstage the bride.
Preston wore a tailored suit, clearly coordinating with Zoe. Standing side by side, they looked like a picture-perfect couple.
Zara's expression darkened. She hadn't expected Zoe to pull a stunt at her engagement party.
If she had known, she would have posted a sign saying Zoe and dogs were strictly prohibited!
Though that honestly felt like an insult to dogs.
Ms. Zeller's face was equally grim as she shot a glaring look at Zoe's mother.
Zoe's mother was also entirely bewildered by her daughter's behavior at this point.
It was Zara's engagement-why on earth did she have to stir up trouble?
She managed to steal Preston, so why wasn't she the one getting engaged to him? Yet, infuriatingly, her daughter didn't even actually like Preston.
How was the Zeller family supposed to view her now?
Zoe's father shot his wife a venomous glare. "Look at the fine daughter you raised!"
They had their own pride to maintain. They were already taking advantage of the Zeller family's wealth, even if they secretly claimed Zachary had forcibly claimed his mother.
But the truth was, Zachary had initially just stepped up to care for his fallen comrade's wife and child.
Changing their surname to Zeller had actually been an act of turning their backs on their roots.
To better integrate into the Zeller household, his mother had insisted on changing the children's last names.
In reality, Zachary had never intended for him to change his surname in the first place.
Zoe's mother argued back defensively. "How is this my doing?"
"Didn't your mother teach her this?"
Her daughter spent the most time with her mother-in-law. The daughter-in-law was well aware of exactly what kind of manipulative tactics the older woman had used to secure her position.
She honestly found her mother-in-law despicable.
But she also knew that she and her husband were beneficiaries of that manipulation, so she had no right to point fingers.
Still, her daughter had been entirely raised by that woman, and God only knew what toxic ideologies she had brainwashed her with.
The
Though Zoe's mother muttered her complaint quietly, her husband still caught it.
Zoe's father's expression darkened. Even knowing his mother was undoubtedly to blame, he couldn't accept it.
He would never dare criticize his own flesh and blood.
In his eyes, his mother had suffered the most!
After his father died, his mother had raised him all by herself.
She had only surrendered herself to Zachary for his sake.
She just didn't want Zoe to lose out to the biological Zeller kids; that was why she acted this way.
Zoe's father sighed heavily. "When this is over, go apologize to Zara's mother."
Zoe's mother bristled. "Why should I apologize?"
"Apologizing just makes us look incredibly guilty."
Their family indeed relied on
Zachary for everything they had, but
since the old lady had married into
the family, they were all siblings
now. They should
be treated
differently, right?
FindNovel.net
Zoe hadn't intentionally seduced Preston; wasn't it Preston who just couldn't stay away from her?
She had already rejected Preston for Zara's sake.
What more did they want from her?
With a mindset like that, Zoe's mother clearly wasn't the most rational person in the
room.
It was no wonder Zoe had turned out so terribly.
Zara's mother certainly didn't care for an apology from Zoe's mother anyway.
Ms. Zeller was reaching her breaking point; she wanted nothing more than to physically throw the toxic couple out the door.
Fortunately, her husband held her back.
"If you kick them out, people will just think we're overreacting and ganging up to bully the old man's step-family."
Zara's father remained highly logical.
"She deliberately dressed like this steal my daughter's spotlight and bring bad luck to our event. And lin. not allowed to put her in her place?""