Tiffany thought her daughter was being completely unreasonable.
Yolande, remembering what Seb had warned her about, glared at her mother. "Mom, are you seriously trying to force me into a blind date just to get the Byron family enough leverage to bail Leon out of jail?"
Tiffany's face darkened. She did desperately need her daughter's help to save Leon.
But she also genuinely wanted Yolande to live well.
"What nonsense are you spouting? I'm doing this for your own good."
"I want you to have a good life, not end up struggling like me."
Tiffany used to think marrying Owen Churchill was her life's greatest stroke of luck.
But after realizing he held zero real power within the Churchill family and had absolutely no say in The Churchill Group, her disappointment had festered into bitter resentment.
That was why she constantly tried to curry favor with the main branch.
In her mind, marrying either of the older Churchill brothers would have been
infinitely better than being stuck with Owen Churchill.
"Mom, do you even hear yourself?" Yolande thought her father was a great man. Sure, he wasn't incredibly ambitious, but he had always provided for them.
Her mother might not have had the immense wealth of Victoria or Eleanor, but she still carried the Churchill name, earning plenty of respect and envy in public.
She had all the designer clothes and diamonds she could ever want.
What kind of twisted logic made her think her life was a tragedy?
"What did I say that was wrong?"
"Your father has zero ambition! He takes a flat salary at the company, and Padgett controls all the family dividends. What do I actually own?"
"Look at Victoria and Eleanor. Look at the lives they lead!"
Consumed by bitterness, Tiffany completely lost her filter.
"Victoria and Eleanor have good lives because they have their own careers and independence."
Yolande used to try and soothe her mother's insecurities, but today, she was too angry to hold back the brutal truth.
Unsurprisingly, Tiffany completely lost her temper.
"Are you throwing it in my face that I don't have my own career? That I'm worse than them?" Tiffany's eyes turned red with furious tears.
She felt she had sacrificed everything to scheme for her children, only for her daughter to side with outsiders.
Yolande sighed, her shoulders
dropping "Mom, that's not what meant. But if you aren't willing to work for it yourself you have no right to demand the world from Dad."
"At the very least, Dad is protected by the Churchill family He might not give you immense wealth, but hey gives you a highly respe
life."
"If you truly think he's that useless, then divorce him and go find someone better."
Tiffany scowled, appalled that her daughter wasn't unconditionally on her side.
Given the occasion, the public shouting match was drawing stares, and Claire had heard enough.
"Yolande is right. If you think your husband is so inadequate, you are perfectly free to divorce him and chase your own happiness."
"There's no need to use 'what's best for Yolande' as an excuse to force her onto a blind date with some divorced older man."
Just nights ago, Padgett had called Pike and Owen Churchill into the study, dressing them down and issuing a stern warning.
She assumed that would be the end of this matchmaking nonsense.
She hadn't realized Tiffany had so little respect for her own daughter and the Churchill family's authority.
If she actually grasped the depth of Padgett's fury, she would never have brought this up again.
"Excuse me? Watch your tone,"
Tiffany snapped. She usually tried to
Claire but now that
now that
play nice ter were
her pride and her
involved, the gloves were off.
"Claire, I am still your elder. How dare you instigate a divorce between me and my husband?"
Feeling she finally had the moral high ground, Tiffany raised her voice.
The surrounding relatives turned their heads to watch the drama unfold.