Regina Quincy-Wade was truly a fascinating woman.
Her perspective on marriage was entirely unconventional.
Agatha Churchill immediately clamped her mouth shut the moment Claire and Dane walked into the room.
Still, she shot a fierce glare at her daughter.
She hadn't missed the way Claire was clearly biting back a smile.
At her age, being scolded to her face by a younger generation was bad enough, but being openly mocked by them? It was humiliating.
Regina offered a sheepish chuckle, though she didn't mind Claire's amusement at all.
Let the girl laugh; it wasn't going to hurt anything.
After all, she was the one reaping the very real benefits of her lifestyle.
How could Larkin Wade's expanding waistline ever compare to a young man's chiseled abs?
Not to mention, Larkin's stamina in the bedroom had taken a steep nosedive after he hit thirty-five.
Meanwhile, a woman in her prime had needs that demanded to be met.
So, when she caught Larkin cheating the first time, she had been angry. But by the
second and third time, she found herself secretly celebrating.
If Larkin couldn't uphold his wedding vows, why on earth should she?
Wasn't it better to just embrace her own freedom?
Reading the expression on Regina's face, Claire knew exactly what was going through her mind.
She couldn't help but give Regina a mental thumbs-up.
What a legend—truly a role model for the modern woman!
Of course, not everyone could accept an open marriage like hers.
But there came a point in life where letting go of others and oneself was the only way to find peace.
Those who stubbornly clung to dead ideals only made themselves miserable.
"Claire, you're back. What about Yolande? How is she?"
Ophelia quickly changed the subject, terrified that Agatha might start picking on Claire again.
It was true; Yolande was the one who had suffered the most today.
All eyes turned to Claire, desperate for an update on Yolande.
Anyone would be devastated if their own mother tried to sell them off; they just
hoped the girl wouldn't do anything reckless.
"Yolande and Seb headed home together,"
Claire answered honestly.
Ophelia exhaled a sigh of relief. "If they left together, she should be fine."
"Yeah, Seb is more reliable than most adults."
"They're both great kids. It's just a shame they got stuck with such a terrible mother."
The room filled with a chorus of sympathetic murmurs.
Agatha didn't mince words, directing her ire straight at Owen Churchilk "Owen what exactly is going through your head? How much longer are
you going to put up with tha
manipulative woman?"
"She's been siphoning off the Churchill family's resources to line the pockets of the
Byron family, and you just let her?"
Agatha was perfectly fine taking
advantage of her maiden family herself but the moment someone else tried to exploit the Churchills, she
was livid.
Pike found himself on the receiving end of his older sister's furious scolding.
She had just been insulted by his daughter-in-law, and she was determined to get even!
Pike felt a wave of bitter frustration, though he kept his mouth shut.
The rest of the Churchill family wanted absolutely nothing to do with this mess.
After all, many of them had warned that Tiffany wasn't a good match, but Owen Churchill had stubbornly insisted on marrying her.
Whatever disaster she caused now was entirely on Owen's shoulders.
It all came down to how he decided to handle it.
Pike glared at his son. "This is the wonderful wife you were so desperate to marry!"
Owen Churchill?
He thought about Padgett's strict warning. Combined with his own previous ultimatums that Tiffany had completely ignored, what affection remained in their marriage had finally been snuffed out.
"Dad, I'll take care of it."
No one asked how he planned to do that; they couldn't make his decisions for him.
But Padgett had made it clear: if this wasn't resolved, both Tiffany and Owen
Churchill would be ousted from The Churchill Group.
And Pike's shares wouldn't go to Owen either; they would bypass him entirely and go straight to Yolande and Seb.