Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3499

3499 /3500

The woman called out to a maid, who quickly brought over a tray of tea, pastries, and fresh fruit.

Leaning back against the pillar, Marina listened to the voices drifting over the water. It sounded like Bethany Foster, Jonathan's mother; Diana Foster, Carson's third aunt; and the wives of a few other cousins.

When women like them gathered, it was always the same routine: critiquing each other's outfits, bragging about their husbands and children, and inevitably, diving headfirst into the latest gossip.

Marina was half-asleep listening to their mindless chatter when she suddenly heard Diana ask, "Why didn't we see Kai at the gathering today?"

Marina's eyes snapped open, and she tilted her head slightly toward the voices.

Bethany scoffed loudly. "I heard Carson explicitly banned him from the main estate!"

Another woman chimed in, "Poor Kai. Targeted at every turn by Carson, and unable to hold his head high for his entire life just because of his birth!"

Diana let out a sharp, mocking sneer. "Carson is exactly like his mother. He looks perfectly gentle on the outside, but underneath, he's absolutely ruthless. Neither of them are saints!"

"Barton only neglects them because he finally saw through their true colors!" Bethany's tone was dripping with pure venom. She had always been insanely jealous of how much the family favored the second branch, despising the fact that Miranda—who rarely even left the house—was still held in higher regard than her. "But that woman Barton keeps on the outside is totally useless too. Why doesn't she just convince him to divorce Miranda and marry her properly? If she did that, she and her son wouldn't have to live with people pointing fingers at their spines!"

Marina's face went pale with absolute fury. She stood up, marched straight onto the wooden bridge, and delivered her words like shards of ice.

"Aunt Diana, since you're bursting with so much kindness, why don't you invite the mistress your husband is keeping outside to move into your house? You two can live together like sisters, and I'll even have a plaque custom-made for you that says 'World's Greatest Saint'!"

She then turned her crosshairs on Bethany. "And Aunt Bethany, you talk so much about mistresses taking over that it really makes me wonder if that's exactly how you secured your position as the official wife? Please, don't keep such valuable experience a secret! You should write a book and pass it down to your daughter as a family heirloom. Make sure your grandchildren read it so they know just how incredibly ruthless their grandmother was back in the day!"

The women were completely stunned, their faces flashing between violent shades of red and pale green. They were used to being arrogant and untouchable; being publicly humiliated by someone from the younger generation was unthinkable. Yet there they stood, mouths hanging open, their faces burning bright red, entirely speechless.

After all, they had been caught red-handed gossiping behind people's backs. If this blew up into a real scandal, they would be the ones utterly humiliated!