A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 182

"Fairfax is on board with teaching her a lesson this time, so she won't be getting out so easily," Xenia added, making Darleen feel even more satisfied.

"It's about time he did something," Darleen grumbled. "If he'd let her suffer a bit earlier, none of this would have happened."

Her thoughts drifted to the Seabrooks. "I wonder if Harriet will make it through this crisis."

The situation in Yoran Country sounded serious. Darleen hoped she could handle it because the Yelchins certainly weren't going to bail her out if she was facing massive penalties for breach of contract.

"Don't worry about Harriet," Xenia said confidently. "She's seen it all over the years. She'll find a way to fix it."

Darleen didn't reply. In her opinion, Harriet's only real asset was her pretty face, which was how she'd landed all those projects in the first place. People were just too intimidated to say it before. If she really fell from grace this time, there would be no shortage of people ready to sling mud at her.

"Call your contacts again," Darleen said, her focus snapping back to Starla. The Seabrooks' potential collapse was a headache for another day. Right now, all she wanted was for Starla to be taught a lesson. "Make sure that bitch suffers."

"I'll call them right now," Xenia said, picking up her phone.

But just as she was about to dial, Darleen stopped her. "Hold on. You can deal with her this afternoon. First, I want you to take some lunch to Herbert."

Still, the thought of Herbert constantly siding with Starla made her anxious. “Do you think he’s trying to get her out right now?” she asked, a note of panic in her voice.

“That’s exactly why you need to go and poison his mind against her,” Darleen said slyly. “With her out of the picture, you can say whatever you want. If you can change his opinion of her, that will be your victory.”

Xenia hated the idea of stooping to Starla’s level, but her mother’s words about this being her best chance began to resonate. She hesitated for a moment, then her resolve hardened.

“Fine,” she declared. “I’ll go right now.”