Breaking Mr. Cold (Giselle and Donovan) novel Chapter 382

Hearing this, Dorothea's expression hardened, and she said nothing.

As someone who had weathered many storms and once carved out her place in the business world, she was neither blind to Giselle's nature nor gullible enough to believe every rumor.

Her prejudice stemmed mostly from the car accident that injured Zachary and from Giselle's blatant interference in Donovan's engagement to Anne.

With such a history, even a broad-minded woman like Dorothea couldn't accept her as a daughter-in-law with ease. Yet, after everything that had happened recently, her resistance was no longer as fierce as before.

"Donovan isn't young, and he's no fool," Dorothea said firmly. "If he wants to be with a woman like her, let him. If anything goes wrong, it's on him."

"Mom, what do you mean by that?" Grace protested. "Are you really going to compromise? Are you admitting their marriage is valid? Are you just going to let that woman wreak havoc in this house?"

Dorothea let out a weary sigh. "Whether I admit it or not, they are already married. Do you expect me to force Donovan into a divorce? Constant fighting solves nothing."

Ethan nodded in agreement. "Exactly. They already have the marriage certificate. No matter how much we protest, it won't change a thing.

"Once Don makes up his mind, no one can change it. If we push him too hard, he might really cut ties with the family, and then we would be the laughingstock. For a woman like her, it's not worth it.

"Mom, are you saying you're giving in?" Grace asked anxiously. "Are you letting that little witch run the house? You're alive and well, yet you can't even stop her. When you're gone, will Zachary and I have to live at her mercy?"

"Don't make it sound so extreme," Dorothea replied firmly. "I'm mostly thinking about the Kane family's small size. Now that Don is married to her, it isn't entirely a bad thing. As long as she has children soon and continues the family line, I can give her some leeway and judge her by her actions going forward."

Now that Dorothea had partially yielded, Grace felt her anger spike. Her mention of continuing the family line brought back painful memories of Grace's own loss.

Over ten years ago, she and Ethan had lost their eldest daughter in a tragic accident. Grace had been badly injured in the same incident and had her uterus removed, leaving her unable to have more children. Zachary was now their only remaining heir.