Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana) novel Chapter 520

Gwen remained silent.

Aster took her silence as acquiescence to the warning and felt somewhat pleased with her compliance. Without further delay, she led Gwen inside.

To be honest, the old lady had been slightly displeased when Aster mentioned that Gwen might still be lazing in bed. But considering her mother-in-law was present, any embarrassment would reflect poorly on her own family, so she held her tongue. However, when Gwen walked in wearing rather inappropriate attire, the old lady’s barely smoothed brows furrowed again.

Gwen wore a woolen sweater beneath a trench coat—a perfectly acceptable outfit for the outdoors. But in the Stone family’s perpetually spring-like warmth, it seemed slightly out of place.

The old lady’s expression darkened.

Aster quickly intervened, explaining, "Mother, dear in-law, Gwen has been fighting a cold lately, so she’s bundled up a bit more."

Hearing it was due to illness, the old lady gave a slight nod, her expression softening marginally.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Castro narrowed her eyes. Slowly rising from her seat, she approached Gwen with a smile, only to abruptly seize her arm. Startled, Aster hastily stepped between them. "Dear in-law, what are you doing?"

Mrs. Castro replied coolly, "Nothing at all."

And with that, she continued her motion without hesitation.

Aster couldn't stop them in time. She watched helplessly as Gwen let out a pained cry while Mrs. Castro squinted and made her remove her trench coat, rolling up the sleeves.

Aster's face instantly turned pale.

The old lady seemed to finally grasp what was happening, her expression gradually hardening.

Then, with a composed tone, she asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

Mrs. Castro pressed her lips together, saying nothing at first. She lowered Gwen's arm and turned to the old lady. "Auntie, the reason I came today is because of this. A couple of days ago, Fanny went shopping and invited Gwen along, thinking it would be a good chance for sisters-in-laws to bond. But then she accidentally bumped into Gwen's arm, only to realize it was severely burned. After pressing for answers, Fanny finally learned what had happened and told me. I didn't believe it at first, but now that I've seen it for myself..."

The old lady's face darkened further.

Earlier, she had sensed the tension in the air but dismissed it as something minor.

After all, Mrs. Castro had been perfectly polite, and Aster had seemed well-behaved these past few days. But now, if she still didn’t understand, she might as well have never held her position as the family matriarch.

She fell silent for a few seconds.

Then, shifting her gaze to Aster, whose face had gone slightly ashen, she demanded, "What exactly is going on here?"

Aster forced an awkward smile. "There must be some misunderstanding, dear in-law..."

Mrs. Castro scoffed. "A misunderstanding?"

Gwen shrank back under her mother-in-law’s withering gaze, retreating a few steps before timidly hiding behind Mrs. Castro. To any outsider, it was painfully clear who the bully was in this household.

The old matriarch’s expression darkened.

Before her second daughter-in-law could utter another word, the elderly woman cut in sharply, "Enough—" She then turned to Mrs. Castro and said, "I was unaware of this matter. Gwen has indeed been wronged this time. This is our Stone family’s fault."

Mrs. Castro maintained a respectful tone toward the elder. "Auntie, please don’t say that. I may have spoken too harshly earlier—I hope you won’t take it to heart."

Old Mrs. Stone shook her head slowly.

She knew perfectly well that her niece wasn't standing up for this so-called illegitimate child out of familial concern—if anything, the girl disgusted her. Had her second daughter-in-law not gone too far, she wouldn't have intervened at all. After all, Gwen represented the Castro family's reputation. Unfavored as she might be at home, she was still a daughter of the Castro Family.

After a prolonged silence, the elderly woman lifted her gaze gradually and looked at Gwen. "Gwen," she called softly.

Gwen approached cautiously, her voice tinged with guilt, "Grandmother."

The old woman sighed deeply. "I had no idea your mother-in-law would take her frustrations about the child out on you. It was my oversight—a child not of one's own blood can never truly belong. What are your thoughts on today's matter? If you wish to divorce Finley over this, you have my full support."

Aster's face instantly drained of color. "Mother—" she interjected urgently.

The matriarch shot her a glacial glare that silenced her instantly.