Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana) novel Chapter 559

559 /671

Cedric's tone dripped with sarcasm, his icy gaze and expression instantly darkening Rina's face.

"You have no right to blame me!" she snapped, her voice trembling with anger. "How could I possibly control what he overheard? I had no idea!"

Those words had merely been idle gossip among the ladies during their afternoon tea—harmless chatter to pass the time.

She never imagined her son would hear them, let alone take them to heart.

Cedric's expression turned glacial. "The point isn't whether Joshua heard them."

Rina paled again.

His eyes bore into her, devoid of emotion. "Do you honestly think the Stone family is unaware of what you've been saying? Have you considered what would happen if someone repeated those words to Ariana—and named you as the source? How would you handle that? Do you really believe the Thomas family has the power to stand against the Stone family? Or even if they could, do you think they'd risk offending the Stone family just for your sake?"

Rina flushed crimson, humiliation burning through her. Never had she seen Cedric so ruthless, his words stripping her bare without a shred of mercy. A wave of bitter resentment surged within her. "I wasn't the only one who said those things!" she protested through gritted teeth.

Cedric's voice was steel. "What others do is none of my concern. But you—you'd better watch your tongue from now on. I won't let petty gossip from you cause trouble between the Stone and Castro families." With that, he turned sharply and strode away.

This time, Cedric was truly furious.

The reason he held such significant power as vice president of the Castro Corporation, despite not being Damon's biological brother, was his lifelong caution. He never involved himself in matters that didn't concern him.

This situation was no exception.

Rina might think he was overreacting, but she was wrong. As a man himself, he could see it clearly—Lambert, the Stone family's heir apparent, genuinely adored his wife, Ariana. This wasn't some superficial affection. A man that devoted would never tolerate anyone daring to slander her.

As for why the Stone family hadn't addressed those rumors before, that was none of his concern.

Whether the Stone family chose to respond to those baseless rumors or not, his wife—the lady of the Castro family—should never have gotten involved. Not even a single careless remark should have slipped out.

The relationship between the Stone and Castro families was already delicate enough. The slightest misstep could be exploited to drive a wedge between them. And if things escalated because of this, Cedric's entire branch of the family would be branded as traitors. His future could very well come to an abrupt end.

That was something he absolutely could not allow—

As for Rina, she watched her husband's cold retreating figure, her eyes welling up with hurt. Then, in a burst of frustration, she swept all her cosmetics onto the floor before collapsing against the vanity, sobbing.

...

Though it might have seemed like a trivial matter, Cedric went straight to the main Castro family residence to discuss the incident with his eldest cousin.

Since Damon hadn't returned yet, it was Fanny who received him.

Truth be told, Fanny was exactly the person Cedric had come to see. Though he had used meeting Damon as an excuse, his real intention was to explain things to his sister-in-law. He knew Fanny was very close friends with Ariana—otherwise, Ariana wouldn’t have bothered attending Fanny and Damon’s wedding.

Just from their expressions alone, it was clear the two women shared a deep bond. So, being shrewd, Cedric decided Fanny would be the perfect intermediary.

Fanny smiled warmly at him, blinking playfully. "Oh? Here to see Damon? He’s not back yet—you’ll have to wait a bit."