Her words masterfully painted Liliana as the villain.
Everyone in Crownport knew Isabella had recently been widowed and was struggling to raise a three-year-old on her own. And that she suffered from depression.
The tide of opinion in the room turned swiftly. Hostile glares were directed at Liliana, and whispers of condemnation began to circulate.
"Miss Hart, you're taking this too far. It's one thing to be jealous, but to be jealous of your fiancé's sister? That's just petty."
"Exactly. Poor Isabella has been through so much. Imagine having a shrew like Liliana for a sister-in-law. Life would be a nightmare."
"And she hit Mrs. Cooper, an elder! The audacity! You'd think she was already the matriarch of the Cooper family. Utterly disrespectful and ill-mannered!"
Mrs. Hart could not stand by and listen to this.
She stepped in front of Liliana, her eyes flashing with anger as she faced Mrs. Cooper. "Well, the Coopers certainly know how to make a statement. Intimidating your guests at a party. Is this what you call hospitality?"
Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Perhaps it's best if the Hart family sits this one out. And in the future, please refrain from inviting us. It's rather tiresome to arrive in good spirits only to be berated by the hosts."
Like mother, like daughter. Mrs. Hart was not one to back down from a fight.
Just as a daughter couldn't bear to hear her mother insulted, a mother couldn't stand to see her daughter slandered. The two of them stood together, a united front against the hostile crowd, looking for all the world like unwelcome outsiders.
Mrs. Cooper, her face still red and swollen from the slap, shielded Isabella and sneered. "Don't try to use the old man to scare me. I'm not afraid!"
"If you want to leave, then leave! Who do you think you are? Did you really think I wanted to invite you in the first place? If it wasn't for…"

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