The Queen's Back

Jeremy's

biological child-Barbara was.

After everything settled down, Mona returned to her room, determined to show her grandparents Barbara and Beatrice's true colors. She knew they wouldn't believe her if she just confronted them, so she needed solid evidence. First, she had to prove that she wasn't She planned to expose Jeremy's affair to ensure her grandfather wouldn't leave the Clem Group to him. Mona didn't really care who inherited the company, but she couldn't stand the thought of bad people living comfortably after all the terrible things they'd done-they deserved to pay for it. After resting for a while, Mona went over to Barbara's room. She could hear Barbara on the phone, her voice laced with fake sobs as she said, "Teddy..." Mona recognized that tone instantly-Barbara was up to her usual game of playing the victim. Mona knocked on the door and called out, "Barbara, are you in there? I need to talk to you." Barbara quickly ended her call and replied, "Yeah, I'm here. Come in, Mona."

Soon,

Barbara opened the door, Mona immediately noticed her puffy, tear-streaked eyes. "Hey, Barbara, mind if I come in to fix my hair? I can't find my wooden comb anywhere." Barbara, especially after being involved with Mona's fiancé, had no choice but to let her in. Mona casually walked into Barbara's room, and while pretending to fix her hair in front of the mirror, she quickly bent down and picked up two strands of Barbara's hair from the floor, holding them tightly in her hand. With what she needed now in hand, Mona let out a sigh of relief. Barbara generously offered her comb to Mona, who accepted it with a smile and left the room. As Mona's graceful figure disappeared down the hall, Barbara's eyes narrowed with spite. She had just checked her computer and was baffled about how the video got leaked, but she was certain Mona was behind it. Barbara felt that Mona was to blame for her humiliation. Teddy had called earlier to lay the blame on Barbara, but she quickly turned it around, telling him Mona and Maxwell had plotted to embarrass him at the engagement party, Barbara wasn't sure if Teddy would buy it, but she figured it was worth a

try.

Just thinking about how Maxwell, who was so stunning, was now engaged to Mona made Barbara seethe with jealousy. A man like that should have been swept off her feet instead.

Back in her room, Mona tossed the comb into the trash and carefully stored Barbara's hair. Now she needed a sample from Jeremy. Getting into his room wouldn't be easy-since her mom's accident, her relationship with Jeremy had soured, and she hadn't been in his room for ages. Mona decided to ask Polly to help her out while cleaning the room.

The next morning, Mona woke up to find her engagement party all over social media. Despite the Clem and Powers families trying to keep things quiet, there were too many reporters and high-profile guests from Nathontown yesterday. There was no way to keep a lid

it.

Mona scrolled through the comments-most were blasting Barbara for being so shameless, h**g up with her cousin's fiancé. Many felt Mona's slap wasn't nearly enough. Teddy was getting trashed as a **ag, and of course, Maxwell was getting tons of praise for his looks. Mona hoped the scandal would keep growing. If Barbara cared so much about her reputation, Mona was determined to ruin it completely.

After freshening up and heading downstairs, Mona saw movers bringing in box after box. The lead mover kept shouting, "Watch it! If you break anything, you'll owe more than you can pay-even if we have to sell you to cover it."

Curious, Mona looked around and saw Maxwell lounging casually on the living room sofa. Her entire family was there, including Jeremy, who usually left for work early.

Jane waved Mona over as she came down, signaling her to join them. Mona walked over with a smile and took a seat next to Maxwell. Being so close to him made her a bit breathless. Their legs were almost touching, and every time his pants brushed

13.10

against her leg, she felt a strange tingle that made her heart raceAll text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

"Look, Mona, these are all gifts from Maxwell for you. I've kept them safe for you," Jane said, her eyes twinkling with approval as she glanced at Maxwell.

Even though they were already engaged, Maxwell's thoughtful gesture of bringing the gifts today was a sign of respect. The gifts were not only valuable but also showed how much more the Carter family valued Mona compared to the Powers. Mona blushed, making Jane's smile grow even wider.

Meanwhile, Barbara looked on with envy at the sight of those gifts. She never expected Maxwell to be interested in Mona, let alone shower her with such extravagant gifts.

After a while, Jeremy got up and said he had work to do at the company. Bernard and Jane didn't object-someone had to keep things running smoothly.

Just as Jeremy stood up, Mona spotted a strand of hair on his blue suit. She quickly got up too, pretending to smooth out his clothes while discreetly pinching the hair. "Dad, your suit's a bit wrinkled. Let me fix it for you," she said with a sweet smile, acting like the perfect daughter. "Thanks, sweetheart. I'll head out now," Jeremy said with a strained smile. No matter how well Mona behaved, she wasn't his real daughter-just some child from who-knows-where. He had to focus on his actual kids.

Mona waved goodbye with a big smile, even reminding Jeremy to get some rest. Bernard and Jane were impressed by how thoughtful Mona was and felt she had really matured. While they focused on her words, only Maxwell noticed her subtly grabbing the strand of hair from Jeremy's suit. After sitting for a while, Mona said she needed to change clothes before going to the Carter family's home. In reality, she was already dressed for the occasion. She just needed to safely store Jeremy's hair and find time to get the DNA test done.

When Mona came back downstairs, Maxwell was already waiting at the bottom of the stairs. As soon as she reached him, he grabbed her hand so quickly that she barely had time to react. His big hand wrapped around hers, warm and a little rough. The texture of his skin gave her a tingling feeling up her arm, making her heart race. 2/2