A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 673

Garret approached Starla respectfully. "Miss, they want to see you."

"No," Starla replied indifferently. "I have nothing to do with them. The person they need to settle scores with is Darleen."

She had orchestrated this entire spectacle at the estate specifically to exact her revenge on her ex-mother-in-law. Any grievances the extended family had should be directed entirely at her.

Garret nodded. "Understood." He turned to leave.

Tanya glanced at her. "They're probably going to tear her apart now."

"Let them."

That was exactly the outcome she wanted. Why agitate the Yelchin cadet branches? To muddy the waters and turn the entire situation into a chaotic frenzy. And the source of all that frenzy pointed straight back to Darleen. By stirring the pot, Starla had effectively painted a massive target on Darleen's back.

"I really should tell Herbert he has absolutely nothing to worry about regarding you and Fairfax reconciling," Tanya mused.

Reconcile? After this? It would take a literal miracle.

Starla shot her a sidelong glance but said nothing.

"Herbert is genuinely worried, you know," Tanya continued. "Darian has been hounding me constantly these past few days. It's because of Herbert's paranoia that I'm stuck here keeping you company."

"If you ask me, forget about whether you want to reconcile—Fairfax definitely won't want to either! When he first found out the truth, he might have felt some guilt. But now? That guilt is completely gone."

At the start, Fairfax likely felt remorse toward Starla. But now, it had been obliterated. Even if a shred of guilt remained, it wasn't enough to reignite any romantic feelings. Right now, he probably wanted this all to end even more desperately than she did.

"Good," Starla said coldly. "There shouldn't be anything between us anyway."

...

Over at the Yelchin Group headquarters.

Fairfax answered his phone to the sound of Xenia sobbing uncontrollably. It took him nearly five minutes to parse together the chaotic situation at the estate.

His expression darkened instantly. "Where is Starla?" he demanded, his voice freezing cold.

"The aunts couldn't get to her, so they took all their anger out on Mom," Xenia sobbed. "We really can't live like this anymore."

She cried even harder. Life had been agonizing enough with Starla torturing them at the estate, but now the extended relatives were piling on. For years, the main branch had controlled the Yelchin Group without a peep of dissent from the others. But the moment the company faced a crisis, the relatives turned on them like a pack of rabid dogs.

"When will this issue with her be resolved?" Xenia pleaded desperately. "Do Mom and I really have to die by her hands for this to end?"