Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana) novel Chapter 672

Kendra paid no attention to what Earl was thinking.

Her gaze remained fixed on Irene—the daughter she had raised for over twenty years, once gentle and kind, now a stranger before her eyes. Under that piercing stare, Irene's heart pounded uneasily. The innocence and grievance that had colored her face moments earlier slowly drained away, leaving behind a pallor so stark she didn’t even recognize it in herself.

Kendra watched her in silence.

Then, she spoke.

"Do you even know what shame is?"

Irene’s face froze instantly.

Earl blinked in surprise, glancing between his daughter and his wife before cautiously attempting to smooth things over. "Kendra, is there some misunderstanding between you two? I know Irene’s character—she wouldn’t do anything too outrageous." He forced a conciliatory smile, assuming Kendra’s harsh words were just the result of momentary anger.

Still, he couldn’t help but wonder—what on earth had Irene done to provoke her mother like this?

Nathan kept his head bowed, silent.

His body trembled faintly.

Not a single word dared escape him now. Had he been their biological son, perhaps he wouldn’t feel such overwhelming hesitation. But he wasn’t. So not only did he refrain from speaking, he did everything he could to shrink into the background—terrified that his adoptive mother might turn her fury on him next.

As for Irene...

By now, she had a sinking feeling her mother knew. Knew everything.

Her heart instantly turned ice-cold.

Irene raised her tear-streaked face, looking at her mother with pleading eyes. "Mom... I didn’t, I really didn’t. How could you not believe your own daughter? Dad, please, you have to believe me, too. I swear I didn’t do it. Please..." Her voice broke into sobs.

Watching his daughter weep uncontrollably, Earl’s brows furrowed deeply. He couldn’t help but glance at Kendra, about to speak up in Irene’s defense—only to freeze under his wife’s icy glare, his words dying in his throat.

Kendra turned her cold gaze back to Irene. "You think I’m wronging you? That you’re innocent? Then why did the Stone family cancel their contract with us?" Her voice was sharp as a blade. "Nathan, you’ve disappointed me, too. I never expected you to indulge Irene in her recklessness. Clearly, you’re unfit for your role as vice president. The board is already aware of this. Tomorrow, you’ll resign."

Her words were final, leaving no room for argument.

Nathan’s head snapped up, his face pale as he stared at his adoptive mother. His lips parted, desperate to plead for mercy, but no words came. All he knew was that he was ruined.

If he lost his position as vice president, getting back into Harper Corporation would be next to impossible. Fear and regret twisted inside him—he should never have helped Irene in the first place!

She was their biological daughter. He wasn’t.

When things went wrong, she could walk away unscathed. But him? He was left holding the bag. The injustice burned in his chest, but all he could do was stammer, "M-Mom, I... I was wrong. I know I messed up. Please, just give me one more chance. I’m begging you."

Irene, seeing her mother’s unrelenting coldness, suddenly found a surge of defiance. Her voice trembled with fury as she lashed out, "You don’t know anything! You’re condemning me and Nathan without even listening to us! What kind of mother does that make you? All you care about is the company—when have you ever cared about me? I’m your own daughter, and instead of hearing me out, you take some stranger’s word over mine! You’re hurt? Well, guess what? I’m hurting even more!"

This version of Irene—fierce, raw, and unyielding—was something no one had ever seen before.

Finally, it was Earl who broke the suffocating silence. Clearing his throat, he said, "Enough, Kendra. This isn’t the time to be angry with Irene. The real question is—how do we handle this?"

Irene instinctively looked up at Kendra, her heart fluttering with nervous anticipation.

Earl's implication was crystal clear—given how far things had escalated, the only solution left was for them to marry. She suspected the Stone family was thinking along the same lines. Otherwise, the awkwardness between the Harper and Stone families would make future interactions impossible.

Kendra's expression was frosty as she met the gazes of Earl and Irene. Her voice was eerily calm when she finally spoke: "Go abroad."

Irene froze, as though she hadn't heard correctly. "What did you say, Mom?" she asked urgently, her voice trembling.

"Go abroad," Kendra repeated.

Irene's eyes instantly welled up with tears. Biting her lip in disbelief, she choked out, "You want me to leave the country? If I run away now, everyone will think I'm guilty! How could I ever show my face here again? What on earth are you thinking, Mom?" Countless scenarios had played out in Irene's mind, but exile had never crossed them.

In her worst-case scenario, she'd imagined her mother's fury—but ultimately, she'd believed Kendra would still clean up the mess for her. After all, she was her daughter. Besides, for the sake of the Harper family, there was no other choice.

Never had she expected banishment.

Kendra's gaze was glacial. "Then what do you propose? This mess is entirely of your own making. Did you expect to force him to divorce? Irene, Lambert's wife, is eight months pregnant with his *fourth* baby." The words hung in the air like a slap, stripping away all pretense. Irene's cheeks burned with shame.

Yet defiance still simmered within her.