The Best Revenge It Wasn't Even Your Child novel Chapter 679

"Hah." Geoffrey's smile suddenly turned ice-cold. "Do you think I don't know exactly what you're plotting?"

Adela grabbed two ice packs from an assistant and gently pressed them against the back of his hand.

"If that's what you think, there's nothing I can do about it. All I meant was that we need to trick her into coming home first. Once she's back, we're the ones calling the shots on how to deal with her, aren't we?"

Geoffrey stared at her, his gaze a mix of scrutiny and suspicion.

Adela's expression remained perfectly neutral, letting him search her face all he wanted.

"It's not like the Lee family's wealth is going to end up in my hands. If I try to help, you accuse me of having ulterior motives. But if I stay out of it, you complain about that, too."

He scoffed. "You're saying you don't have a personal agenda?"

Her face went pale. "If I were only in this for myself, I wouldn't have stood by you all these years. If you don't trust me, then just forget it."

With that, she grabbed her purse and stormed out.

Geoffrey stood in silence for a few seconds before following her. "Fine. We'll do it your way. I'm leaving it up to you to convince her to come back."

Adela's steps faltered for a fraction of a second before returning to normal. "If you don't trust me, why hand the task over to me so grudgingly?"

"Getting to where I am today meant constantly walking on thin ice. Paranoia is just an instinct for me at this point. We're a family—you only thrive if I thrive. You know that perfectly well, which is why I know you won't do anything stupid."

By 'doing anything stupid,' he meant not following his orders or listening to his exact instructions.

Adela gave a stiff smile but didn't say another word.

Once in the car, she pulled out her phone, carefully crafting a text to send to Catherine.

That night, Catherine tossed and turned, unable to sleep after reading the message.

[Catherine, it's Mom. Over the years, I've missed you just as much as Latonia misses Lorinda. You're my own flesh and blood, how could I not care about you? Back then, your father sent you away without my permission. For years, the guilt has weighed on me like a boulder, suffocating me. Please, just give me one chance. Let's sit down and talk, just the two of us. Okay?]

Catherine was the kind of person who talked tough but had a soft heart.

She wasn't afraid of the Lee family hurting her again, but seeing them suddenly act so soft and remorseful made her feel unsettled.

Still, as softhearted as she was, she wasn't completely naive; she didn't believe a word of it.