Watching You Burn In Regret novel Chapter 167

Swain had clearly rejected her gesture of goodwill.

Carla pressed her lips together, her expression wounded, though her eyes were icy cold.

Truth be told, stepping forward was little more than a performance—her usual act to maintain the image of a well-mannered, considerate daughter in public.

If Swain accepted the olive branch, all the better. If not, she lost nothing.

In reality, resentment toward Swain had long festered in her heart.

Not just Swain, either—the entire Bradley family repulsed her on a fundamental level.

She even blamed her recent loss in the competition on their presence, convinced they'd disrupted her state of mind.

If it weren't for them—not one or two, but all failing to show up for her performance—would she really have done so poorly? Would she have left empty-handed, without even a consolation prize?

Of course not!

They all insisted they didn't care about Seren, yet every single one of them bent over backward for her, acting as if Carla didn't exist.

Zena and Thurman hadn't even bothered to show up at the venue.

Slater couldn't be bothered either—on the first day, he sent his assistant as a stand-in, and by the second day, he didn't appear at all.

At most, he'd offer her a few hollow, insincere words once the competition ended. But who couldn't manage a few polite platitudes?

And Swain? He was the worst of all. He'd been in Riverbend City both days, yet hadn't shown up to support her even once.

So now, as Swain stood there being berated by Zena and still refused to back down, Carla was more than content to sit back and watch the show.

Within Rutledge Group, Thurman's role was mostly ceremonial—hosting dinners, traveling for business, rarely at home and seldom at the office.

All the company's internal affairs fell squarely on Zena's shoulders.

Swain now held the second-highest position at Rutledge Group, just beneath Zena—an executive through and through.

Initially, Zena had hoped that giving Swain such authority would rein him in, force him to toe the line.

But nothing had gone as she'd hoped.

Once, he'd admired Zena deeply, so much so that even when she was clearly in the wrong, he didn't dare utter a word.

Lately, though, resentment toward her was barely there.

If he'd been colder toward Zena in the last few days, it was partly because he knew, clear as day, that the rift with Seren was mostly Zena's fault—even if, as her son, he felt it wasn't his place to say so.

Partly, too, it was because he'd bottled up all his emotions, with nowhere to vent his sadness or frustration.

He'd barely shown a hint of dissatisfaction, but that was enough for the whole family—Slater included—to turn on him, criticizing his every move.

So, for the past few days, everything he did was out of pure stubbornness.

He was sulking, not just with Zena, but with the whole family.

In Swain's mind, when a child acts out, most parents would at least try to understand, to comfort them gently.

But Zena wasn't like most parents. Just as she'd once done with Seren, she met his rebellion not with kindness, but with cold discipline.