The Queen's Back (Mona and Maxwell) novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5
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Mona didn’t take Teddy’s hand. Instead, she looked at him like he was a total idiot, her eyes cold and distant. For a moment, Teddy was completely confused.
Just as Teddy was about to push for her to take his hand, Mona took a step back, covering her mouth as if in shock. “Teddy… you… you…” Before Mona could even finish her sentence, Teddy started hearing whispers from the guests.
“The Powers family was already out of their league with the Clems, and now there’s a cheating scandal? Do they even want this engagement?”
“Exactly! And to cheat with his fiancée’s cousin? That’s outrageous!”
“Is Ms. Clem still going through with the engagement today? If so, I’m free. At least I wouldn’t cheat!”
“Look at that-they’re even in school uniforms. How much worse can this get for Ms. Clem?”
Teddy stood frozen, staring at the giant screen that showed pictures of him and Barbara kissing, hugging, and even a video of them in bed. The private parts were blurred, but it was still horrifying.
Panicked, Teddy didn’t even think about how the video got out. All he could do was beg Mona for forgiveness. If she called off the engagement, he’d lose his chance at the Clem Group shares he desperately wanted. He tried to grab Mona’s hand, but she pulled away, yelling, “Don’t touch me. You make me sick.”
Mona then grabbed Barbara from the crowd. Barbara had tried to sneak away when the video played, but Ava stopped her. Mona slapped Barbara hard across the face, and the loud smack echoed through the banquet hall, drawing everyone’s
attention.
Mona put all her strength into that slap, fueled by anger and the painful memories from her past life. If she could, she’d slap Barbara a few more times just to vent. But no one felt sorry for Barbara. Being the other woman, especially in elite circles, earned her nothing but scorn from the other guests.
Barbara clutched her cheek, stunned. ‘How dare Mona slaps me in public over what happened with Teddy?’ she thought. Mona shoved Barbara into Teddy’s arms, which he caught instinctively.
“If you wanted him, you could’ve just asked. I would’ve handed him over without a fuss. Why sneak around behind my back?” Mona’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, making her look genuinely heartbroken. The guests watched her with sympathy. Meanwhile, her grandparents sent sharp, judgmental looks toward Beatrice.
Ava stood nearby with a smirk. “Like mother, like daughter, huh? You really can’t be surprised. Poor Mona, though-losing her fiancé like this must be a real blow.”
Jane was livid. “Beatrice, what is this? How could your daughter go after Mona’s fiancé? Do you think just because Emily’s gone, you can push her daughter around?”
Years ago, Emily was nearly kidnapped, but Beatrice saved her. From that moment, Beatrice held a special place in Emily’s heart. Since Beatrice was an orphan, the Clem family took her in, raising her alongside Emily.
Years later, Beatrice got married as the Clem family’s second daughter, but her husband turned out to be a jerk who often beat her when he drank. With nowhere else to go, she returned to the Clem family with her child. At that time, Emily was still alive, so they let Beatrice and her daughter stay. That’s how Beatrice and Barbara ended up living with the Clem family.
A few years later, when Mona was in middle school, Emily passed away in a car accident, leaving Mona and her brother Albert behind. Bernard Clem and Jane poured all their love for Emily into Mona. Although they had treated Beatrice like a daughter and cared for Barbara too, their priority was always their own granddaughter, Mona.
“Beatrice, Barbara needs to give Mona a proper explanation,” Bernard said, watching Mona tearfully standing on stage. He was so furious that he felt like giving Teddy a good beating to defend his granddaughter.
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15:16 Sat, Oct 19
Chapter 5
“I’m so sorry, Dad, Mom. It’s my fault for not raising her right. But Barbara’s a good kid-she must’ve been tricked,” Beatrice said, looking genuinely remorseful. With no other options and knowing how much she relied on the Clem family’s support, she had no choice but to bow her head.
While Teddy’s parents stayed silent, they were in shock. They never thought Teddy would do something like this, which had totally wrecked their reputation. They were terrified the Clem family might hold a grudge and cancel their business deals, which would be a huge disaster for them.
Amidst the chaos on stage, Teddy kept apologizing to Mona, insisting it wasn’t intentional. Barbara, on the other hand, kept crying and playing the victim. Some guests felt sorry for her tears and started to think Teddy was the real villain, playing with both sisters’ emotions.
Just then, the grand doors swung open, and a stranger walked in. Under the bright chandelier, his tall figure cast a shadow as he moved toward the center of the stage. His cold gaze swept the room before softening a bit when he spotted Mona.
With tousled hair falling over his sharp brows, a defined nose, and thin lips, he looked intense. His piercing eyes lit up when they landed on her. He wore a black shirt with two buttons undone, showing off his collarbone and the smooth lines of his neck.
The guests were intrigued by his cool demeanor, quietly speculating about his identity. Someone recognized him and whispered that he was the illegitimate son of the Carter family. No one said much, just a few murmured, “It’s Mr. Carter.”
In Nathontown, two powerful families ruled: the Clem family in the south and the Carter family in the north. Each controlled half of the city’s business and rarely crossed paths. Both had been around for a hundred years, and any big move by either could shake up the entire city’s economy.
“If your fiancé cheated, Ms. Clem, then you should just find a new one. Let me introduce myself-I’m Maxwell Carter, CEO of the Carter Group. I think we’d be a great match.” Maxwell’s icy voice rang out through the hall, leaving everyone in shock
The guests whispered among themselves, “Mr. Carter, who usually keeps his distance from women, is proposing in public? If the Clem and Carter families join forces, it’d be the biggest news in Nathontown.”
Mona looked at Maxwell, the man who had avenged her in her past life and felt a mix of emotions. She remembered how he had sought revenge for her but then took his own life, which left her feeling heartbroken. This time, she promised herself. she’d treat Maxwell better and make sure he really fell in love with her.
“Sure. I’m Ms. Clem and have plenty of suitors. Maxwell is a great match for me. Barbara, you can keep Teddy. I don’t need him anymore,” Mona said with a smile, then waved Maxwell to join her on stage.
The guests were completely shocked. A cheating fiancé and a public fiancé swap? They’d never seen anything like it before.
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