As soon as Lila saw Selena, the joy on her face disappeared instantly.
She leaned into Nathalie's arms, her eyes reddening before tears began to fall.
Seeing this, Nathalie immediately became concerned. "Lila, what's wrong? Don't cry, sweetheart. Your health can't handle such emotional outbursts. Tell me, who upset you? I'll handle it for you."
Sniffling, Lila said, "I don't think Selena likes me very much."
At these words, Nathalie's expression darkened. She shot a cold glance at Selena. "Did you mistreat Lila?"
Lila quickly grabbed her mother's arm. "Mom, don't blame her. It's my fault. Selena gave me a gift, and I didn't show enough excitement or gratitude right away. Maybe she thought I didn't like it and got upset. She didn't smile at me after that. "Then, during dinner, I asked her about her family, just out of curiosity, but she seemed offended, and Brother scolded me.
"Later, I took her to show her the room, but while we were going upstairs, she suddenly grabbed my hand and accused me of hurting her before leaving. Maybe I didn't do well enough, Mom. Maybe I should just go back abroad. I don't want to make things harder for you or Brother."
As she spoke, Lila's tears flowed even more freely, twisting the events from the previous night and painting herself as the innocent victim.
"This is outrageous!" Nathalie's anger flared as she turned her furious gaze toward Selena. "Selena, what is the meaning of this? Is this how you treat your sister-in-law? Do you not know about her health? Couldn't you be more considerate? Instead, you've bullied her! Do you even respect me or this family at all?"
The atmosphere in the room grew stifling with tension.
Kendrick's expression was grim, and the servants stood by, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Lila, still nestled against Nathalie, continued to sob softly, making her mother even more sympathetic and intensifying her disdain toward Selena.
Taking a deep breath, Selena finally said, "I didn't bully her."
She had expected things to turn sour, but Lila's outright fabrication had blindsided her, and now Nathalie was fully backing her up. And as much as Selena wanted to defend herself, this was Aaron's mother.
Nathalie glared at her. "Didn't bully her? Then why is she so upset? You gave her a gift she didn't care for, and now she's not even allowed to express that? Who do you think you are? Just because you married my son, you think you've suddenly risen above your station?" "Mom!" Aaron's voice cut through the tension, sharp and commanding.
Aaron stepped in front of Selena, his expression dark as he faced Nathalie.
Kendrick, his face equally stern, spoke up. "Aaron, what are you doing? Your mother is speaking to your wife. This is a mother-in-law disciplining her daughter-in-law-something she should listen to. As a man, you don't need to get involved. Come with me to the study; I have important matters to discuss with you."
It was clear Kendrick wanted to pull Aaron away, leaving Nathalie free to lecture Selena.
Selena lowered her gaze, feeling an overwhelming pressure closing in on her like a heavy cloud weighing her down.
The atmosphere in the room was suffocating.
Meanwhile, Lila, still nestled in Nathalie's arms, couldn't hide the small smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. There was a sense of triumph in her eyes-this was her domain, her family.
Selena had no place here. How dare this woman think she could compete with her?
Aaron's voice broke through the tension like a clap of thunder. "What century do you think we're living in? The old ways are long gone. There's no place for that 'mother-in-law sets the rules for the daughter-in-law' nonsense anymore. As far as I'm concerned, anything involving Selena is my business, and that's final!"
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