Chapter Thirty-Four
* The Heir's Displeasure*
The crisp, tense silence of the Lax townhouse study was broken only by the ticking of a grand antique clock. Aurora sat in her high-backed chair like a judge on a throne. Regina stood by the fireplace, her posture rigid. Julian was pouring a stiff drink, his face weary.
Mrs. Byeon, however, was a storm barely contained. Her earlier simpering socialite demeanor had vanished, replaced by the outrage of a mother whose family had been insulted.
"I simply cannot believe it, Regina! To say such a thing! 'I am not connected to her in any way'? You stood there in your own foyer and said that about your future daughter-in-law while her wretched mother was listening!" Mrs. Byeon's voice trembled with indignation. "You gave her the strategy! You sent
