After Helen's stern rebuke, Sophia's face darkened further, her lips pressed into a thin line. She knew better than to argue openly with someone of Helen's status and instead swallowed her frustration, though her clenched fists betrayed her lingering resentment.
With Helen taking charge, neither Sophia nor Ruby could push their accusations any further. They sat stiffly in the living room, the tension between them palpable as everyone waited for the police to arrive.
Ruby, seated at the edge of the couch, kept glancing cautiously at Helen. The old matriarch's stern expression unnerved her, planting seeds of doubt in her heart.
Ruby's goal was clear: to reclaim her place in the Hawkins family, the life she believed was rightfully hers. For that, the approval of the family elders—espe
