CHAPTER 35: CONFRONTATION

Moments earlier

Briar smiled as she watched Tiana busying herself, arranging her clothes in the closet like a grown-up.

Looking at her pride swelled in her as she boasted inwardly and shamelessly, 'My child has indeed grown!'

How could she not feel like that?

She had raised this child from day one until now. Apart from different blood types coursing through their bloodstreams, the little girl was her daughter through and through.

Seeing her being able to do things on her own, especially growing up in a family where everything must be done by servants, was like a jackpot.

She understood that chores like these were nothing for people who grew up like her. When she was around Tiana's age, she could cook, do laundry, go farming and do many other things. What didn't she know to do at that age?

That was life for kids like her and those who are growing up in that environment today.

That was life. Very unfair and yet seemed fair at times.

The moment was special, and the atmosphere was pretty much to her liking, despite her knowing that it would shortly be less peaceful.

From how she understood her husband, he would get straight to the point as soon as he got the chance. While they were busy unpacking like this, he should be seated with his mother and sister, informing them of the news about their marriage.

Now it would depend on how those two women would take the news. As long as they accept it peacefully, then there won't be any war, but if they don't, then it is going to be a crazy night.

She just hoped that if a fight occurred, she would be on the winning side, no matter what.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

As she played with Tiana, her phone started ringing, and Tiana who was showing off her skills, stopped her movements and looked at her with a beaming smile calling, "Second mother, aren't you going to answer your phone?" she asked, seeing that Briar wasn't answering her phone.

Briar gave Tiana a wry smile as she reached her hand lazily for the phone, which was a distance away.

She didn't know who was calling, but her instincts were telling her that it wasn't going to be a good one.

Surely when she saw the name on the screen, she exhaled a helpless breath, though the corner of her lips were curving upwards and her eyes sparkling with a mysterious glint.

Briar knew that she couldn't ignore the caller any longer, so she swiped the screen to answer and put the phone against her ear, curious to hear what the other had to say.

Surely, the other was as rude as ever.

As soon as the call got connected, an authoritative voice sounded, ordering, [Get your ass down to the garden and don't let anyone knows. We need to talk!] before the call was hung.

Briar looked at her phone in a dumbfounded state, very shocked by how many guts this person had to just order her around as if she was a servant.

However, recalling the pissed-off tone of the other, Briar suddenly became happy as a mischievous glint flashed through her eyes.

Wasn't this what she was looking for?

Tiana was no longer looking at her, but back at her clothes, so she didn't see her reaction after the call.

Knowing that Alice, her sister-in-law now, the one person in the whole family, she was very much against secretly and the person she was most wary of was asking for a battle, Briar was over the moon.

At least she didn't need to personally go and provoke the other to make her plan work. Now, she just needed to see what Alice wanted from her and see what to do to turn the tables in her favor.

Without wasting much time, she rose from the bed and said to Tiana, "Darling, I will be back. I need to go and meet with your little auntie for a moment," not hiding where she was going to the other.

Tiana stopped what she was doing again and looked at Briar briefly without saying a word before nodding. "Okay. I will be waiting for you!" and said smilingly.

Seeing her being obedient, Briar obviously was happy. When she passed by the other, she ruffled her hair playfully before leaving.

On her way to the elevator, she passed through the rooms of Cade and Lyra and kindly told them where she was going.

As she descended the stairs, her lips curled upwards as she overheard the conversation between mother and son.

Although some of the words pricked her badly, she was glad that the mother-in-law didn't seem to dislike the thought of having her as a daughter-in-law.

As long as that was the case, she would work hard in the future to convince everyone and let them accept her wholeheartedly.

Rather than be accepted just because she was Logan's wife, although a contracted one, she wanted to be accepted as Briar; herself.

Not wanting to eavesdrop any further, she quickened her steps and stopped briefly in the passage, overseeing the living room where Logan and his mother were and informed them politely despite not knowing that she was there.

"Auntie and Logan, I am stepping out for some fresh air outside!" Briar informed with a smile before vanishing from their sight.

She didn't have the luxury to be questioned and waste time in having a showdown with Alice.

She didn't know that the two people she had just informed were taken aback by surprise. After all, her appearance was unexpected and her steps were so light that they didn't hear a thing.

The culprit left the mansion and headed towards the garden where Alice was waiting for her.

As she walked through the rows of beautiful flowers and hedges, she couldn't help but wonder what more things Alice knew about her.

Today, she was going to make the other reveal them all. That way, in the future, she would have answers prepared to refute any such accusations.

Briar continued to walk until she was in the middle of the garden. It was quite a distance from the mansion and Briar could see that Alice had put such great effort into making their fight very distant from others.

Besides, where they were, even if they shouted, the people inside wouldn't be able to hear them well. It was the perfect place to expose each other without fearing consequences.

 ***

Alice, seeing Briar sauntering her way towards her, was so pissed off she wanted to run towards the other and claw that face which had always irritated her.

Briar wasn't the prettiest person alive. In fact, she was average. Her looks didn't leave such an impact. She could be easily ignored and make people feel too much at ease with her.

That's exactly how she managed to maneuver her way into the Meyer family and now, after taking deep roots for a decade, she was starting to get what she wanted.

If she had known that one day, Briar would get what she wanted. She would have exposed this fake person from the beginning.

There was no way that the two of them could live under the same roof and affectionately call each other sister-in-law.

Her sister-in-law was Selena. However, since she was dead, then having Anna as her replacement would suffice. Anna was way much better than Briar. What did this village girl have expected experience of taking care of the kids and being overly sly?

What a hypocrite!