Chapter 2267

What a line that was.

Family was there to be deceived.

Cecilia didn’t entertain it. “Wasn’t your father-in-law the one who started this by scheming against our family? Do you think everyone’s an idiot? You think no one could see through his tricks?”

“He was the one who lied first!”

Miranda stumbled over her words.

“My dad was doing it for the whole family. He wanted to expand the ancestral graves. Then the demolition news came out later, and that’s when he thought he could make a little extra money too.”

“Oh? And that’s supposed to make him innocent?”

Cecilia let out a small yawn.

“From what I heard, the first thing Uncle Robert did after getting the land was start building houses. He never intended to expand the ancestral graves at all.”

“And one more thing—we didn’t set him up. If you ask Mr. Chandler, the original owner, he’ll tell you himself. My husband paid a high price for that land, and he bought it to expand the graves, not to profit off demolition.”

Her voice was calm, but every word was precise.

She laid it all out, step by step.

Miranda couldn’t come up with a single argument to counter it.

“Even so, my father-in-law can’t be the only one taking a loss, can he?”

“The only one?” Cecilia’s tone stayed even. “My husband took a loss too. If everything had gone as planned, all he would’ve needed to do was expand the land. Now he has to deal with the mess your father-in-law left behind. Tearing down those illegal buildings will cost a fortune.”

She paused, then looked at Miranda again.

“Why don’t you talk to Uncle Robert for us and have him cover the demolition costs? After all, money doesn’t just fall from the sky.”

Miranda hadn’t expected Cecilia to be this sharp.

Her hands clenched into fists.

“So that’s it? You’re not helping at all?”

“Sorry. It’s not easy for us to make money either,” Cecilia replied mildly.

Any pretense vanished from Miranda’s face.

She turned and stormed off.

Cecilia watched her leave and let out a long breath, the tension finally easing.

Miranda really had some nerve—coming here expecting to squeeze money out of her.

Miranda returned home empty-handed, frustration still written all over her face as she pushed through the door.

The moment she walked in, she saw Adrian and Felix sitting side by side in the living room, each holding a game controller, completely absorbed in their game.

The sight only fueled her anger.

She strode over and yanked the controller out of Adrian’s hands.

“All you do all day is play games. Are you two trying to drive me insane?”

Adrian looked up, confused. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

Felix’s game had been cut off, and he didn’t take it well. Whatever restraint he usually had disappeared.

“Mom, you’re so annoying. I finally get a break and want to play a little. Can you stop bothering me?”

Miranda didn’t turn on her son.

Instead, she rounded on Adrian.

“You can’t do anything right. You made me, an outsider, go handle everything myself. You and your father are both useless.”

Adrian lowered his head and took the scolding without a word.

Felix, still upset, snapped back at his mother, “Mom, you’re way too harsh. The moms in my class are all nicer than you.”

Being called out by her own son softened her tone slightly.

“Felix, you need to focus on your studies. You can’t follow your dad’s bad habits, understand?”

She paused, then added, “And if you want to surpass Jon and Elliot one day, you’d better listen to me.”

Felix’s expression tightened.

“But Mom, I really want to play right now.”

Miranda’s gaze turned cold.

“Then go ahead. Play all you want. One day, the two of you will end up as nothing.”