Rosalie clung to Lillian and said, "She killed one of the bodyguards I brought out! Mom, I'm scared. You've got to think of something!" Lillian paused for a moment, then she got an idea. Her lips curled into a sly smile. "If we can't fix the problem, then we'll shift the problem somewhere else." Rosalie wiped her tears. "What do you mean?" Lillian glanced at the others, then lowered her voice. "Here's what we'll do ... " Three minutes later, Jacob nodded. "Fine. We'll do it your way." Rosalie brightened. "Mom, you're a genius. Now we just sit back and watch the show." With a plan in place, the tension in the room eased for the moment. But as soon as the outside threat seemed handled, the family's own cracks started to show. Maisie shot Lillian a nasty look. "Please. You're nothing but trouble." Lillian's expression darkened in an instant. That cranky old bat uses people and then tosses them aside like trash. When they were all relying on Lillian a minute ago, nobody had a problem with her, did they? She darted her eyes around and forced out a few tears. "Mom, how can you say that about me?" she sniffled. "Honey, you know me. I only push this hard because I love you. I can't help it when it comes to you." Jacob saw her crying like that and jumped right in. "Mom, that was out of line." Maisie stiffened, furious that Jacob was siding with Lillian. "Don't you pull that manipulative crap on me, you little bitch!" Lillian's tears clung to her lashes. "You can call me whatever you want. I'll admit I don't always get things right. But if you say stuff like that, aren't you also saying Jacob's too weak to think for himself? That he's stupid enough to get played by a so-called bitch?" Maisie's eyes widened. "I never said that!" "But that's exactly what it sounds like," Lillian pressed, lips quivering. "Jacob's smart, decisive. No way would he be fooled. So if you call me a bitch, doesn't that make him a fool?" "You're twisting my words!" Maisie snapped. She was so mad she raised her hand, ready to slap Lillian across the face. "Little tramp, I'll teach you some respect today!" She was still fuming from being told to clean her own room yesterday, and now, seeing Lillian running her mouth so slickly, she was about ready to blow a gasket. Jacob, watching the household descend into chaos, frowned. Jacob quickly grabbed her wrist, frowning. "Enough, Mom!" When Maisie felt her son grab her hand, she was overwhelmed with hurt. After raising him for decades, now he was bewitched by Lillian! Jacob's grip was so strong it actually hurt. Maisie bristled with dissatisfaction and was about to fire back, but Jacob cut her off, saying, "Don't push it. Lillian has done more than enough already!" While wiping away her tears, Lillian shot Maisie a smug glance. Jacob looked around at the three women, his tone stiff and commanding as he warned, "We're already struggling enough with this disaster hanging over us. We're family—no more fighting, no more stirring up trouble!" Maisie knew his words were meant for all three women, but really, they were aimed straight at her Heart heavy, she turned away and went upstairs to her room, muttering under her breath, "Yeah, guess I don't count now that he's got her." Lillian watched Maisie's retreating back and sneered inwardly. Pathetic old woman. That serves her right. All she knows how to do is run her mouth. With the troublesome Maisie out of the way, Lillian moved quickly, locking every door and window like she was bracing for war. Who knew if Natalie might show up at any second, storming in to catch them completely off guard? That constant sense of danger hanging over her head was unbearable. Lillian thought it through. Sure, Natalie had a gun and a glass window wouldn't stop her, but if every door and window was locked tight, at least it would buy her a few moments to hide or run. She even went so far as to unseal the long-shut back door, planning that if Natalie really forced her way inside, she'd shove Jacob and Maisie forward as a shield, then slip out the back with her daughter. Watching her pace back and forth, Jacob frowned. "If you've already got a plan, stop running around like a headless chicken. You're giving me a headache." Lillian didn't stop. "I'm checking the house. Making sure it's secure." Jacob gave a derisive snort. "Typical woman—always panicking instead of handling things." She ignored him. Back in the day, Jacob had been handsome, the kind of man girls chased after. Once he got in with Scarlett and started flashing money, he carried himself with an air that only drew more admiration. Lillian had genuinely loved him when they were young. But after a lifetime together, she knew him for what he was. Jacob was foolish and shortsighted, selfish and narrow-minded, full of empty pride. He never realized he was nothing special. He was just another face in the crowd of college grads and degree-holders. It was Scarlett's love that put him on a pedestal he never earned.