Wendy's face had gone pale. She knew that after being seen with Reese tonight, there was no salvaging her reputation. But she couldn’t accept that Lily would walk away clean and untouched. She wanted to shove all the blame onto Lily, hoping to gain some sympathy. Who would’ve thought James would side with Lily so blatantly, and that he’d have video evidence of my meeting with Reese? The footage had sealed her fate. Even if she never truly cared about Reese, even if she had no intention of sleeping with him, everyone would assume she’d failed in her scheme and tried to use her body to appease him. Elsa didn’t look any better. She’d always been exceptional since childhood—loved, admired, a natural center of attention. Though she acted above worldly affairs, she cared deeply about what people thought of her. She was proud, aloof, and couldn't bear being labeled as someone lacking virtue. She had wanted her mother to live with grace and dignity. That was why she had pulled every trick she could think of to make Lily and Wendy reconcile, hoping to spare Wendy from prison. But this time, not only had Wendy been caught in bed with a married man in front of everyone, James also had damning footage in hand. There was no saving her now. John, Simon, and the others wouldn’t lift a finger to help Wendy again. Wendy was destined for prison. Elsa had no choice but to cut her losses and make sure none of that filth splashed onto her. She lowered her gaze and stepped back, stubborn and pained. Her beautiful eyes brimmed with disappointment toward Wendy. As if she had known nothing about what Wendy had done. As if she were merely an innocent flower, tainted only by Wendy’s bad name. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she asked, fragile and proud, “Mom, why would you scheme against Lily like this? I know you don’t want to go to prison. But if that’s the case, you should’ve made amends, tried to earn Lily’s forgiveness—not hurt her even more. How could I have a mother so reckless, so cruel? You’ve really let me down. How am I supposed to face Lily now? Or John?”Everything Elsa said was clearly an attempt to distance herself, to pin the entire scandal on Wendy. Wendy was far from innocent. But she had loved Elsa, her one and only daughter, with everything she had. She would have handed her the best of everything in the world without hesitation. She had believed that when the world turned on her, her sweet little girl would stand by her side. She couldn’t believe that same little girl had tossed her aside without a second thought. In that moment, a wave of disappointment and resentment surged inside Wendy. She couldn’t help thinking, this mess—wasn’t it all because Elsa’s plan hadn’t been airtight? Why should she be the one to bear all the consequences for Elsa’s mistakes? She wanted to tell everyone that Elsa was the real mastermind behind it all. She had enough evidence to bring Elsa down, too. In an instant, dark, twisted, and venomous thoughts flooded her mind—a scorched-earth revenge, dragging them both into ruin.But what kind of gardener would willingly destroy the rose she had raised with such care? She had poured too much of herself into that little girl. And her little girl had turned out just as she’d hoped—elegant, striking, and radiant. How could she bear to see that exceptional child stained by filth? More than that, her little girl was adored by John and Simon. If both of them were ruined and disgraced, there would be no redemption. But if she could protect her little girl now, then when the time was right, her daughter would find a way to save her. She could still walk free one day—with a mountain of cash—and start over somewhere new, living like royalty. With that thought, she made her choice, she would take the fall. “Elsa, I’m sorry for letting you down.” She lowered her eyes, her voice breaking with pain and remorse. “I shouldn’t have held a grudge against Lily just because she insulted me… and I definitely shouldn’t have done what I did tonight and brought shame to you. I regret it so much… I’m sorry…” “Mom…” Elsa knew, then, Wendy was going to take full responsibility. She let out a quiet sigh of relief. Proud as she was, she couldn’t bring herself to bow to Lily. But the situation demanded it. If she didn’t show enough sincerity, it could damage her reputation. To protect her image, to show everyone that she was nothing like the filthy, shameless Wendy, she swallowed her pride and, with quiet humiliation, bowed her head to Lily.