On impulse, I opened my mouth and called after her. As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt a rush of regret. Unexpectedly, Milena came to a halt. Yet, her tone was brusque and curt. It was clear that she wasn't in the mood to entertain me. “Ms. Zanetti, is something the matter?” Her response caught me off guard. “I-I merely wanted to greet you,” I replied after a moment of hesitation. Milena smiled in amusement as if she had heard a joke. “You wanted to greet me? That's strange. If memory serves me right, I remember that you weren't so polite the last time we met.” I knew she would bring up the past. Her words left me unable to muster a coherent response as an awkward silence filled the air. “I won't take up any more of your time. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of your day,” I said and grasped Shannon's arm. Before we could leave, Milena stopped me in my tracks. “Ms. Zanetti, wait for a moment. Since we bumped into each other, I have a few words I'd like to say to you in private.” In truth, I had a vague inkling of the words she would tell me. But unlike in the past, I couldn't turn my back and walk away. “Okay. How about talking at the Starbucks nearby?” I suggested. Milena ignored me as she turned around to address Camille instead. “Camille, why don't you take a look around nearby? I'll call you when I'm done.” Obediently, Camille nodded her head in agreement. Sensing that something was amiss, Shannon tugged on my sleeve nervously. After telling her that I would give her a call once I finished the conversation, I followed Milena and entered the Starbucks. “Mrs. Hartnell, do you have anything you'd like the drink? It's on me,” I asked once we entered the shop. “There's no need for that. Sit down,” Milena uttered in a cold tone. Although her rude tone caused me to clench my fists, I heeded her words and took a seat. “I must admit, you have quite a few tricks up your sleeve. You managed to lead my son astray. He won't even return home or pick up my calls. Liliana, are you trying to sow discord between my son and me?” Right from the very beginning, she did not hold back. I recalled her phone call to Dominic. In a haze of panic, I tried to defend myself. “I have no intention of ruining your relationship with Dominic. Mrs. Hartnell, there must have been a misunderstanding between us.” Milena cut me off with a cold laugh. “A misunderstanding? I don't think there's a misunderstanding here. Liliana, though I was rude to you in the past, I kept my patience whenever I talked to you. It's obvious that my words went in one ear and out of the other. Take this as my final warning. Camille is the only daughter-in-law I'll acknowledge in this family. Don't even think about trying to come close to the Hartnell family.” Here, she paused before continuing, “It would be in your best interests to cut off all contact with Dom, or I wouldn't be so forgiving the next time we meet. Aren't your parents teachers? Your brother is also a freshman. If a rumor spreads, things won't end well for your family.” My eyes widened in shock. I can't believe she's trying to use my family against me! Initially, I wanted to gain her favor and hoped that her opinion of me would change for the better, but the mention of my family caused me to fume in anger. “Mrs. Hartnell, as my elder, I held you in high regard and greeted you to show my respect. It's fine if you don't reciprocate my greetings. Even if you dislike me, please limit your criticisms to me instead of targeting my family. You look like a person with strong morals. You wouldn't resort to such lowly tricks, would you?”As soon as I spoke, Milena's face darkened. “Don't lecture me about your so-called values. Furthermore, I don't need your respect. Let me give you my final piece of advice. You shouldn't get too greedy. Don't lust after people or things that will never belong to you. There is zero chance that you will end up with Dom. Make sure you keep my words in mind,” Milena snapped and left the table. After her departure, I remained seated. I was so deep in my thoughts that I lost track of time. “Liliana, what did Milena tell you earlier?” The sudden voice by my ear jolted me out of my trance as I looked up and caught sight of Camille's detestable face. “It's none of your business.” I gritted my teeth in annoyance and rose to my feet to push her off me. Before I could leave to look for Shannon, Camille grasped my arm. “How is it none of my business? You were the one who tried to seduce my fiancé. Can't I ask about your conversation with my future mother-in-law?” Earlier, my conversation with Milena left me in a bad mood. With Camille accusing me of seducing her fiancé, I felt my mood grow even darker. How can she be so shameless to accuse me like that? A blaze of fury surge in my heart as I shrugged Camille's hand off my arm and pushed her away. As soon as I shoved her, Camille stumbled backward, and she collided with a waiter behind her. Immediately, a dark stain spread across her shoulder. Promptly, Camille let out an ear-piercing scream. After her scream, the shop was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Her shriek startled the nearby customers and caused the manager to hurry over. With a hand cradled against her shoulder, Camille burst into tears. At the sight of her crying, the waiter began to panic as he helped her to her feet. “What on earth happened here? How could you be so careless? What are you doing? Call an ambulance right now!” the manager yelled as he glared at the waiter. The waiter Camille had bumped into was clearly startled. Upon the manager's orders, he quickly did as he was told. Meanwhile, the manager tried to soothe Camille. I looked at the scene and realized that the hot coffee must have scalded her. At the same time, Camille's phone began to ring. Already, I could tell that the caller was Milena. I couldn't help but close my eyes in exasperation. It looks like things are taking a turn for the worse. Not long after the phone call, Milena came bursting into the shop. A look of anguish crossed her features when she caught sight of Camille, who was sprawled across the floor in pain.“Camille, what happened to you? Where did you injure yourself?” Milena cried out and rushed to Camille's side. Camille hugged Milena as she sobbed profusely. “Milena, the coffee spilled across my back. It hurts so much!” Confused by Camille's lack of explanation, Milena shot an accusatory glare at the manager. “How do you handle things around here? How could you be so careless? You will be held responsible if she is injured!” The manager apologized immediately. However, Camille tugged on Milena's sleeve to catch her attention. “Milena, don't blame the staff. I lost my balance when I was talking to Liliana earlier,” she mumbled. Although I had anticipated a result like this, my heart still skipped a beat when Milena gave me a sharp look. Milena released her grip on Camille's hand and stormed toward me. Without warning, she drew her hand back and slapped me across the face. “Liliana, you have crossed the line!”The sudden impact caused my cheek to flare in pain as white noise buzzed in my ears. This is the second time I'm hit.