When Bryden got home, Mandy was on the phone. Seeing Bryden return, Mandy hastily ended the call, speaking somewhat unnaturally, "Bryden, why are you back so soon? Didn't you say you had plans with a friend and wouldn't be home for dinner tonight?" Bryden, noticing Mandy's flustered state, frowned and reminded her, "Mom, were you talking to Mrs. Morgan again? You should limit your contact with her; she's not a good person." Mandy, having her secret revealed, stopped hiding and retorted, "Mrs. Morgan is my friend. I've been a housewife for over twenty years, and now I can't even have the right to make friends? Your grandmother runs this house, and your father listens to her. I have no freedom, and now even you want to lecture me? Is there any place for me in this home?!" Bryden hadn't expected his casual comment to provoke such a strong reaction from his mother. Seeing Mandy's eyes redden with tears, Bryden could only rub his nose and approach her, patiently explaining, "That's not what I meant, Mom. I'm all for you making friends. The more, the better. You can go shopping and have tea together. There are plenty of well-mannered and wealthy families in New York, but Mrs. Morgan doesn't seem like a good person. You should be careful around her." Mandy got angry. "What do you mean she doesn't seem like a good person? Are you supposed to read faces now? How come I didn't know that?" "Mom..." Bryden said helplessly. "It's not about reading faces. You can tell from her actions. What kind of good mother would scheme to send her daughter to another man's side?" Mandy rolled her eyes. "Wasn't everyone at that dinner party trying to do the same thing? Mrs. Morgan was just one of them. What's the big deal?" "But she actually let her daughter do that kind of thing with a man in the garden! To marry her daughter into our family, she will stop at nothing! She might even want to get her daughter caught in the act to force us to acknowledge her daughter as the next Mrs. Norman. How can a decent person use such low tactics?" Mandy shook her head. "Bryden, you're a man. You don't understand. As women, the most important thing in our lives is our children. At our age, we think about finding good partners for our children every day. She only has one daughter, so of course, she wants her to marry into a good family. The Norman family is so well-known in New York. She's just trying to find a good match for her daughter, even if her methods are wrong." Bryden's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Mom, are you brainwashed by Mrs. Morgan?" "Don't talk nonsense," Mandy said impatiently. "She's just short on money and borrowed some from me."Alarm bells went off in Bryden's head. "Borrowed money? Mr. Morgan isn't poor. How can she be short on money? Mom, there's definitely something wrong here. Don't lend her any money!" "You're too late. I've already transferred the money to her." "...How much did you lend her?" "Not much, just fifty thousand. Everyone has hard times. We've known each other for a long time. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing." Bryden was incredulous. "Mom, have you forgotten? She lied about Emily being married to Nathan. Dad had people investigate, and Emily has no marriage record! Can't you see she's using you?" Mandy knocked on his head. "Stop talking nonsense. She explained it. Emily herself said she was married to Nathan. Mrs. Morgan was deceived by that little vixen, Emily." "Mom, what did you just say?" "What?" "You called Emily a little vixen?" Bryden couldn't believe it. Was this still his elegant and noble mother? She was using such malicious words to describe a girl? Mandy didn't care and sneered. "Calling her a little vixen is letting her off easy. Bryden, your brother is foolish, but you're my own son. You can't be foolish too! Emily isn't someone to be trifled with! Since she appeared, she's been driving a wedge between Mr. and Mrs. Morgan. Because of her meddling, they're now on the verge of divorce. Mr. Morgan is even considering divorce! Mrs. Morgan is a middle-aged woman, a housewife like me. If she's kicked out, how will she survive?" Bryden raised an eyebrow. "Did Mrs. Morgan tell you all this?" "It doesn't matter who told me. The point is that Mr. and Mrs. Morgan are getting divorced because of Emily's interference. She broke up a loving couple. If she's not a little vixen, who is?" Bryden underestimated the power of women's empathy. Grace had portrayed herself as a pitiable woman abandoned by her husband, and Mandy believed her wholeheartedly. This wasn't surprising, as Mandy had been living under Meggie's disdain for years. Meggie despised Mandy for not being smart or wise enough and often accused her of causing trouble for Alex. Therefore, Meggie was always reluctant to hand over the household authority to Mandy. Meggie adored Emily, and when Emily married, she would be in charge of the house.Grace's present could be Mandy's future. Grace had told her over the phone, "Emily is really something. She's very good at dealing with men. Make sure Bryden doesn't fall for her too." This sentence had been a wake-up call for Mandy. Though not particularly wise, she knew her son well. Every time Bryden looked at Emily, there was something different in his eyes. "Bryden," Mandy pulled him to sit on the couch in the living room, seriously asking, "Did you see Emily when she came to our house today?" Bryden answered truthfully, "I did. I gave her a ride home." "What... you..." "Bella had already called a driver for her. If you hadn't stopped the driver, I wouldn't have run into her," Bryden sighed softly. "Mom, you are Mrs. Norman. Can't you stop being so petty?"