As if she had heard the funniest joke in the world, Scarlett doubled over with laughter. "Ha? His real mother? Couldn't you at least come up with a believable lie?

"Nathaniel already told me his mom is overseas, so busy she barely has time to breathe, and she won't be back for at least another year! Just to climb the social ladder, you're willing to tell a lie like this? How desperate are you for a man?"

The surrounding onlookers quickly joined in.

"Is this old lady crazy? She got caught and now she's spouting nonsense."

"Mistresses these days really are shameless. They can lie without even blinking."

It was true that I spent most of the year abroad managing the branch company's business.

I had only landed in Briarwood yesterday because I wanted to surprise my son. I never expected that surprise to turn into a shock.

Not wanting to waste any more time arguing with her, I took out my phone. "Since you don't believe me, I'll call Nathaniel right now and let him tell you himself."

I had just unlocked the screen and opened WhatsApp when Scarlett suddenly lunged forward and snatched the phone from my hand.

"You're feeling guilty and trying to call Nathaniel to back you up, aren't you?" she said mockingly. "Forget it, old lady. I don't know what tricks you used to get close to him. But Nathaniel said he only loves me. Even if he comes here, there's no way he'd take your side!"

As she spoke, she kept scrolling through my phone. The screen was still open to the chat history between my son and me.

I didn't know what she saw, but her expression darkened by the second, and her voice suddenly turned shrill. "Natty? Judy?"

"Natty" was my son's nickname. Only the people closest to him used it. And "Judy" was what he called me whenever he was teasing me or acting spoiled. But clearly, she interpreted it differently.

"You disgusting old pervert! At your age, you're still using pet names like some teenage girl? And you make him call you that too? And you expect me to believe you're his mother? What kind of mother talks to her son like this?"

What exactly was wrong with that? No matter how old the child I gave birth to became, wasn't he still my baby? She was the one with the filthy mind, twisting everything into something improper.

When she saw that I stayed silent, she mistook it for guilt. She raised her hand and slammed my phone onto the ground.

A sharp crack rang out as the screen shattered instantly.

My phone contained a great deal of important data, and now it was nothing more than a pile of scrap.

Rage surged through me. "Are you insane? That's my phone. Pay for it!"

"Pay for it?" Scarlett sneered and kicked the broken pieces aside. "This phone was bought with Nathaniel's money too, wasn't it? If something was bought with my fiancé's money, I can smash it whenever I want. What are you going to do about it? A parasite who lives off men has no right to ask me for compensation."

After a brief pause, she crossed her arms and adopted the smug posture of a lady of the house. "Let me make this clear. Stop daydreaming. Nathaniel will be here to pick me up soon. When he gets here, I'll have him blacklist you and make sure you can't survive in Briarwood! Then we'll see how long you can keep acting shameless!"

Looking at her arrogant expression, I became so angry that I laughed.

Blacklist me? In Briarwood, no one would dare claim they could blacklist me, Judith Foster.

Even Nathaniel's current company was a wholly owned subsidiary under my control. Every dollar he spent came from the empire I had built with my own hands.

And now, a woman living off my money wanted to blacklist me? How ridiculous!

"Ma'am, please cooperate with us." The sales associate who had been standing nearby finally spoke, but she was addressing me. "You're causing a disturbance in the store, and… Miss Harper is one of our VVIP clients. If you can't prove your identity, we'll have to call security."

In luxury stores, flattering the powerful while stepping on the weak was the norm.

I had dressed casually today. I wore no jewelry except for a jade pendant hanging around my neck. To them, I was probably nothing more than a washed-up gold digger.

I straightened my collar, walked to the lounge area, and settled onto the leather sofa. "There's no reason to turn away a customer in business."

I crossed my legs and leaned back with composed ease. "Since Miss Harper says she's waiting for her dear fiancé to come blacklist me? Fine. I'll wait right here."

The calmer I appeared, the angrier Scarlett became.

Then her eyes fixed on the pendant around my neck. It was a protective charm my grandmother had given me when I was born. She passed away many years ago, and this was the only thing she left behind. It meant everything to me.

"Oh, this was also a gift from Nathaniel, right?" A flicker of greed flashed across Scarlett's eyes. "Amazing quality. It must've cost a fortune. If it was bought with my fiancé's money, take it off."

With that, she actually reached out to grab it.

I hadn't expected her to attack me in public. "What are you doing!"

I covered my chest with one hand while grabbing her wrist with the other.

But Scarlett fought like a madwoman, yanking at the pendant with all her strength.

The pendant dug into my skin, and a burning pain spread across my neck. Her ridiculously long acrylic nails raked across the back of my hand during the struggle, and blood immediately welled up.

The pain snapped the last thread of my patience. I swung my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

The sharp crack echoed throughout the store.

Scarlett covered her face and stared at me in disbelief.

I was breathing hard as well. Blood dripped from my hand onto the beige carpet, stark against the pale fabric.

"She hit her! The mistress hit the rightful partner!"

The two sales associates reacted immediately and rushed over to shield Scarlett.

"How could you hit her?!"

"Call the police! Call the police right now!"

Even the crowd of onlookers became agitated.

"So arrogant. A mistress actually dares to hit the fiancée?"

"The world really has changed. The shameless ones are always the boldest."

"Film her. Expose her!"

Countless phones pointed toward me, camera flashes stabbing at my eyes.

Seeing public opinion swing in her favor, Scarlett instantly slipped into performance mode. Tears filled her eyes on cue. "If you're really short on money, I can give you some. Please, don't destroy my family, okay? Nathaniel and I worked so hard to get where we are…"

Watching her pathetic act only disgusted me more.

"Scarlett, are you done performing?" I looked at her coldly. "I'll say this one last time. I am Nathaniel's mother, Judith Foster. Everything you're doing right now is pushing yourself toward a dead end."

At that, a trace of mockery flashed through Scarlett's eyes.

She lowered her voice so only the two of us could hear. "You old hag, still not done pretending? If I don't crush you today, I'll take your last name."

I looked down at my wrist and checked the time. There was an important international video conference that afternoon, one that would shape the next five-year strategic plan for my company, the Titan Group. I could not waste any more time on this idiot.

"Since you don't believe me, wait until Nathaniel gets here and let him explain it himself. I have business to handle. I don't have time to play along with this drama." I picked up my bag and turned to leave.

"Stop!" Scarlett screamed. "You hit me and think you can run? Dream on!"

She shot a look at the two sales associates.

They immediately rushed to the entrance and blocked my path with their arms spread wide. "Ma'am, you can't leave until this is resolved."

"Move." I looked at them coldly. "This is unlawful detention. I have urgent work to handle. If you delay my business, you won't be able to afford the consequences."

"Oh, work?" Scarlett walked over with a sarcastic laugh. "Off to your next affair? I think you're just guilty and trying to run!"

She turned to the crowd and shouted, "Don't let her leave! A woman who destroys other people's families deserves to be taught a lesson! I'll give 10,000 dollars to whoever stops her!"

Money talked. Several onlookers who had been enjoying the spectacle immediately surrounded me, forming a human wall that trapped me in the middle.

"Do you people understand what you're doing?" I swept my gaze across the crowd, my eyes sharp. "Restricting someone's freedom is illegal."

Some people hesitated under my stare and started to back away.

"Don't be scared!" Scarlett shouted. "I'll take responsibility if anything happens! My fiancé is Nathaniel Cole, the future successor of the Titan Group! In Briarwood, there's nothing the Coles can't handle! Teaching a mistress a lesson is justice!"

The moment they heard the words Titan Group, those who had wavered immediately stiffened their resolve.

The two sales associates even locked the glass doors to prove their loyalty. The sharp click of the lock echoed through the enclosed space.

As I stared at the sealed exit, an absurd feeling rose in my chest. In my own company's shopping mall, I was being locked inside by my future daughter-in-law and treated like a trapped animal.

"You can't run now, can you?" Scarlett sneered as she approached me. Her face, still swollen from the slap earlier, looked even more vicious. "Which hand hit me just now? This one?"

She grabbed my injured right hand.

I tried to resist, but two men eager for the reward rushed over and pinned my shoulders from both sides.

I couldn't move.

Scarlett slapped me across the face with all her strength.

My head snapped to the side, and I tasted blood in my mouth.

A slap followed.

"This one is for my fiancé!"

Another slap followed.

"This one is for your shamelessness!"

She delivered three slaps in a row. My ears rang, and my vision blurred. My hair hung in disarray, and humiliation burned through me. In 45 years of life, I had never suffered such disgrace.

"What? Still not convinced?" Scarlett grabbed my hair and forced my head up. "You're still glaring at me? Since you love seducing men so much, I'll let everyone see your true face."

She turned and shouted at the sales associates, "Bring me scissors! I'm going to cut off her clothes, strip her, film it, and post it online! Let everyone in Briarwood see what this old mistress really looks like!"

One of the sales associates actually handed her a pair of scissors.

A cold glint flashed.

Scarlett raised the scissors and aimed them at my collar.

"No…" I struggled desperately, but the two men held me down like iron clamps.

Despair and rage flooded through me.

The instant the cold blade touched my skin, the locked glass doors were kicked violently from the outside. The tempered glass shook so hard it nearly shattered.

Everyone froze.

Scarlett's hand jerked, and the scissors sliced across my collarbone. Sharp pain tore through me.

"Who is it? Are you courting death?" Scarlett shouted impatiently as she turned around.

Outside the door, Nathaniel stood drenched in sweat, panic written across his face as he shouted, "Mom!"