Sophia stood beside Victoria, her expression filled with concern as she gently patted the older woman's shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

"Ethan, you've finally decided to come home! I thought you were going to abandon your entire family for that woman!" Victoria's voice was sharp with barely contained fury.

Ethan calmly took a seat opposite his mother. "What seems to be the problem?"

Victoria let out a bitter laugh before slamming the document on the table. "See for yourself!"

It was a paternity test report.

Ethan recognized it immediately. His expression remained impassive as he picked up the report and tore it into pieces without hesitation.

"If this is all you wanted to discuss, I'm leaving." His tone was flat, as if the matter meant nothing to him.

"Ethan!" Victoria screamed. She grabbed a glass of water from the coffee table and threw it violently to the floor. Glass shattered across the tiles, the sound echoing through the living room. "How can you act like this? You know perfectly well that child isn't yours, yet you still—"

"Please calm down, Victoria," Sophia interjected softly. "Ethan is just confused right now. He'll come to his senses."

She continued stroking Victoria's back while her cunning gaze flickered toward Ethan. Victoria took several deep breaths, visibly trying to control her rage.

"Ethan, I'm asking you one last time. Who will you choose? Either you remove that woman and her illegitimate child from your life and marry Sophia, or you can stop calling me your mother!"

Ethan's eyes darkened. A tense moment passed before he spoke.

"Benjamin."

"Yes, Mr. Blackwood."

Benjamin immediately entered the living room.

"My mother is having another episode. Take her to the country estate to calm down. We'll discuss this later."

"You—you're actually choosing that scheming adulteress and her bastard son over your own mother?" Victoria's voice trembled with disbelief as she pointed a shaking finger at Ethan.

Sophia seized the opportunity to approach Ethan and grab his arm possessively. "Come on, Ethan," she coaxed, "don't be angry with your mother. She only wants what's best for you—"

Ethan pulled his arm away, his gaze turning icy. "Take my mother away now," he commanded Benjamin.

Just then, a servant rushed into the room. "Mr. Blackwood," he cried out anxiously. "Your wife is here."

Ethan's face tightened. Before he could respond, a slender figure stormed into the living room. Isabella had arrived.

She wore a simple white dress, her face pale but her eyes sharp with an icy intensity that sent chills through Ethan.

"How dare you show your face in my house!" Victoria raged the moment she saw Isabella. "You wretched woman! You destroyed your own family, and now you're clinging to my son! Tell me, do you plan to ruin him too?!"

Every word from Victoria's mouth cut deeply into Isabella's heart. She clenched her teeth until her gums nearly bled, her gaze turning murderous.

The atmosphere grew thick with tension, as if everyone was waiting for a bomb to explode.

Ethan stared at Isabella, feeling a ripple of unease. He had never seen her like this before. A strange sense of foreboding washed over him.