Chapter 348

The Whitmore Manor was expansive enough to require two grand dining tables for their family gatherings.

As guests settled into their seats, Alexander and Evelyn made their entrance with impeccable timing, as was their custom.

The family appeared unfazed by their late arrival, treating it as commonplace.

The moment they stepped into the dining hall, relatives from various branches of the family rose to greet them, exchanging warm pleasantries and admiring glances.

But for Vanessa, the scene was unbearable.

Being relegated to the second table while Evelyn sat at the head table with Alexander cut deeper than she cared to acknowledge.

To add insult to injury, Grace chose that moment to assert her authority.

"Vanessa, why don't you take my seat? I need to speak with my brother privately," Grace suggested with feigned sweetness.

Vanessa cast a desperate glance toward Ethan, silently begging for his intervention.

The younger generation—Harold's grandchildren from his second and third sons—were mostly adolescents, either freshly stepping into adulthood or still navigating high school.

The air hummed with quiet tension as Vanessa reluctantly rose from her seat.

Grace's smile didn't reach her eyes as she gestured toward the now-vacant chair at the far end of the table.

Evelyn, seated beside Alexander, pretended not to notice the exchange, though the slight tightening of her fingers around her wine glass betrayed her awareness.

Ethan remained frustratingly silent, his attention seemingly absorbed by a conversation with his uncle.

Vanessa's chest constricted as she moved toward the less prestigious table, her pride in tatters.

The whispers that followed her were barely concealed, the pitying glances from distant cousins only amplifying her humiliation.

At the second table, the teenagers barely spared her a glance, engrossed in their own world of gossip and laughter.

Vanessa clenched her jaw, forcing herself to sit with rigid composure.

She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her break.

Not today.

Not ever.

Ethan Caldwell remained silent.

The quiet stretched between them, heavy and suffocating.

With a resigned sigh, Vanessa Hart settled among the younger cousins, forcing a smile she didn’t feel.

Ryan Fletcher soon joined them.

The moment he spotted Vanessa beside him, his expression twisted in distaste. He shifted away sharply, putting as much distance between them as possible.

Vanessa’s brows furrowed. What’s his problem?

Her thoughts churned. Ryan’s mother is Sir Harold’s adopted daughter, and she married out years ago. He’s practically an outsider here. And yet, he dares to look down on me?

Noticing her glare, Ryan smirked. “Got something to say?”

He lifted his hands in mock innocence. “Heard you’re expecting. Just keeping my distance, you know? Wouldn’t want to get dragged into any drama—especially since your husband and I have never seen eye to eye.”

With that, he reached over and tugged a bespectacled younger cousin into the seat between them. “Christopher, sit here.”

Christopher Aniston, Audrey Mills’ eldest son at eighteen, was deep in SAT prep with only months left before the exams.

Quiet and bookish, he didn’t resist when Ryan pulled him down, obediently filling the gap between them.

Vanessa instinctively glanced at Alexander. She thought, Will he really stay silent while Ryan is being so blatantly disrespectful?

To her surprise, Alexander didn’t react. He and Grace were engrossed in conversation, their heads tilted close, voices barely above a whisper. Vanessa couldn’t catch a single word.

Frustration coiled tight in her chest. Her fingers curled into fists beneath the table.

Grace had deliberately positioned herself between Alexander and Vanessa—because Alexander had texted her earlier, insisting he didn’t want to sit too close to Vanessa.

Grace might not know the full extent of their issues, but anyone with half a brain could see the tension between them. Alexander hadn’t stepped foot in Hawthorne Estate for days.

Grace had always looked down on Vanessa.

She was convinced that ever since her brother married Vanessa, his reputation had begun to tarnish. His once-unshakable influence was fading.

Grace believed Vanessa was nothing but bad luck, dragging Alexander down from his rightful place at the top.

Her gaze flicked to Vanessa’s stomach. Bro, I fully support you filing for divorce. Mom must be losing her mind to be swayed by something as trivial as a pregnancy.

She smirked inwardly. In a family like ours, if Alexander wanted, he could have an entire line of women begging to bear his heir.

Secret Admiration: Finding True Love After Prison (Evelyn) novel