Third person's POV
The dinner party was going pretty smoothly, but now the atmosphere had suddenly gotten tense.
Tabitha was cramping so badly that she couldn't even speak.
Her face was as pale as a sheet, and her body slightly trembled. She tightly clutched her stomach with one hand, trying to ease the excruciating pain.
Andrea was sitting on the sidelines, planning to enjoy the spectacle, since she didn't have much fondness for Phoebe and Zander.
But she never expected that Phoebe and Zander would stir up trouble at this time.
Andrea was aware that they were trying to exploit the situation to find a pretext for Alpha Elliott to drive Tabitha and the others out of the Greenwood family.
"Ambrose, since you're so fond of the word 'apology', should we perhaps etch it on your tombstone when you kick the bucket?" Andrea snapped at Ambrose, her eyes brimming with fury and contempt.
Hearing Andrea's words, Ambrose darkened his face immediately. He shot back coldly, "This is none of your business. Keep your mouth shut."
However, Andrea wasn't one to be easily cowed.
She suddenly stood up and strode over to stand in front of Tabitha, placing Tabitha behind her. Then, with fierce determination, she confronted Ambrose and said, "Fuck you!"
The unexpected outburst caught everyone off guard, plunging the entire scene into an abrupt silence.
Ambrose was taken aback. He had never anticipated Andrea would utter such words.
Phoebe also widened her eyes, her mouth hanging slightly ajar as if she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
The onlookers were equally stunned. They exchanged hushed whispers and discussed amongst themselves, quite taken aback by this sudden twist in the proceedings.
Only Alpha Elliot looked a bit uncomfortable. He cleared his throat a few times, trying to break the awkward silence, and said, "Andrea, watch your manners. You know my wife is really particular about these things. Be careful not to disturb her soul."
Everyone knew that in the past, Andrea, being a pampered young lady, would get angry and scold people, but she did it in a subtle way, without using any foul language.
But now, after two decades, it seemed she had become more assertive and fiercer, not holding back with her words at all.
"Ambrose, I'm genuinely curious about those two holes above your nose. Are they for breathing? You might not have eyes, but you do have a brain, right? Tabitha was sitting here minding her own business, and he was the one who came over to provoke her. No one heard what they said, and you're taking his word for it? Tabitha isn't crazy or stupid. Why would she throw something at someone in a place like this?" Andrea fired off her words like a machine gun, leaving Ambrose's face instantly flushed with embarrassment.
He felt as if he'd lost his dignity in front of everyone.
Ambrose furrowed his brows, thinking to himself, 'Who does she think she is? This woman's temper has gotten much worse than before!'
"What could Zander possibly say? He was just concerned about her. Andrea, I understand that you despise me, but even if we return, no one can shake your status. Derek will remain the heir to the Greenwood family. There's no need to harbor resentment toward Phoebe and Zander."
At that moment, Tabitha endured the severe pain in her stomach and pressed her abdomen tightly with her hand, standing up with a pale face.
She bit her lip, her eyes flashing with anger as she challenged, "Your son? Does that mean Derek isn't your son too?"
Her question left Ambrose speechless, and he realized that his previous statement was indeed inappropriate.
In his heart, he never really respected Andrea, and he secretly harbored a strong aversion to Derek's existence.
In his eyes, Derek was like a stain on his love, making him feel guilty toward Phoebe.
Though he was reluctant to admit it, the father-son relationship between him and Derek was a fact of blood and unchangeable.
Alpha Elliot saw the situation becoming increasingly chaotic and could no longer stand idly by.
He was so angry that he slapped the armrests of his wheelchair, attempting to rise and put an end to the farce, but the butler firmly restrained him.
The butler said anxiously, "Alpha Elliot, please take it easy." Alpha Elliot sighed helplessly and then shouted, "Shut up!"
He was aware that despite Phoebe and Zander's ulterior motives, today was his birthday, after all.
Ever since his spouse passed away, he had got fewer and fewer family members around. He was getting on in years, and his mind wasn't as sharp as it used to be. It felt like he was living on borrowed time.
He had been butting heads with Ambrose for the second half of his life. He was thinking of calling a truce today, just for the sake of peace and harmony. He wanted to pretend it was a family gathering, with grandchildren all around, instead of a chaotic mess. All he really wanted was a simple, peaceful birthday.
Little did he expect that Phoebe and Zander would stir things up again, turning his birthday celebration into a complete mess.
Zander surely understood Alpha Elliot's desire to make peace and keep things calm.
But he just couldn't let it go. So he simply knelt down, pretending to be wronged, and said, "Grandpa, it's all my fault. Please don't blame my mom. If you want to punish me, I'll take it. She's just too worried about me."
His actions, seemingly admitting his mistake, were actually a calculated move to play the victim, casting Tabitha and Andrea in a more dominant light to onlookers.
Tabitha gazed at the unfolding scene, a surge of empathy welling up inside her. It was at that moment that she truly grasped the life Andrea had been through before.