From Sneers to Cheers: Anthea’s Ascent

"Sherman, let's go! Don't waste your breath on people like her," Karen snapped, grabbing Sherman by the arm.

Sherman gave a small nod and followed her, leaving Rebecca scrambling after them.

"No! Grandma, please, don't go! I'm begging you, please forgive me!" Rebecca pleaded, chasing at their heels.

But Karen didn't even look back.

Smack.

She slammed the car door in Rebecca's face.

The driver started the engine, and all Rebecca could do was stand there as a cloud of dust settled around her.

"ARI

A guttural cry tore from her throat. Rebecca collapsed, sobbing in utter despair.

In the car, Karen glanced at Sherman, worry creasing her brow. "Listen to me, you stubborn boy! Don't let that

manipulative girl Rebecca fool you. | only accept Ann as my granddaughter-in-law, got it?"

She'd seen enough schemers in her day, and she wasn't about to let Sherman get tangled up with one. Truth be

told, her nerves had been especially on edge ever since she'd read that romance last week-the one where

the male lead was completely duped by a conniving vixen.

That character had pulled every trick in the book to turn the hero against the real heroine, and the poor girl

suffered endlessly-betrayed, heartbroken, humiliated. And the worst part? In the end, the heroine actually

forgave the idiot who'd wronged her, like slovesick fool.

Karen had nearly ground her teeth to dust reading that nonsense. If she could, she'd have jumped right into the

pages to knock ssense into the heroine and give the male lead a swift kick to the head.

Rebecca was just like that-sweet on the outside, rotten underneath. She lied without blinking and would even

throw her own parents under the bus if it meant marrying into the Christensen family. Karen's biggest fear was

that Sherman would end up like Daniel from that book: blind to the truth and hopelessly manipulated.

She would not allow it.

Karen fixed Sherman with a fierce look. "If you ever so much as misunderstand Ann, or treat her badly, | swear-I'll

knock ssense into that thick skull of yours, break both your legs, and cut you off for good! You'll be out of

this family, and I'll never forgive you. Ever!"

Sherman raised an eyebrow. Grandma love, huh?

"Are you even listening to me?" Karen demanded, punctuating her words with a sharp smack to his arm.

Sherman absentmindedly fingered the cross around his neck. "I heard you."

Karen froze, surprised by his calm response. Wait a second. Had she heard that right? My God. For once he

hadn't launched into his usual speech about

That never getting married.

That could only mean one thing: Sherman was truly falling for Anthea.

The joy nearly made her giddy, but Karen kept her excitement in check. She stifled a laugh behind her hand-

wouldn't do to jinx things if her future granddaughter-in-law heard her cackling with glee.

Suddenly, a thought struck her. She turned to Sherman, her tone sharp. "By the way, what's going on with that

Robinson boy? Did he lose his mind or what? Do you know what he said totoday?"

Sherman's brow furrowed. "What did he do?"

Karen wasted no tfilling him in on Daniel's little visit, recounting how he'd cby just to spread nasty

rumors about Anthea.

As Sherman listened, his expression darkened, a dangerous glint flickering in his eyes.

Karen pressed on. "You need to stand up for Ann. She's a wonderful girl, and | won't sit by while stwo-faced

brat slanders her."

Sherman's fingers tightened around his cross. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

Karen nodded in satisfaction. "Good. I'm counting on you."

After the long ordeal at the police station, it was well past ten in the evening. Karen decided against stopping by

the Yeager house and told the driver to head straight home.

Meanwhile

Rebecca wandered in a daze to the Morris family's estate. When she saw the court's foreclosure notice pasted on

the front gate, reality hit herike a punch This to the wasn't her hanymore.

She hadn't just lost her engagement; she'd lost her entire identity as Ms. Morris.

She was supposed to soar like a phoenix, not crawl through the ashes.

Anthea.

It was all because of Anthea!

If not for her, Rebecca wouldn't have ended up like this. She hated Anthea with every fiber of her being.

Soon after, Rebecca trudged to her current place—a shabby rental that reeked of mold and disappointment. The

neighborhood was terrible, barely a step up from the basement Carole used to live in.

Rebecca took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

Inside, Sandra lounged on the sofa, glued to her phone, oblivious to Rebecca's arrival. The air was filled with the

sounds of sonline card game-"one pair," "east wind," and other calls echoing from the screen.

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