He pointed at me, sputtering for what felt like an eternity before managing a single word. "You—!"
Just then, the doors to the press conference hall were shoved open.
Hurried footsteps echoed across the room.
Elmer's parents, Colin Mason and Ruth Mason, came striding toward us.
The moment Elmer saw it was his own father and mother, he latched onto them like a drowning man reaching for a lifeline. The fury vanished from his face in an instant, replaced by a look of wounded victimhood as he rushed to meet them.
"Dad, Mom, thank God you're here!"
He grabbed his mother's hand and launched into his sob story.
"Gwendolen is an ungrateful snake. She's trying to take over Stellaris!"
He shot me a triumphant look while he laid out his case, painting himself as the ultimate victim, heaping every last shred of blame onto my shoulders.
But before he could even finish, Ruth raised her hand and slapped him across the face.
The blow caught Elmer completely off guard.
Fast. Hard.
The crack of it rang through the silent room, sharp enough to make people flinch.
Elmer clutched his cheek, eyes wide, utterly stunned.
Ruth pointed a finger at him and snapped, "Shut your mouth! Nobody would mistake you for a mute if you just stopped talking!"
The slap had landed squarely on her son's face. Elmer, who had been whining and carrying on just seconds ago, went dead silent. He held his cheek, mouth hanging open, unable to form a single word. His eyes were full of disbelief.
I stood off to the side, quietly surprised myself. I knew my mother-in-law well. She usually treated Elmer like he was made of glass, wouldn't even raise her voice at him. For her to strike him like that today was something else entirely.
Colin, meanwhile, looked like a thundercloud. He jabbed a finger at his son and erupted.
"Are you done making a scene?!"
"We spoil you rotten at home, and this is how you repay us? Look at yourself! Is this how a grown man behaves?"
Elmer finally recovered enough to shout back at both of them. "What did I do wrong? Why did you hit me?!"
"She's the one trying to steal our family's assets! She wants to take Stellaris!"
"If she gets her hands on it, the Mason family is finished! How can you not see that?!"
His voice climbed higher with every word, thick with indignation and resentment.
But no matter how much he protested, neither of his parents budged.
They exchanged a glance, and Ruth turned to me first. She forced a smile. It was stiff, but her tone was gentle.
"Gwendolen, you've really been put through the wringer today. I'm so sorry."
I returned a thin smile. "I wouldn't call it that. I just don't want anything to do with him anymore."
The crowd had long since been blindsided by this dramatic turn of events. One of Colin's old friends couldn't help stepping forward.
"Colin, don't you think you're overreacting here? What your son said wasn't entirely unreasonable."
Colin let out a weary sigh, his tone deliberately vague. "You don't know the full picture. Best stay out of it."
The meaning behind those words was clear: this was family business, and outsiders had no place in it. He was also trying to get everyone to leave, hoping to keep the family's dirty laundry from airing any further.
"Hold on, Mr. Mason," I said. "My name hasn't been cleared yet. If everyone leaves, who's going to witness the truth?"
Colin's expression darkened. He lowered his voice, a note of pleading creeping in.
"Gwendolen, I'm begging you. Whatever needs to be said, we can discuss it in private, as a family. There's no need to turn this into a public spectacle. It's not good for anyone. It's not appropriate."
I looked at him, my gaze flat and unmoved.
"What's not appropriate about it?"
"I gave you a chance before. You didn't value it. You let it slip through your fingers."
"How is that my problem?"
