Chapter 39 Louie shook his head and said , " That may have been true before . But Ms. Ravelle is now an employee of Scott Group . If someone tries to exploit my staff , I'm not going to sit back and let it happen . " He had long thought about it . If Rhea and Carter ever went to war , Louie would stand with Rhea , without question . Not just because he enjoyed making life difficult for Carter , but because pulling Rhea to his side meant pulling in the most powerful heiress of Draventh . And he would never be the fool who told Carter the truth about Rhea's real identity . He was looking forward to the day Carter would finally regret it . Carter's expression grew darker , his gaze locked on Rhea . " It's getting late . You should go back and video call the kids . " He felt that it was Rhea's responsibility . After all , the kids depended on her the most . They adored her , so wasn't it only right for her to be the one who cared for them ? Even here , in public , Carter had the nerve to order her around like she was nothing more than a nanny , without giving her even the slightest bit of respect . Since that was how he wanted to play it , Rhea saw no reason to keep their dirty laundry hidden anymore . She said flatly , " I already told you , I'll take care of the kids if they carry my last name . But as long as you two keep calling me a stepmother , then all my efforts will just be treated as mere obligation . That , I can't accept . " Her love for the children had never come with a price . It was Carter who made her slowly realize that she had been wrong . Her love for the kids could be unconditional . But when it came to him , there had to be a clear price . Carter looked stunned . " So now you're putting a price on caring for the kids ? Just because they're not biologically yours , you think it's okay to be irresponsible ? " Even Louie , an outsider , was disgusted by his words . " Carter , have you no shame ? " Carter's anger flared . " This has nothing to do with you , Louie ! " " Carter , don't start an argument in public . Rhea has her own career . It's understandable if she can't take care of the kids , " Lauren said , trying to smooth things over . But those words left the people around them wide - eyed in disbelief . What was that supposed to mean ? They wondered if it was simply expected of Rhea to care for the kids , while the biological parents somehow had the nerve to criticize her . Wasn't the responsibility of raising the children supposed to fall on the two of them ? " Yeah , it's understandable . " Rhea felt utterly disheartened . With a cold expression , she turned to face them . " Because that's your responsibility , not mine . " Carter moved to take a step closer , but Rhea slammed the private room door shut with a loud bang . Fortunately , Carter stepped back just in time . Otherwise , the door would have slammed right into his nose . 1/2 Chapter 39 +25 BONUS His eyes burned with anger as he stared daggers at the door . He could faintly hear Louie's voice from behind the door . " What kind of lunatic blames someone else for not taking care of their own kids ? Aren't they out here wining and dining ? They're really shameless . " Carter's face burned with rage . He could take criticism from anyone but not from a Scott . Just as he was about to force the door open , a man in a suit suddenly reached out his hand . " Excuse me . " Carter paused mid - motion and looked up . A group of eight people had just arrived , and the one who spoke looked very much like a bodyguard . Behind him stood George . Tall and broad - shouldered , he stood there like a towering mountain . He carried himself with quiet authority . Just one look from him radiated pressure . Carter immediately plastered on a smile and stepped back . " Mr. Snider ? " George gave a faint nod . " Mr. Jamison , are you here for dinner as well ? " This place was the most exclusive restaurant in the area , making it the top choice for business dinners . Carter replied , " Yes , I'm dining with some staff . " George's gaze shifted slowly to Lauren . His tone carried a subtle edge , layered with something unspoken , as he called out , " Mrs. Jamison . "