The Mysterious Billionaire and His Substitute Bride (Ethan and Janet)

Upon hearing the words, Vera turned around with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Johanna was gracefully standing there.

"Hey, Mom. You're here!" Janet said, not surprised by Johanna's arrival because she was the one who had secretly texted her, asking her to come. Janet welcomed her with a bright smile as she walked over to Johanna, held her arm, and led her to sit down from across Vera.

Noticing Johanna's smile, Vera was a bit embarrassed and asked, "Mrs. White, how did you find the time to come here?"

"I was just passing by," Johanna said with a faint smile, nodding her head. "But I wasn't expecting to see Mrs. Harding lecturing my daughter."

Vera could sense that Johanna had come to support Janet.

Her expression darkened and she said, "Mrs. White, since you've seen it, I would like to ask you to discipline your daughter. Tell her to stop meddling in other people's family matters."

Johanna remained calm when facing her accusation and said, "My daughter has always been perfect and doesn't need me to discipline her. Besides, you don't have the right to point fingers at my daughter." Vera sneered, "I've never seen a girl in our social circle who meddles in other people's family affairs as your daughter does."

Despite Vera's harsh words, Johanna didn't lose her cool and replied, "I'm afraid you're mistaken, Mrs. Harding. Laney is my daughter's close friend, and she was only helping a friend in need. How is that wrong?"

"You!" Words got stuck in Vera's throat.

She did not expect Johanna to be as eloquent as Janet, which put her at a loss for words.

Although Johanna was still wearing a gentle smile, her words were razor-sharp.

"If Laney were my friend, I would have already made her divorce Garrett. And Janet was only helping them get a temporary separation to calm down, which has already saved the Harding family's face enough."

"Johanna White! Don't go too far!" Vera's face turned red and livid from anger.

She did not expect Johanna to be so protective of her daughter while completely disregarding the most basic etiquettes in their social circle.

Johanna smiled calmly and said, "Mrs. Harding, Janet has already helped your family save face. She has no ill intentions towards your family. It's not her fault that she wants to protect her friend." Clenching her fists, Vera hissed, "Fine. I don't want to argue with you here. I hope Laney can divorce Garrett soon. She's nothing but a troublemaker. As long as she gives the baby back to us, she can go anywhere!"

Upon hearing that, Johanna's smile gradually faded. "Mrs. Harding, Laney almost died giving birth to her daughter. Not only did your family fail to protect her, but you also want to take her daughter away from her? That's absurd."

Vera opened her mouth to argue, but Johanna cut her off coldly, "We've already saved you and Garrett from embarrassment. Or else, this matter would not have been so easy for you."

Vera's face twisted in fury. She got up to confront them and made to shout, but she caught a glimpse of some ladies from their social circle entering the cafe.

Panicking, Vera recalled Leo's warning. He had told her not to meet these women, but now it was too late.

The ladies walked straight to them.

"Mrs. White, you're here so early! We're sorry to have kept you waiting," one of them greeted Johanna warmly. "Oh, don't worry about it. I just got here myself. Please, take a seat," Johanna replied with a smile.

Janet also greeted the ladies courteously.

Vera stood frozen in place, feeling embarrassed.

She finally understood why Johanna was there. She was planning to have high tea with those ladies.

After greeting them, the other women noticed Vera standing on the side awkwardly.

"Oh, Mrs. Harding. You're here, too."

The women greeted Vera with smiles.

Vera forced a smile and stuttered, "Yes..."

These women had heard about the recent scandal in the Harding family and had assumed that Vera would not show up for social events for a long time. So they were surprised to see her there.

Mrs. Lee, one of the member of the group, asked Vera curiously, "Mrs. Harding, were you also invited by Mrs. White for the afternoon tea?"

The truth was that Johanna did not invite her at all and she had only come to cause trouble for Janet.

Vera was so embarrassed that she wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in it.

Just moments ago, she had argued with Johanna and Janet, so she knew that Johanna might not take her side. In fact, she might even speak ill of her before these women, leaving her no chance of ever showing up again in public.

Unexpectedly, Vera saw Johanna nod her head and say, "Yes, I invited Mrs. Harding."

Vera was surprised. She thought Johanna would use the chance to humiliate her. She did not expect her to show kindness.