CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE - SECRETS IN THE SHADOWS

Natalia, for her part, did nothing to rein in her children's behavior. If anything, her smug smile seemed to encourage them. She sipped her wine delicately, her eyes gleaming with barely concealed satisfaction at Clarissa's discomfort. The tension in the room was palpable, each course bringing with it a new round of veiled insults and backhanded compliments. Mara tried desperately to steer the conversation to neutral topics, but her efforts were in vain. The divide at the table was clear - Natalia, Marcus, and Felicity on one side, Clarissa on the other, with Mara and Sebastian caught uncomfortably in the middle. It was during the main course that things truly unraveled. Felicity, emboldened by the wine and the apparent impunity with which she could attack Clarissa, decided to go for the jugular. "I heard the most interesting thing the other day," Felicity began, her voice carrying clearly across the table. "Apparently, Clarissa's recent... achievement at work wasn't quite as impres