Chapter 24 Noelle's sharp comeback left Sabrina both furious and flustered . As far as Sabrina was concerned , Noelle had stopped giving a damn . With nothing left to lose , she wasn't about to be cowed by anyone . If Sabrina picked a fight now , there was no guarantee she'd win , and she might even end up even more humiliated . Still , she wasn't going to let it drop . She had plenty of ways to even the score . She turned to Yasmine with a wounded look , clutched her stomach as if it hurt , and pitifully said , " I don't care if Noelle talks nonsense about me or Caleb , but how could she speak to you like that ? I just can't stand it . " Sabrina knew Yasmine never let anyone walk over her . She wouldn't let Noelle off the hook easily either , and with a few well - placed prods from her , Yasmine's temper flared . Now , it was only a matter of how far the blaze would spread . Sure enough , Yasmine's eyes blazed as she fixed Noelle with a hard , unapologetic stare . Noelle knew that look all too well . Back when she'd lived with the Ashfords , Yasmine would sometimes give her that same glare before tearing into her . Even if something wasn't her fault , she wasn't allowed to defend herself . Conner always told her his dad died young , leaving Yasmine to run the company alone . If Yasmine hadn't been so tough , he and Caleb might have gone hungry . In retrospect , Noelle found it rather funny . She had actually felt sorry for Yasmine back then . But now , she knew better . Resilience was a virtue , but being overbearing was just a personality flaw . She met Yasmine's glare head - on , unflinching before her ex - mother - in - law who would stop at nothing for a grandchild . Yasmine froze under Noelle's stare . Since when did she dare look at her like that ? In the past , whenever she scolded her , Noelle would just stand there and take it . " You've only been back with the Spencers for two days and already can't keep your temper in check . Look at you . What man would ever like you now ? You have no respect for your mother - in - law . " Clearly , your mom never bothered to teach you any manners , " Yasmine shot . Chapter 24 2/3 A coldness crept into Noelle's narrowed eyes . If Yasmine hadn't dragged Mary into this , she might've spared her a shred of dignity . But since she had gone straight for her soft spot , Noelle was done with mercy . She spat , " I have no shortage of men who like me . But you ? Looking the way you do , I doubt any man would . The only ones who stick around are after your money . " Mary sensed the tension spiking and instinctively reached out to stop Noelle . What on earth had happened to make her usually gentle daughter cast aside her respect for her elders ? But then , she thought better of it . After all , Noelle had always been well - behaved . So , if she was speaking up like this now , it could only mean that she had endured too much humiliation from the Ashfords . In the end , Mary gave up on the idea of stopping Noelle . When Noelle was the Ashfords ' daughter - in - law , she had no choice but to endure their harsh words . But now that she wasn't related to them anymore , why should she put up with her overbearing ex - mother - in- law's crap ? Sabrina's eyes went wide . She had never expected to hear such bold words from Noelle -not even in a million years . She glanced at Yasmine . Her face was mottled with fury , and her eyes were burning with rage . Sabrina then remembered the story Noelle had spun about Caleb harassing her at the Spencer residence . This time , she'd make sure Noelle paid for it . " Ah ! " she gasped , collapsing against Yasmine . " Mom , how can she talk to you like that ? I just can't stand it . " Ah ! My stomach … It hurts so much ! " Yasmine had been gearing up to unleash her anger , but before she could , a new problem had landed in her lap . How spiteful . Noelle was truly nothing but a jinx . Every time she showed up , something would go wrong with her precious grandson . " What are you waiting for ? " Yasmine snapped at the bodyguards behind them . " Get her to the nearest hospital now ! " The bodyguards stepped forward to help , but Sabrina waved them off . " No , I'm not going . " Mom , Noelle's walking all over you with me standing right here . What's going to happen when I leave ? I'm calling Caleb and telling him to come set things straight ! " Noelle let out a cold laugh at Sabrina's theatrics . Mary had intended to help , but Noelle stopped her . " Mom , don't go over there . If you touch her , she might Chapter 24 claim you upset her pregnancy and make you pay for it . " Mary eyed Sabrina's exaggerated expression , then stayed put . " You're right . At my age , if someone accused me of that , I'd never live it down . " As Marry watched Sabrina put on her little show , a sudden realization hit her . With a sister - in - law like this , Noelle's life with the Ashfords must have been pure misery . 3/3 She slipped an arm around Noelle's shoulders and turned to Yasmine . " Ms. Clark , in our family we believe in raising our daughter to be happy . " You're right . We admit we might not have taught her well . If Noelle has offended you , as an elder , you shouldn't take it to heat . The future is wide open , and our families can go our separate ways . Even if Noelle has no manners , she's no longer your concern . " Noelle was caught off guard by this . It wasn't like Mary at all . Normally , she'd bite her tongue and endure whatever she could . Now though , her words , though were wrapped in politeness , carried a sharp edge beneath them . Of course , Yasmine wasn't going to let Noelle off the hook . She never let anyone get away with a slight , and now her usually compliant daughter - in - law had dared to talk back to her . There was no way she'd swallow that . But just as she was about to fire off a retort , Noelle drawled , " Ms. Clark , Sabrina's about to call Caleb over . The other night in our place , he rambled that he was actually Conner . " I didn't feel like dealing with it then , but I think I have the time to set him straight today . I'm just not sure if Sabrina's pregnancy can handle that . " Chapter 25 1/2 Chapter 25