From Sneers to Cheers: Anthea’s Ascent

"Sherman, let's go! Don't waste your breath on people like her," Karen snapped, grabbing Sherman by the arm.
Sherman gave a small nod and followed her, leaving Rebecca scrambling after them.
"No! Grandma, please, don't go! I'm begging you, please forgive me!" Rebecca pleaded, chasing at their heels.
But Karen didn't even look back.
Smack.
She slammed the car door in Rebecca's face.
The driver started the engine, and all Rebecca could do was stand there as a cloud of dust settled around her.
"Ah!"
A guttural cry tore from her throat. Rebecca collapsed, sobbing in utter despair.
In the car, Karen glanced at Sherman, worry creasing her brow. "Listen to me, you stubborn boy! Don't let that manipulative girl
Rebecca fool you. I only accept Ann as my granddaughter-in-law, got it?"
She'd seen enough schemers in her day, and she wasn't about to let Sherman get tangled up with one. Truth be told, her nerves
had been especially on edge ever since she'd read that romance novel last week-the one where the male lead was completely
duped by a conniving vixen.
That character had pulled every trick in the book to turn the hero against the real heroine, and the poor girl suffered endlessly-
betrayed, heartbroken, humiliated. And the worst part? In the end, the heroine actually forgave the idiot who'd wronged her, like
some lovesick fool.

Karen had nearly ground her teeth to dust reading that nonsense. If she could, she'd have jumped right into the pages to knock
some sense into the heroine and give the male lead a swift kick to the head.
Rebecca was just like that-sweet on the outside, rotten underneath. She lied without blinking and would even throw her own
parents under the bus if it meant marrying into the Christensen family. Karen's biggest fear was that Sherman would end up like
Daniel from that book: blind to the truth and hopelessly manipulated.
She would not allow it.

Karen fixed Sherman with a fierce look. "If you ever so much as misunderstand Ann, or treat her badly, I swear-I'll knock some
sense into that thick skull of yours, break both your legs, and cut you off for good! You'll be out of this family, and I'll never forgive
you. Ever!"
Sherman raised an eyebrow. Grandma love, huh?
"Are you even listening to me?" Karen demanded, punctuating her words with a sharp smack to his arm.
Sherman absentmindedly fingered the cross around his neck. "I heard you."
Karen froze, surprised by his calm response. Wait a second. Had she heard that right? My God. For once he hadn't launched
into his usual speech about
That never getting married.
That could only mean one thing: Sherman was truly falling for Anthea.
The joy nearly made her giddy, but Karen kept her excitement in check. She stifled a laugh behind her hand-wouldn't do to jinx
things if her future granddaughter-in-law heard her cackling with glee.
Suddenly, a thought struck her. She turned to Sherman, her tone sharp. "By the way, what's going on with that Robinson boy?

Did he lose his mind or what? Do you know what he said to me today?"
Sherman's brow furrowed. "What did he do?"
Karen wasted no time filling him in on Daniel's little visit, recounting how he'd come by just to spread nasty rumors about Anthea.
As Sherman listened, his expression darkened, a dangerous glint flickering in his eyes.
Karen pressed on. "You need to stand up for Ann. She's a wonderful girl, and I won't sit by while some two-faced brat slanders
her."
Sherman's fingers tightened around his cross. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
Karen nodded in satisfaction. "Good. I'm counting on you."

After the long ordeal at the police station, it was well past ten in the evening. Karen decided against stopping by the Yeager
house and told the driver to head straight home.
Meanwhile
Rebecca wandered in a daze to the Morris family's estate. When she saw the court's foreclosure notice pasted on the front gate,
reality hit herike a punch This to the wasn't her home anymore.
She hadn't just lost her engagement; she'd lost her entire identity as Ms. Morris.
She was supposed to soar like a phoenix, not crawl through the ashes.
Anthea.
It was all because of Anthea!
If not for her, Rebecca wouldn't have ended up like this. She hated Anthea with every fiber of her being.
Soon after, Rebecca trudged to her current place—a shabby rental that reeked of mold and disappointment. The neighborhood
was terrible, barely a step up from the basement Carole used to live in.
Rebecca took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
Inside, Sandra lounged on the sofa, glued to her phone, oblivious to Rebecca's arrival. The air was filled with the sounds of
some online card game-"one pair," "east wind," and other calls echoing from the screen.