After listening to her friends, Pauline wiped her eyes and sighed. "That's enough. Benson's coming home soon. If he hears you talking about this, he'll be angry."
"Pauline, oh Pauline," one friend said. "Not only do you take care of your husband, but you're also bullied by his ex-wife's child! You're a good wife and mother. No wonder everyone says you're the most generous, decent, and lenient person in Harmon City."
Her friends teased her, but Pauline smiled through her tears. "Stop making fun of me. I'm not as good as you think. I'm just soft-hearted and easily picked on."
"Exactly!" another friend exclaimed. "I can barely stand watching you like that."
"I know you feel sorry for me," Pauline said, "but being bullied as a stepmother is inevitable. I just have to get used to it"
Pauline consistently portrayed herself as weak and gentle. Her friends, worried and saddened by this, nonetheless hesitated to criticize her, as she hadn't done anything wrong. Gwenda was solely at fault, ensuring all blame fell upon her, leaving Pauline appearing saintly.
Two days later, news of Gwenda bullying her aunt spread throughout Harmon City. People called her subversive, and even Suzanne received the news. That night, Suzanne summoned August to the Reed mansion. "The rumors about Gwenda—are they true?" she asked.
August, lounging on the sofa and playing a game on his phone, replied nonchalantly, "I'm not sure."
Suzanne frowned and whacked him on the head. A loud smack echoed through the room. August hissed, "Grandmother!"
"Oh, you do know I'm your grandmother?" Suzanne glared. "I'm asking you a question. Can you just dismiss it with 'I don't know'?"
"I really don't know," August said, putting away his phone. "I'm so busy these days, I barely have time for that brat."
"You're just trying to annoy me, aren't you?" Suzanne growled.
"Grandmother" August began.
"Don't 'grandmother' me! Find out what's going on. I want an answer in one hour!"
August, having no choice, called his special assistant, Eric, who quickly investigated. After Eric's report, August relayed everything to Suzanne.
"This is unacceptable!" Suzanne raged. "It's that stepmother pretending to be a weakling again, making herself seem the most aggrieved so Gwenda is blamed! She's done this before. I can't believe she's still doing it!"
"Grandmother, please calm down," August said soothingly, patting her back. "The Gwenda we know now isn't the same. She's tough and prepared. You don't have to worry."
"Oh, this child always believed her stepmother. It's extraordinary she's finally come to her senses," Suzanne sighed. "I wonder how she's feeling, facing this alone. No, I must call her."
"Grandmother," August interrupted. "Rest assured. Gwenda's fine. She's devoted to her career. She wouldn't have time for this."
"I'm afraid she'll have a hard time. You know what her stepmother's like," Suzanne said anxiously.
August chuckled. "Don't worry. Since Gwenda changed, she's been more decisive. She'll handle it. Relax."
"Really?"
"Of course!" August sighed. "Grandmother, if Gwenda's bullied, I'd be the first to go after them as her cousin, not just you."
"Since when did you care about her?" Suzanne asked, surprised. "Didn't you hate her before? Saying she was a fool who listened to lies?"
August scratched his head. "You said it yourself, that was before. Hasn't she changed? Naturally, my view changed too." Since Gwenda borrowed 10 million from him to establish her studio, August's opinion of her had shifted. He saw her positive change.
"That's true. Gwenda has changed a lot," Suzanne said, filled with mixed emotions. She'd worried about her granddaughter for years, but this change was a long-held wish fulfilled.
"By the way," Suzanne suddenly remembered, "did you tell Gwenda about my birthday feast next week?"
This revised text improves grammar, punctuation, and flow, making the narrative clearer and more engaging. The excessive ellipses () were removed as they were unnecessary.