Snow stood before Ravenna, the weight of the newly unveiled truths heavy in the air. The bitterness, the anger she had carried for so long, had begun to transform into a complex tapestry of sorrow and a fragile understanding. Her father's involvement, the hidden life of Jeffrey, the twisted logic behind Ravenna's cruelty – it all coalesced into a desperate wish for something to be salvaged from the wreckage.
"Ravenna," Snow began, her voice raw but steady, "after everything... after knowing what Father knew, what you both tried to hide... can we try to fulfill his last wishes? The will says we're supposed to work together, with Jeffrey, at White Cosmetics." Her gaze was earnest, pleading for a flicker of humanity, a shared grief that could bridge the chasm between them. "Can we find a way to honor his hope for... for our family?"
Ravenna, who had settled back onto her couch, a silent, trembling wreck after her outburst, slowly raised her head. Her eyes, still red-rimmed and swollen from tears, fixed on Snow. For a long moment, a flicker of something unreadable crossed her face – perhaps surprise, perhaps a fleeting glimpse of the woman she once was. Andreas watched intently, sensing the delicate balance of the moment.
But then, the mask of the Queen, hardened by years of resentment and perceived injustice, snapped back into place. Ravenna's expression contorted into a mask of pure, unadulterated fury. She didn't utter a single word. Instead, with a trembling hand, she pointed a trembling finger towards the grand entrance. Her message was clear, unmistakable, and laced with absolute rejection: get out.
Andreas, seeing the moment had passed and sensing the escalating, uncontrolled rage bubbling within Ravenna, gently placed a hand on Snow's back. "Snow," he murmured, his voice low, "we should go. For now." He understood that some wounds were too deep, some truths too raw, for immediate healing.
As they turned to leave, the door silently closing behind them, they heard Ravenna's voice, a desolate, strangled sob that echoed from within the opulent penthouse.