Reluctantly, Karol said, “Alright, I'll send someone over now."

She called Kaden for help.

“Listen, I'm the one keeping you safe now. Can you at least show me some respect? Who knows what might happen if you leave in your condition?" Karol grabbed a chair and took a seat.

Miranda stayed silent. Even with her eyes closed, Karol could sense Miranda's disdain and contempt.

Fuming, Karol gritted her teeth and decided to hold her tongue.

After all, Miranda still held some importance.

"But seriously, you don't know Lilah? That's impossible!" Karol questioned sharply.

At last, Miranda replied, shaking her head, "No."

Karol sneered, crossed her legs, and muttered with a hint of satisfaction, "Well, at least you're not connected to that horrible woman. If you were, I'd make sure you suffered for it. She's just a slut's daughter. My father welcomed her back to the family, but she turned out to be a troublemaker, flirting with men everywhere, completely shameless."

Karol had to pretend in front of everyone during the day.

She played the part of the devoted sister to Lilah, feigning affection with a convincing smile.

Yet, behind the curtain of her charade, her heart seethed with nothing but bitterness and revulsion.

Lilah, that wretched woman, stood as the singular nemesis in her life.

Today, standing before a stranger who bore an uncanny resemblance to Lilah, Karol felt a rare freedom from her usual charades.

"I bet you're unaware that you look almost exactly Like that wretched woman," she said, her voice laced with scorn. “Luckily for you, your face was marred. Otherwise, I might mistake you for her and doom you myself. Do you understand what I'm saying? That wretched woman is the vilest creature I've ever encountered. She played the seductress, all the while pretending her affections ran deep. How utterly repugnant.”

A fierce look flashed across Karol's eyes as her heart twisted with resentment.

Miranda slowly opened her eyes, asking calmly, “Why do you hate her so deeply?"

Her voice was clear, giving away nothing of her emotions-whether she was amused or enraged.

Karol rose abruptly, her laughter bitter and distorted. "You ask why I hate her? Perhaps you should ask that wretched woman herself. Before she came along, I was adored, a cherished jewel in the eyes of my family. I might even have been with Gerard. But her appearance changed everything. My father's affection waned, my grandmother grew disappointed, and even the man I love was taken from me. Why don't I hate that wretched woman?"

Miranda listened with an indifferent expression, as though she were being entertained by the most absurd joke in the world.

"So what? She's still living well," she joked.

Karol's fury ignited. "She can't possibly be living too well. Though that wretched woman managed to escape the past assassination attempts and schemes, this time I won't let her slip through my fingers again. I will replace her and become Gerard's legal wife!"

"Oh." Miranda's eyes flashed, a fierce glint passing through, yet her demeanor remained calm. "Congratulations in advance, then."

Karol sneered. "Do you not believe me? Just wait and see how I gradually win Brenda's favor, control her mind, and slowly draw all the members of the Harris family to my side."