Chapter 1228:
“Wouldn’t know, but this is one of Helena’s newest pieces. Like any of you would recognize true luxury if it bit you.”
Elena’s lips curled in faint amusement. She recognized every detail—she was the artist behind the design.
Celeste mistook the silence for cluelessness, her sneer deepening as she relished her assumed superiority.
Peering down at Elena, Celeste continued, “Girls like you are all the same—no pedigree, no power, just a pretty face hoping to latch onto Torin. Newsflash, darling: Torin’s only toying with you. Someone like you will never be his wife.”
A soft, almost mocking laugh escaped Elena. If she had a dollar for every accusation about “seducing” Torin, she’d outbid Celeste for that necklace. Did she look like someone desperate to chase after a man like Torin?
Vanessa, who had stayed quiet through it all, suddenly snapped. Tears rimmed her eyes, fury shaking her words. “Who are you to accuse her of seducing Torin? He’s the one who asked her to marry him—and she said no! How is that on her? The truth is, you’re all obsessed with Torin but too cowardly to admit it, so you gang up on her. Why don’t you go say all this to Torin himself? Or are you too scared?”
Vanessa ripped away every pretense, exposing their hypocrisy for all to see. A hush swept over the group, faces hardening as silence fell. Nervous glances flew toward Celeste, each woman suddenly wary of facing her wrath.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Torin? As if—I don’t have the slightest interest in him!”
“Oh, please. With my bank account, why would I be jealous of some backwater nobody?”
“Don’t listen to her, Your Royal Highness! She’s only trying to cause trouble. We have zero feelings for Torin.”
“Honestly, Your Royal Highness, you and Torin make such a perfect match.”
Panic set in as they scrambled to reassure Celeste, desperate to distance themselves from Vanessa’s accusations. All the while, bitter resentment simmered beneath their smiles. In their minds, Vanessa had crossed a line—one they wouldn’t forget—for dragging their secret envy into the light.
Lаτєѕτ chɒρτєrs ιn g𝓪l𝗇ovєls.𝒸𝑶𝓶
Vanessa could no longer tolerate their insufferable smugness and released a venomous sneer. “Do you dare swear you’ve never entertained thoughts of marrying Torin? Swear on your family’s business empire that if you’re deceiving us, it will crumble to dust. Do you possess that courage?”
The four women desperately wished they could silence Vanessa’s reckless tongue. Had she lost her mind completely? What rational person would stake something so precious on such an oath? If fate turned against them, they would face complete devastation. They all pressed their lips into thin lines, terror stealing their voices.
Initially, Celeste had dismissed Vanessa’s accusations as nonsense, but now, witnessing their panic-stricken expressions, conviction crystallized within her. How utterly shameless could these women be? How dare they harbor desires for Torin? They were merely merchants’ daughters. She had kept them in her circle solely because they flattered her ego, but she had never imagined they would display such audacity in dreaming of marrying the man she had her eye on! Celeste’s expression transformed into something dangerous. “Why have you all fallen mute? If you’ve never fantasized about marrying Torin, what prevents you from taking that oath?”
.
.
.