Chapter 1327
No.1
The older woman smiled, withdrawing her hand. "Shall I notify your family to collect you?"
Victoria's blood turned to ice.
Her aristocratic dream had shattered.
One question burned: Where was Evelyn Sinclair?
As the crowd dispersed, only Melissa remained.
At a deserted corner, Victoria suddenly shoved open a conference room door.
"Inside." Her voice dripped venom.
No.2
Melissa followed reluctantly.
Lights flickered on.
"What's your game?" Victoria hissed.
"Excuse me?" Melissa played dumb.
"Did you set me up?" Victoria advanced step by step. "Plotting to take my place?"
"Are you insane?" Melissa raised her voice. "You're the one who told me to gather everyone!"
Their glares clashed like drawn swords.
No.3
The room reeked of gunpowder.
"Are you blind or just stupid?" Chloe Cui yanked Monica Mo's collar. "You came running just because I told you to? Didn't even check if I was here?"
Her lips curled into a sneer as her nails dug into Monica's flesh. "Stop pretending we're sisters. If something really happened to me, you'd have a clear path to the Yearwoods, wouldn't you?"
"You're insane!" Monica shoved her away. "Who cares about the Yearwoods? You're the one fawning over Madam Kingsley, desperate to marry into the Kingsley family. You blocked me every time I tried to approach her, and now you're turning this around on me?"
"You?" Chloe scoffed, tilting her chin up. "As if the Kingsleys would ever look twice at trash like you."
"You're delusional!" Monica exploded. "You're the one who asked me to play along with your act! We agreed I'd call for help when I saw Madam Kingsley unconscious. How was I supposed to know you'd disappear?"
"Weren't you there when Hugo Lee explained the plan?" Chloe's voice rose sharply. "Didn't he say you had to wait until you saw me with Madam Kingsley?"
No.4
"That's bullshit!" Monica trembled with rage. "You only told me you'd drug Madam Kingsley and fake your own collapse. How was I supposed to know you'd change the plan last minute?"
"Admit it!" Chloe lunged at her. "You conspired with Evelyn Sinclair! Isn't that man Cheng your old flame?"
Slap!
A stinging blow landed across Chloe's face.
"You dare hit me?" Chloe screeched, grabbing Monica's hair.
They crashed to the floor in a violent tangle. Nails clawed bloody streaks across skin. Expensive gowns tore at the seams.
Click.
No.5
A soft mechanical sound froze them mid-fight.
Whoosh.
The entire wall slid apart.
The banquet hall fell deathly silent. The Kingsleys. The Yearwoods. The Sullivans. Every elite family watched with icy disdain.
Eleanor Kingsley set down her teacup with deliberate calm. "So this is how it is."
Her gaze swept over the two disheveled women before settling on Hugo Lee, who was sweating profusely. "You thought you could scheme against the Kingsleys?"
Hugo's knees buckled. "This is a misunderstanding—"
No.6
"Misunderstanding?" Alexander Kingsley's voice cut through like frozen steel. "Who is Cheng?"
Chloe and Monica collapsed in unison.
"Miss Sinclair was framed—"
"We never meant to harm Madam Kingsley—"
Their panicked excuses dissolved into incoherent babble, interrupted by a soft chuckle.
"Oh? Who framed me?" Evelyn Sinclair emerged from the shadows, arm-in-arm with an elegant older woman.
Madam Zade patted Evelyn's hand. "I was the one who took Evelyn away. We spoke for hours."
No.7
Gasps rippled through the room.
Hugo's face turned ashen. Chloe and Monica clung to each other, shaking.
Alexander rose from his seat, his black suit making him look like an avenging deity. "Excellent."
"What a disgraceful scene at what should have been a joyous celebration." Madam Zade's knuckles turned white as she gripped her wine glass.
Her icy gaze swept over the pale faces of Chloe Cui and Monica Mo. "Miss Sinclair is an honored guest of the Sullivan family. Who gave you the audacity to play such dirty tricks at our banquet?"
Under normal circumstances, Madam Zade might have hesitated to make a public scene.
But tonight was different.