Chapter 6
His cold gaze swept across Sarah and her group of friends, finally settling on James’s face as he tried to step forward and explain. His voice was low and dangerous. “Why did you treat my fiancée this way?”
“Fi–Fiancée?!” Sarah shrieked in disbelief, staring at me in shock before turning to Steven.
“Impossible! Steven, she’s deceiving you! She’s just a poor delivery girl! Her name is Linda, and she’s James’s girlfriend! How could she possibly be your fiancée?!
“She’s been delivering food for two whole years. I’ve known her for ages. How could a woman like that possibly be a daughter of the Watson family!”
James was also stunned by this sudden revelation. He looked at how Steven was protecting me, at the expensive suit jacket I was wearing that was now stained with filth, and at the undisguised concern and anger in Steven’s eyes…
An absurd yet undeniably real thought struck him. “Linda… You…”
He looked me up and down as if seeing me for the first time, trying to find traces of a “Watson heiress” beneath my disheveled appearance.
“Linda…” James pointed at me in a daze, his voice hoarse with the anger of betrayal and a barely perceptible panic. “Tell me what’s really going on here?
“Have you been lying to me these past two years?! You’re clearly a rich family’s daughter, so why did you pretend to be poor and deceive me?! Watching me act like a fool while you played me, watching me grovel to
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you for survival–you must have been so proud, weren’t you?!
“And what’s your relationship with Steven? Why is he saying you’re his fiancée?
“Answer me!”
His tone was full of accusations and grievances, as if he were the one who had been deceived and hurt.
“Ha.” I pulled Steven’s warm jacket tighter around me, finding the man before me disgustingly hypocritical. “James, your skill at playing the victim is truly masterful.
“Who was pretending to be poor? Who was pretending to be disabled? Who pawned my mother’s belongings just to please his childhood sweetheart? Who spent two years scheming and acting, all to get revenge. for Sarah, watching me run around like a fool in the pouring rain, delivering the expensive takeout you two enjoyed–you must have been thrilled, weren’t you?!
“Who exactly wronged whom here? Can you explain that clearly?”
My sharp gaze turned to Sarah, whose face had gone pale, looking at her finger where nothing remained.
“The ones who truly wore masks and acted, who schemed to deceive, take revenge, and trample on someone else’s sincere feelings–that was you and Sarah!”
My voice wasn’t loud, but every word I spoke hit James like a
sledgehammer–and struck the face of everyone present who had once. mocked me.
“You’re lying!”
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Chapter 6
Sarah reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shrieking her denial and trying to shift focus. She pointed at my nose, her voice cutting.
“Your mother’s worthless ring! Who knows if it was even real! It was probably just a fake! No wonder Mr. Watson kicked you out of the house! You’re just some unwanted…”
“Slap!” The crisp sound of the slap cut off all her vicious speculation.
Steven withdrew his hand, his eyes cold as ice, the low pressure
emanating from him making the entire lobby’s temperature plummet.
“Sarah, watch your mouth. Say one more disrespectful word about Linda or her mother, and you won’t be able to handle the consequences.”
Sarah clutched her cheek, the burning pain and massive humiliation making her whole body tremble.
Her friends were still clueless and couldn’t help but speak up to criticize
Steven.
“Mr. Garrett, as her brother, you should stand up for your sister. How can you hit your own sister for an outsider?”
“Exactly, this woman clearly did wrong first, and Sarah was just teaching
her a lesson for the hotel!”
“She’s your sister…”
Steven repeated with amusement, “My sister?”
Chapter 7
