Chapter 135

Vanessa stared at Evelyn.

Evelyn occupied the head seat, her gaze cool and composed.

While Vanessa and Ethan Caldwell squirmed in discomfort, Evelyn appeared regal—untouchable, as if observing a play from the royal box.

How dare she? Vanessa seethed internally. She orchestrated this entire humiliation, yet sits there like some untouchable queen. Just because she tricked Alexander Whitmore into marriage?

But pride wouldn’t serve her now. Not when the stakes were this high.

Vanessa’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. "We don’t resent you, Aunt Evelyn."

Ryan Fletcher scoffed. "Is that so? Then show some respect! Don’t just stand there gawking."

A sharp-eyed maid materialized beside them, balancing a silver tray with two porcelain cups of freshly brewed coffee.

Swallowing her fury, Vanessa bowed slightly. "Uncle Alexander, Aunt Evelyn… please enjoy your coffee."

Every syllable tasted like ash.

The weight of her own words pressed down on her, a branding iron of submission.

And Evelyn?

She didn’t even blink.

Vanessa's eyes were bloodshot, her lips nearly white from how hard she'd been biting them. She looked utterly broken, like a fragile doll that had been tossed aside. Her fingers trembled around the coffee cup, barely keeping it steady.

"Poor thing," Evelyn murmured, reaching out to pat Vanessa's head as if soothing a frightened kitten.

Just as her fingers brushed Vanessa's, the cup tilted—too sudden, too careless. Scalding liquid splashed across Vanessa's delicate hands, searing her skin. A sharp cry tore from her throat as she jerked back, tears springing to her eyes.

"Vanessa!" Ethan's voice turned sharp with alarm as he rushed forward.

Her hands were already an angry red, the pain making her whimper. Yet she bit down on her lip, stifling her sobs, as if afraid to make too much noise. The sight of her—shaking, wounded, trying so hard to endure—was heartbreaking.

Evelyn, however, didn’t move. She simply watched, her expression cool and detached, as if this entire scene had nothing to do with her.

Ethan’s jaw tightened. "You’re married to Alexander now. Is it really so hard to show her a little kindness? Look at what you’ve done!" His voice was thick with accusation.

Vanessa flinched, curling in on herself, while Evelyn merely tilted her head, her gaze unreadable. The air between them crackled with tension, thick enough to choke on.

Evelyn arched one perfectly shaped eyebrow. "How is her clumsiness my responsibility? If she can't handle a simple coffee cup, that's hardly my fault." She gestured dismissively. "As her elder, I've shown remarkable patience already."

Her tone dripped with false magnanimity as she signaled for a servant to clean the shattered porcelain.

Ethan opened his mouth to protest, but Vanessa's fingers curled around his sleeve in a feather-light grip.

"It's alright, Ethan," she murmured, her voice trembling just enough to be noticeable. "The burn isn't serious. I only wish Aunt Evelyn wouldn't stay angry with me."

Her words were honey-coated poison, expertly reigniting Ethan's simmering rage. "Angry? What exactly did you do to warrant her anger?"

Vanessa bit her plump lower lip, eyes downcast. A single tear traced her cheek—a masterpiece of calculated vulnerability.

After a weighted pause, she whispered, "It's natural for Aunt Evelyn to...startle me sometimes."

Evelyn's laugh was ice cracking underfoot.

The implication hung thick—that Evelyn had caused the accident when her hands never touched the cup.

Ethan's jaw clenched. The injustice burned hotter than the coffee on Vanessa's skin.

His fury was a living thing now, coiled tight in his chest.

The air crackled with tension after Vanessa's calculated provocation.

"You belong to me. She wouldn't dare threaten you unless she thought I was weak!"

Ethan's gaze burned into Evelyn with barely contained fury. "How dare you humiliate Vanessa like this?"

Alexander's expression darkened. "Ethan, mind your tone."

"Uncle Alexander, you saw what happened!" Ethan gestured to Vanessa's reddened hands. "You can't favor Evelyn just because she's your wife!"

Alexander opened his mouth to respond, but Evelyn subtly caught his sleeve.

This was her battle to fight.

"Even if I swore I didn't spill that coffee, you'd never believe me."

With deliberate calm, Evelyn lifted the fresh cup a servant had just placed beside her. "An apology, was it? Fine."

Before anyone could react, she flung the scalding liquid straight at Vanessa's smug face.

Gasps erupted as Vanessa shrieked, coffee dripping from her chin onto her designer blouse. The perfect revenge served piping hot.