Chapter 250

Ethan’s piercing gaze locked onto Evelyn. "Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?"

Evelyn met his stare without flinching. "Would you even believe me if I did? Every time something like this happened before, I tried explaining. Did any of you ever listen?"

Her eyes flickered briefly to Richard and Margaret before settling back on Ethan.

Perhaps her expression was too sharp, or maybe the three of them were suddenly reminded of their past mistakes. They all looked away, unable to hold her gaze.

A heavy silence filled the air, thick with unspoken guilt.

Evelyn’s voice was calm, almost detached. "Vanessa is right. We’re sisters, after all. What’s a little injustice between family? So what if I tumbled down the stairs? At least I didn’t break anything vital. I won’t make a fuss over it. What’s done is done. Dwelling on it won’t change anything."

Vanessa stiffened.

She’s mocking me!

Since when did she become so cunning?

Vanessa responded without hesitation, "Evelyn, what are you implying? It was obviously you who pushed me. How dare you play the victim?"

The stairwell had no surveillance cameras. Only the two of them knew the truth of what had transpired.

Vanessa was smug, certain Evelyn couldn’t prove anything. That was why she spun her lies so boldly.

Claire watched Evelyn with sympathy, knowing her friend had endured too much doubt in the past.

"Tell us what really happened, Evelyn," Claire urged. "Alexander will defend you, and I won’t let you suffer unjustly."

Evelyn took a steadying breath. "The truth is, Vanessa fabricated everything. I never pushed her. This was all her doing."

Vanessa cut in sharply, "That’s a lie! Evelyn is the one who attacked me. We argued in the stairwell, and in her rage, she shoved me down. She even said she wished I were dead so she could be our parents’ only daughter!"

Vanessa was a master manipulator, weaving her false narrative with practiced ease.

Tears streamed down her face as she pointed an accusing finger at Evelyn, painting herself as the wounded victim.

She twisted the story to make Evelyn seem jealous, vindictive, and cruel.

Vanessa was lost in her performance, her expression a perfect mask of sorrow.

But Evelyn stood firm, her gaze unwavering. She wouldn’t let Vanessa’s lies destroy her again.

Not this time.

The tension in the room was palpable as Richard and Margaret exchanged uneasy glances.

Vanessa's tear-filled eyes locked onto them, her voice trembling. "Dad, Mom, I've told you before—I should leave the Hawthorne Estate so Evelyn wouldn’t despise me like this. It's all my fault! Why don’t you just disown me?"

Her tears spilled over, and Richard immediately rushed to her side, his face etched with concern. He gently wiped her cheeks. "Vanessa, don’t cry. I won’t let anyone blame you unfairly. I’ll handle this."

His protective gaze then shifted to Evelyn, his tone sharpening. "Look what you’ve done to Vanessa, Evelyn. Apologize now."

Claire crossed her arms, her expression darkening. "Didn’t Evelyn get hurt too?"

Richard scoffed. "Vanessa is covered in bruises, while Evelyn doesn’t have a scratch on her. Who do you think suffered more?"

Men always had a soft spot for the one who appeared more fragile.

Claire’s lips curled into a cold smile. "That just proves Vanessa’s injuries are superficial—they’ll fade in days. But Evelyn’s wounds run deeper. So tell me, who’s truly worse off?"

Alexander’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he fixed Richard with a silent, warning glare.

Perhaps sensing the weight of that stare, Richard hesitated.

The realization of his recent business failures crept into his mind.

Richard forced a tight-lipped smile at Alexander and said, "Evelyn has always been stubborn. As her father, it's my duty to correct her behavior."

Alexander let out a derisive laugh. "Father? If I recall correctly, she publicly disowned you months ago. What gives you the right to lecture her now?"

His voice dripped with contempt as he took a step forward, his towering frame casting a shadow over Richard. "You lost any claim to fatherhood the moment you chose your new family over her."

Richard's jaw clenched, his fingers twitching at his sides. "Blood ties can't be erased that easily, Alexander. She'll always be my daughter."

"Funny," Alexander countered coldly, "because the way I remember it, you were the one who erased her first."

The air between them crackled with tension.

Evelyn watched from the doorway, her arms crossed. She had no intention of intervening—not when Alexander was dismantling Richard's hypocrisy so effortlessly.

Richard's face darkened. "You don't understand family obligations."

"And you don't understand loyalty," Alexander shot back. "If you had, Evelyn wouldn't have had to suffer because of your choices."

A heavy silence settled between them.

Richard opened his mouth to retort, but Alexander cut him off with a dismissive wave. "Save your excuses. The only reason you're here now is because you need something from her. Again."

Evelyn's lips curved into a bitter smile.

Some things never changed.