Chapter 240

Mercy was no longer an option for Evelyn.

At the Vanderbilt estate...

Richard slammed the newspaper onto the mahogany table, his face dark with fury. Laura entered carrying a fruit tray, her eyes flickering to the scandalous headlines. "Richard darling, why are they writing such terrible things about Zoe? There must be some mistake."

His jaw tightened. He knew exactly who was behind this smear campaign - his own mother and sister-in-law. The veins in his temples pulsed visibly as he refused to answer.

Vivian descended the staircase dramatically. "Father, Evelyn conspired with lawyers to deceive Grandmother and Aunt Yvette. It's all over the papers!"

"Vivian, don't make baseless accusations," Laura chided unconvincingly.

"Baseless? I saw the documents myself! If this is true, doesn't it mean Evelyn tricked you too? You already agreed to transfer your shares, and she still schemed behind your back!"

Vivian babbled on, oblivious to her father's thunderous expression. She desperately wanted him to turn against Evelyn.

Just as Laura pretended to intervene, Richard's fist crashed onto the table, silencing the room. "You have no right to judge your sister!"

"But Father, I'm your daughter too-"

"Do you even remember that?" Richard's voice turned icy. "I won't be fooled by you twice."

Vivian bit her lip until it bled, humiliation burning her cheeks.

Laura's nails dug into her palms as she watched Richard defend Evelyn. Their standing in his heart had clearly plummeted.

When Richard stormed upstairs, Laura's mask cracked. 'He brought this upon himself!'

That evening...

At a luxury hotel, Yvette and Madam Victoria anxiously refreshed social media, waiting for the internet mob to attack Evelyn.

"Why hasn't there been any backlash yet? The story broke hours ago!"

Yvette's phone rang suddenly. Lydia's panicked voice made her blood run cold. "What? Henry's been in an accident?!"

Madam Victoria nearly fainted. Henry was their only hope for continuing the Vanderbilt bloodline. They abandoned their scheming immediately and raced back to Cornelia.

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit bedroom...

Laura writhed beneath York, her venomous words dripping between moans. "Oh York, if only Richard appreciated me half as much as you do..."

The illicit affair had become addictive for York. Compared to his provincial wife Yvette, Laura was everything a man could desire - seductive, wild, and utterly without shame.

'Richard doesn't know how lucky he is,' York thought bitterly.

He tilted Laura's chin. "His loss, my gain. I'll treat you better than he ever did."

"Aren't you afraid Richard will find out?" Laura teased, tracing circles on his bare chest.

York smirked. His athletic physique put Richard's aging body to shame. "If you're not afraid, why should I be?"

His phone buzzed insistently. Annoyed, York silenced it without looking.

Their passionate reunion continued until dawn. As they parted outside Laura's residence, neither noticed the shadowy figure capturing their every move with a high-resolution camera.