Chapter 267

They never anticipated the very person they were scheming against would appear before them so suddenly.

Victoria Lancaster and Margaret Dawson froze mid-conversation. Their equally ugly expressions twisted with shock as they stared at Evelyn Sinclair, who had just walked into the room.

"You!" Margaret shot up from her seat, finger jabbing accusingly at Evelyn. "Who let you in? How long were you standing there? What did you hear?"

Victoria remained silent, but her eyes widened as she scrutinized Evelyn with undisguised hostility.

Evelyn arched a brow, lips curling into a knowing smirk. "Why? Did you say something incriminating and now you're afraid I heard?"

Margaret's face paled. She glanced away briefly before snapping back. "You—"

"If I'm not mistaken, you must be Victoria's adoptive mother." Evelyn tilted her head, feigning contemplation. "Tsk tsk. Your adopted daughter has clearly inherited your worst traits. I was wondering how a refined woman like Mrs. Montgomery could raise someone as vile as Victoria."

"W-What did you just say?" Margaret's face contorted with rage. She lunged at Evelyn, teeth bared, ready to strike.

Evelyn caught her wrist effortlessly, her grip firm. Her gaze turned icy. "The resemblance is uncanny. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you were her biological mother."

At those words, both women stiffened, their expressions shifting from anger to something far more uneasy.

"Vivian Prescott, shut your mouth!" Victoria shrieked, abandoning all pretense of composure.

With no witnesses around, she didn’t bother hiding her true nature.

She flung off her blanket and stood, eyes narrowed to slits. "Vivian, instead of wasting time here, shouldn’t you be dealing with the mess online?"

Victoria crossed her arms, a smug laugh escaping her. "I warned you. Cross me, and you’ll regret it. Since you’re so desperate to steal my man, I’ll make sure the whole world knows you as the homewrecker they all despise!"

Crack!

Before Victoria could finish, Evelyn’s palm connected sharply with her cheek.

"Ah!" Victoria stumbled back, clutching her stinging face in disbelief.

Margaret gasped, but before she could react, Evelyn spoke coolly.

"That slap is to wake you up from your delusions. Stop dreaming in broad daylight. Take a good look and tell me—who’s the one who should be cleaning up their mess?"

"You—!" Victoria’s eyes bulged. She raised her hand to retaliate, but froze when Evelyn lifted her phone, tapping the screen to play a video.

The footage showed the café encounter—but from Evelyn’s perspective.

She had recorded everything.

Every word. Every sneer. Every venomous threat Victoria had spat at her.

Victoria’s triumphant grin shattered instantly.

Her face drained of color. For a full ten seconds, she stood paralyzed before lunging for the phone.

Evelyn sidestepped easily, her smile cold and victorious.

"Too late. I already uploaded this before I walked in. By now, the entire internet knows the truth."

"What—?"

"Those people cursing me online? They’re probably redirecting their rage at you as we speak."

"..."

"Surprised, Victoria? Your little scheme just backfired spectacularly. How does it feel?"

Victoria’s face cycled through shades of red and green, humiliation burning through her.

Just then, her phone buzzed violently. Notification after notification flooded her screen—trending hashtags, viral tweets, all exposing her.

When she glanced down, her blood ran cold.