Chapter 593:
âFor Colton, I can agree. But youâd better keep your promise.â
She always played the role of a delicate yet strong woman, but now, that fragility slipped. She grabbed Lindyâs wrist and, in one fluid motion, swung it and slapped her own face.
The sound of the slap rang out â a sharp, crisp echo that filled the air.
Lindyâs heart skipped. The slap hadnât been harsh, but it wasnât soft either.
It had been⦠calculated.
That was when she understood the assignment. It was an act. She had been married into a wealthy family for years, and the one thing she never lacked was acting skills!
âFor Colton,â she said quietly, her voice softening with a maternal tenderness that only a mother could convey. âAs his mother, any hardship is worth it.â
She turned away as she spoke, blinking back the bitter rush of tears. Her eyes were beetroot-red, streaked with feigned pain, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
But it only made Allison smirk coldly.
âA single slap, and youâre acting like the worldâs coming to an end? If itâs too much for you, feel free to walk away.â
Lindyâs lips pressed into a thin line.
The cruel words stung more than the slap ever could. She gritted her teeth, struggling to maintain her composure. âIâll be slapped in public. What more do you want?â
Allison remained unfazed. âWhat more do I want? A slap for seven hundred thousand⦠What could you possibly have left to complain about?â The crowd around them buzzed with amusement, their whispers sharper, more judgmental.
âSeeing her like this⦠could she be regretting it?â
âMiss Greenâs generosity is something else. Seven hundred thousand for just a slap? Whose face is worth that much after just a few slaps?â
âI donât know, but Iâd be willing to volunteer if they donât want it.â
The laughter, the mocking stares â they all felt like needles against Lindyâs skin. She wanted to scream, to lash out, but she couldnât.
Melany was fuming, her fists clenched at her sides until her face was red-hot. She just wanted to pounce on Allison and tear her apart! But she had to play it another way. She lowered her gaze, her voice trembling with feigned desperation.
âAllison, canât you just let it go? Do you really want to make the Stevens family the laughingstock of this town?â
Lindyâs hate for Allison had simmered for too long â and now, with Melany deliberately involving the whole Stevens family, she felt like she could explode. âAllison, youâre pushing this too far!â she spat.
But as her gaze lifted, the words lodged in her throat. Kellan was standing beside Allison, glaring daggers at her. His gaze was cool and lethal. Each glint in his eye was like a silent warning.
A chill washed over Lindy, cooling her anger to something much sharper: fear. One wrong move, one misplaced word, and she sensed sheâd suffer more than a bruised pride.
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