Chapter 164

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the people around began to echo in agreement, finding Brielle shameless for maintaining such composure at a time like this.

There had been whispers that Brielle had been bullying Lillian in the Haywood household, putting on one face in public and another behind closed doors. It seemed now that those rumors were not unfounded.

Brielle took a sip of her wine, her tone nonchalant. “When I was brought back to the Haywood family, I was only ten. Do you really think a ten–year–old child could play the entire Haywood clan like puppets, even fooling hospitals and orphanages? Doesn’t that sound absurd to you? She makes an accusation, and you all believe it? If I really had such power, the Haywood shares should be mine, shouldn’t they?

But do I have them?”

Brielle swirled the red wine in her glass, the liquid glistening against her pale fingertips. “The Haywoods made their own mistakes, yet they want me to take the fall, to apologize. Why should I?”

The question ‘why should I?‘ weighed heavily in the air, striking at the hearts of all who heard it. Indeed, Brielle had been only ten years old. Could she truly have been so calculating as to deceive everyone?

Robert was a cunning old fox of the business world, and couldn’t see through a child’s trickery? The notion was laughable.

The once certain crowd began to murmur doubts among themselves. Their eyes shifted to Robert amidst the crowd, noticing his dark expression, his lips tightly pursed, veins throbbing on his forehead.

Meanwhile, Miranda on the stage was clenching her palm so fiercely that her complexion turned pale, confronted with a Brielle whose aura had never been so formidable. In the past, even if Brielle had been disagreeable, she was mostly docile.

Miranda was shaking with fury, struggling to contain her emotions, but a reassuring squeeze from Lillian brought her back to her senses.

“Bri, my earlier words weren’t targeted at you. I’ve spoken with the director of the orphanage. There was manipulation behind the scenes, and we’ve all been victims. I’m pained for you, but my heart aches even more for Lillian. She’s my flesh and blood, yet she’s called me ‘Ms. Miranda‘ for years.”

Miranda’s strategic retreat shifted the narrative. Her words made the crowd feel that Brielle was taking offense, especially since Miranda hadn’t explicitly accused Brielle of any backdoor schemes.

Who would be so quick to defend themselves? Surely, someone who felt they had been hit where it hurt.

Brielle’s eagerness to clear her name only cast further doubt.

15:2011 Miranda had practiced this scene countless times in preparation for tonight..

The crowd looked sympathetically at Lillian, recalling how Brielle had arrived at the soirée dressed to the nines. Was she trying to overshadow Lillian at this pivotal moment of acknowledgment, intending to cause trouble?

The onlookers‘ gazes were like knives, stripping Brielle of her dignity. The women, already envious of Brielle’s beauty, felt they’d found their moment.

“She’s been tormenting Lillian, the true young lady of the Haywood family, all these years.”

“Tonight’s probably the last time we’ll see her. With her status, she won’t be welcome at such gatherings anymore.”

“Weren’t there photos of her with Kenzo? Since he hasn’t addressed them, he probably just wants to avoid getting entangled. Give a woman like her an inch, and she’ll climb over you to reach the top.”

Lillian listened to the whispers below, a faint smirk formed on her lips. This was her goal for the evening, to use the event to cast Brielle down into oblivion, never to rise again. Once the whispers had settled, she emerged as the peacemaker.

“Bri, don’t misunderstand mom. She and I agreed that even after acknowledging me, she would still treat you as her own. She doesn’t intend to cast you aside. Dad also mentioned he’d find you a good match, ensuring you marry with honor.”

She spoke with such sincerity in her eyes. How benevolent the Haywoods appeared. Even after Brielle’s earlier insolence, even though she wasn’t a true Haywood, they still accepted her. They were even concerned about her prospects after her engagement to Spencer had been called off, going so far as to arrange a new match for her in advance.

Who wouldn’t regard the Haywoods‘ actions as magnanimous? Certainly, if it were up to any of them, they wouldn’t be so considerate for a non–blood daughter. Wasn’t lineage what big families valued most?

For Brielle to have been raised in such a family, it truly must have been her good fortune.