chapter 14

The remaining Quinn and Samira were not afraid of Angela. Samira sat there and snorted coldly, her arms crossed over her chest. "At least you are still self-aware," she mocked. "Our family won’t care who your new sugar daddy is. My brother has never once fancied you, so don’t think you can climb up by clinging to another man. I can make you vanish from our state in a minute!"Angela looked down, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. Her eyes were indifferent, as if Samira’s words barely scratched the surface of her emotions. She slowly raised her head and met Samira’s hostile gaze."And what exactly do you want?" Angela asked, her voice steady and emotionless.Samira smirked, sensing an opportunity to humiliate her. "How about this… pour me a glass of wine and apologize," she said with a twisted grin. "I’m sure you’re used to serving others like this. Didn’t you do this often when you were staying with us? If you serve me well, I’ll consider letting you off the hook this once."Quinn laughed coldly beside her daughter, thoroughly enjoying the moment. Samira raised an eyebrow and leaned back in her seat, waiting for Angela to bow her head in submission. She had always looked down on Angela, considering her nothing more than a nuisance who had overstayed her welcome in the Trumph family.Angela, however, did not react the way Samira expected. She picked up the decanter of red wine with practiced ease, gracefully pouring the liquid into a glass. Samira watched with an air of superiority, already relishing the sight of Angela humbling herself.But before Samira could reach for the glass, Angela did something shocking.With one swift motion, Angela tilted the glass and poured every drop of wine over Samira’s perfectly styled hair. The deep red liquid streamed down her face, staining her expensive designer dress. Samira gasped, completely frozen in disbelief.Before she could stand up, Angela pressed down on her shoulders, forcing her to remain seated. Leaning in close, she whispered coldly, "Ms. Trumph, remember this—I was the one who brought up the divorce. I was the one who chose to walk away from your family. If you dare twist the truth again, I will show you which one of us will truly vanish from this state."Angela straightened up and walked away with effortless grace, her heels clicking against the polished floor.Samira’s face turned deathly pale. She sat in stunned silence, unable to process what had just happened. Quinn, on the other hand, erupted in fury."That little witch! How dare she do this to you?" Quinn spat, grabbing a napkin and furiously dabbing at Samira’s soaked dress.Meanwhile, in the restaurant, the other guests had taken notice of the commotion. Some whispered among themselves, while others openly snickered at Samira’s humiliation.A waiter approached hesitantly and asked, "Ma’am, would you like a change of clothes?"Samira, still seething, clenched her fists and stomped her foot in anger. "I won’t let her get away with this!" she shouted, her voice trembling with rage.Michael Reed had watched the entire incident from a distance, his expression unreadable. As Angela returned to his side, he observed her carefully."You handled that well," he commented, though there was a hint of concern in his voice.Angela simply smiled. "It was nothing," she said nonchalantly.After dinner, Angela and Michael walked out of the restaurant, only to be met with an unexpected sight—Jorge Trumph’s car was parked outside.Inside the car, Samira sat with her arms crossed, still fuming from earlier. The moment she spotted Angela, she bolted out of the vehicle and grabbed Jorge’s arm."Brother!" she whined dramatically. "She humiliated me! Look at me—I was insulted in front of so many people because of this wretched woman! Mom saw everything! She can vouch for me!"Angela, however, barely spared them a glance. She simply took Michael’s arm and continued walking.Jorge’s face darkened. He had wanted to believe that Angela wasn’t capable of such cruelty, but seeing Samira in such a state made him hesitate. Had Angela really changed that much?When Angela walked past him without saying a word, something inside Jorge snapped.He reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. His grip was firm but not forceful."Angela," he said, his voice low and demanding. "You owe us an explanation for what happened just now."Angela turned to face him, her expression calm. She tilted her head slightly and let out a small, amused laugh."I did it," she admitted openly. "What’s there to explain?"Jorge was momentarily taken aback by her nonchalant attitude. He had expected her to at least offer some sort of justification, but instead, she treated the matter as if it were insignificant."Angela, this isn’t a joke!" Jorge’s grip tightened slightly.Angela’s eyes flickered with annoyance as she glanced down at his hand. "Mr. Jorge Trumph," she said coolly, "are you really trying to settle the score on her behalf?"Samira seized the opportunity to escalate the situation. "Brother, don’t let her go! She dared to treat me like this—she can’t get away with it!"Jorge frowned slightly, casting a warning look at his sister. "What do you want, Samira?" he asked impatiently.Samira smirked triumphantly and folded her arms. "I’ll let her go if she apologizes to me."Angela let out a dry chuckle, shaking her head. "You want me to apologize?" she echoed mockingly before turning to Jorge. "Do you also think I should apologize?"Jorge hesitated.Before he could answer, Angela crossed her arms and continued, "It’s best if you check the restaurant’s surveillance footage before jumping to conclusions. Ms. Trumph is no innocent victim here. So why the self-pity?"Her words were sharp, cutting through the tension like a knife.Michael Reed, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke up. His voice was dangerously cold."Hasn’t anyone in the Trumph family taught Ms. Trumph that it’s only natural for others to retaliate against bullying?" he said icily. "Why didn’t she think of apologizing to Angela when she was the one being rude?"Samira shrank slightly under Michael’s piercing gaze.But she quickly regained her composure and said, "That’s because Angela exposed me online for stealing the 'Blue Diamond' necklace! My friends mocked me for it. That’s my family’s jewelry—so how is it stealing?!"Jorge remained silent, his expression unreadable.Angela, however, was unimpressed. She took a step closer to Samira and said, "Enough with your acting. I am no longer the old Angela who let things slide. Ms. Trumph, learn to respect others, or you’ll find yourself in a situation much worse than this."Michael added, "The restaurant’s surveillance footage will always be available. Mr. Trumph, you can view it at your convenience."With that, Michael led Angela to the car. He opened the door for her and, without another glance at Jorge or Samira, got into the driver’s seat.As their car disappeared into the night, Jorge stood there, his heart heavy with conflicting emotions.Continue...✍ Atrayee Sarkar