Chapter 117
"What the hell! Why is she here?!"
Evelyn emerged casually from behind the crowd, her expression the picture of innocence. "What's going on?" she asked, blinking those wide doe eyes that could fool even the most skeptical observer.
Gregory rushed forward. "Zoe, where were you? They were saying you were—"
"I stepped out to take a phone call." Evelyn tilted her head slightly, feigning confusion. "Did something happen?"
Nathan's piercing gaze never left her face. The moment he'd heard that woman's voice outside the door, he'd known this wasn't Evelyn's doing.
Vivian's manicured nails dug into her palms until crescent marks appeared. Her entire body trembled with suppressed rage when she saw Evelyn standing there, unscathed.
'Damn it! That bitch was supposed to be ruined! How did Penelope end up in that situation? This is disastrous!'
Penelope Santiago's face twisted into something grotesque when her eyes landed on Evelyn. "You! This was your doing!" she shrieked, launching herself forward like a feral cat.
Security guards materialized just in time to restrain the hysterical socialite.
"You scheming whore! You set me up! I'll destroy you for this!" Penelope's screams echoed through the hallway, her designer dress torn, makeup streaked down her face.
Evelyn blinked innocently. "I set you up? Ms. Santiago, whatever do you mean?" Her voice dripped with feigned concern.
'This is what happens when you play with fire, darling. I gave you every chance to walk away.'
"It was supposed to be you in there! You ruined everything!" Penelope had completely lost her composure, her carefully constructed image shattered beyond repair.
Evelyn's expression shifted to mock realization. "Wait... are you saying you intended to harm me?" She turned dramatically to the crowd. "That explains why a waiter told me you were waiting for me in the lounge."
Her sharp eyes immediately found the guilty-looking staff member. She pulled him forward. "You're the one who delivered that message, aren't you?"
"I—I just—" The waiter stammered, sweat beading on his forehead. He'd only been following Ms. Santiago's orders—how was he supposed to know things would go so horribly wrong?
"I was on my way to meet her when I got that phone call." Evelyn's gaze returned to Penelope, her voice taking on a wounded tone. "Ms. Santiago, I didn't realize we had any issues between us. Why would you want to hurt me?"
Penelope's face turned ashen under the weight of everyone's judgmental stares and whispered condemnations.
'Not a single person here pities me.'
Once the queen bee of Bassburgh's elite circles, Penelope had made too many enemies with her arrogance. That no one was openly laughing at her downfall was mercy enough.
Vivian tried to slink away unnoticed, but Penelope's gaze snapped to her like a heat-seeking missile.
'That's right! This was all her idea!'
"You!" Penelope broke free from the guards and lunged at Vivian. "Don't you dare run away now, you lying bitch! This was all your scheme!"
The sudden attack caught everyone off guard. Vivian's expensive gown nearly ripped as Penelope yanked her hair violently.
"Aah! This has nothing to do with me!" Vivian shrieked, desperately trying to preserve what little dignity she had left.
It took three security guards to finally restrain the fuming Penelope.
Vivian stood there, disheveled and humiliated, shaking her head frantically at the accusing stares. "No, I didn't—it wasn't me—"
"Nathan, please believe me!" Her voice cracked when she saw the ice in Nathan's expression.
In that moment, Vivian realized she'd become the punchline of this entire farce. Overwhelmed by the mounting pressure, her eyes rolled back dramatically as she collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.
Evelyn barely suppressed an eye roll at the theatrics.
'Her performance skills improve with every crisis. How convenient to escape accountability by playing the delicate fainting flower.'