Chapter 116

All eyes turned to Anastasia again, the whispers swelling in the tense air.
No matter what anyone said, the facts were clear: in broad daylight, Anastasia had thrown the Sinclairs out and reclaimed the house. That was outrageous! Fınd the newest release on.net
But Anastasia couldn’t care less about the accusing stares around her. With a flick of her hand, she signaled for someone to bring her a chair. Sitting down, she faced the crowd head-on.
“If you all want to talk, then let’s talk. I’ll take my time and explain everything.”
“So, just because you’ve lived in this house for over a decade, it magically belongs to you? I wasn’t wrong before the Sinclairs really have no shame.”
She pulled out a thick stack of photocopied documents and tossed them coldly at the Sinclairs.
“We both know the truth-this house was loaned to you by my family, not given away. But you want evidence? I’ve got plenty. Take a look!”
There were enough copies that a few bystanders bent down and picked some up. As they skimmed the pages, their expressions shifted, and the way they looked at the Sinclairs changed completely.
Anastasia had come prepared. Every detail was laid out: why her mother bought the house, how the Sinclairs had only ever borrowed it under the pretense of a temporary stay, and how-through some manipulation—the deed had ended up in Julian’s name. Everything was written in black and white.
“Disgraceful!” someone spat, unable to hold back.
Among the onlookers was a young woman who knew Delia. She’d initially thought Anastasia was being unbearably arrogant and had felt indignant on Delia’s behalf. But after reading the documents, her disbelief was plain.
“Delia, so this house was never yours? How could your family stay here all these years and never move out?”
Delia’s vision swam; shame and despair crashed over her in waves.
If this girl knew, then soon everyone would know.
It was over.
How was she supposed to show her face at school after this?
“N-no, it’s all lies! She made it up!” The Sinclairs panicked, their voices shrill and desperate.
But no one was fooled. A glance at Anastasia’s calm poise, then at the Sinclairs’ guilty fidgeting, and the truth was obvious.
“Anastasia!” Julian’s eyes were red with anger. “How can you treat Mrs. Sinclair this way? She raised you like her own daughter all these years! Isn’t this cruel to her family? She must be heartbroken!”
Someone in the crowd murmured, “Anastasia’s stepmother was always good to her
“Yeah, maybe the Sinclairs crossed a line, but did she really have to go this far? Out of respect for her stepmom, couldn’t she show a little mercy?”
Julian’s words stirred the crowd, and a few people began to waver, feeling a pang of sympathy for the Sinclairs.
After all, Nora had always put on such a perfect act in public-her reputation was spotless.
But Anastasia didn’t get angry. She actually smiled, her voice slow and steady.
“You’ve all seen the evidence I brought. You know now that the deed was tampered with to put Julian’s name on it. So the real question is, who pulled those strings?”
Her smile faded; her voice dropped, cold and sharp. “Who else but Nora—my so- called stepmother, the woman my mother trusted most at the time?”
She shot Julian a withering look. “Oh, Nora cared about me, all right. If she hadn’t cared so much, how else could she have turned me into such a naive fool?”
“If she hadn’t cared, how could she have nearly swindled away every share my mother left me?”
“She’s been so very good to me! Thanks to her, I almost lost everything—almost became a hopeless nobody. I really ought to thank her for that!”
Anastasia’s words dripped with bitterness.
The crowd was stunned.
Just then, Nora arrived, having rushed over in time to catch Anastasia’s last words. Seeing the faces of the people around her, she felt her world spin and her knees nearly buckled.