Chapter 184
The room fell into an abrupt hush.
Penelope’s face had gone pale, her knuckles white as she clenched her hands.
Juliet’s eyes sparkled with admiration as she gazed at her cousin, who stood protectively in front of her.
Of course her cousin was incredible-she never wasted a word, every sentence hitting the mark. Penelope looked like she was about to fall apart!
“I Penelope’s voice trembled, cold sweat breaking out in her palm.
“Juliet!” A frantic shout suddenly pierced the tension, shattering the heavy atmosphere.
A young man hurried in, handsome and well-dressed-the kind of person who clearly came from a good family.
“That’s Samuel!” Juliet whispered fiercely, gripping Anastasia’s hand tight. “He’s the one who teamed up with Penelope to spread those filthy rumors about me!”
Fury blazed in Juliet’s eyes as she locked eyes with Samuel. Just seeing him here, side by side with Penelope, made her blood boil.
Anastasia’s gaze turned icy. She patted Juliet’s hand, her voice gentle but firm. “It’s all right. I’m here now.”
Samuel rushed to Penelope, relief flooding his face when he saw she was unharmed.
Penelope, spotting Samuel, lit up as if she’d just been saved. She shot him a tearful, desperate look, as though he were her knight in shining armor.
Samuel’s heart twisted with sympathy, though he quickly tried to hide his reaction. He forced a look of pained disappointment as he turned to Juliet.
“Juliet, I thought you’d learned your lesson, but what are you doing now?”
“If anyone’s at fault, it’s both of us—why are you blaming someone innocent? Penelope’s your cousin, she’s always been so kind to you!”
“I didn’t do anything wrong! We’re not even friends-stop calling me that, it’s disgusting!” Juliet’s whole body shook with anger, her eyes rimmed red.
She’d tried to defend herself before, but Samuel always swooped in, acting as if he and Juliet were close, calling her by her name in that falsely intimate tone. No one ever believed her.
Suddenly, Anastasia squeezed her hand. Juliet turned, eyes brimming with hurt, and whispered, “Cousin
Anastasia’s eyes flashed dangerously, but her voice to Juliet was gentle. “It’s okay, honey. Step back and let me handle this.”
Juliet nodded obediently and backed away.
It was only then that Samuel really took notice of Anastasia. His gaze lingered in open awe and fascination.
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He quickly remembered why he was here and heaved a dramatic sigh. “You must be Juliet’s sister? I care about Juliet too, but I can’t just stand by and watch her make the same mistake over and over again!”
“Last time, when she thought our relationship might be exposed, she gave the gift I got her to Penelope to hold, trying to pin the blame on someone else so Sandra would go after the wrong person. Thankfully, Penelope returned it just in time, so she wasn’t falsely accused!”
“I warned Juliet about this already, but who could’ve guessed she’d try the same trick again, this time trying to frame Penelope!”
With Samuel’s speech, Penelope suddenly went from suspect to poor, misunderstood victim in everyone’s eyes.
Anastasia’s lips curled into a cold smile as she stepped straight toward Samuel.
He couldn’t help but be distracted by her striking beauty as she approached, his tone softening. “Hey, listen-”
He didn’t even finish before Anastasia raised her foot and kicked him square in the chest.
Samuel crashed to the floor with a startled yelp.
Before he could scramble up, Anastasia’s shoe pinned his face to the ground.
She towered over him, her breathtaking features twisted into a chilly, mocking smile.
“Weren’t you just full of stories a moment ago?” she said, her voice icy. “Go on- keep talking.”