Chapter 195

At that moment, Abigail and Victoria found themselves unexpectedly cornered. Cora’s words had sliced through their carefully crafted scheme with such precision that for a brief second, both women stood motionless eyes wide, lips slightly parted, like actresses caught off script. The humiliation wasn’t in what she said alone it was the way she said it. Cora hadn’t just responded; she had dismantled their plan without even needing to raise her voice. It was calm. Calculated. Powerful.

It was clear now. Their entire ploy had been to provoke her, to push her emotionally, to make her snap in public. But instead, she flipped the narrative and exposed them. With each word, she peeled back the layers of their petty game, and in doing so, made it clear to anyone watching that this wasn’t a simple misunderstanding it was a targeted ambush. And they failed.

Abigail, still gripping her clutch tightly, refused to show defeat. She wouldn’t nod. She wouldn’t blink. She wouldn’t give Cora the satisfaction. No if anything, she admired the woman’s nerve. That cocky confidence… that arrogance laced with composure… it irritated her, but at the same time, it intrigued her because she enjoys to deal with people like her. She liked people who didn’t flinch easily.

With her gaze locked firmly on Cora, Abigail’s mind was already racing. ’So what if Cora decoded our plan? she thought. It doesn’t change the fact that I won the diamond dress. I don’t care if it was a bidding mistake or not. The card has my name. The dress is mine. Period p>

And now, with Cora openly accusing her of sabotage, Abigail had the perfect counter narrative. She smirked slightly. If anyone was watching closely enough, they would’ve seen the exact moment her smirk shifted into something darker. You want to talk about sabotage? she thought. Let’s talk about obsession.

She slowly turned to the small crowd still lingering nearby, just within earshot. “So all this time, you’ve been watching me?” she asked Cora, her voice dipped in mock curiosity. “Isn’t that a little… obsessive p>

Then Cora’s brow arched slightly, unsure where Abigail was heading.

“You’ve been stalking me, haven’t you?” Abigail said again, louder this time. “Following my footsteps. Showing up where I am. Mimicking everything I do. Now trying to accuse me of sabotage when clearly, you’ve been obsessed with us this whole time p>

Immediately gasps were heard in the background. Victoria immediately picked up on Abigail’s momentum and nodded subtly, playing her part without needing any instruction.

“She’s right,” Victoria added coldly even if she had to lied. “Cora, you’ve been lurking around for days. Always conveniently showing up. Now you’re accusing us because you didn’t get the dress? Please p>

Cora’s jaw tightened. She knew exactly what they were doing. Twisting the story. Rewriting the script. But she wasn’t going to let them win this round.

Still, Abigail leaned forward slightly and whispered just loud enough for Cora to hear, “You just exposed yourself, darling. You’re the one stalking me. Right p>

At that moment, seeing exactly where Abigail was trying to take things, Victoria didn’t hesitate to latch onto it. She was still smarting from the public embarrassment Cora had dealt her just moments ago, and rather than let that sting fester in silence, she decided to strike back in the only way she knew how, by twisting the narrative.

With a forced little laugh and her eyes narrowing in mock realization, Victoria spoke up sharply, “You know what, Abigail? You’re absolutely right. That’s exactly what I was thinking too. She’s been stalking us. Cora’s been watching every move we make p>

She turned to face Cora fully now, her expression lined with sarcasm and smugness. “Like seriously, how else could you possibly know all those things about us, huh? You know everything, even things we haven’t told anyone. And yet… we know next to nothing about you p>

She scoffed dramatically, raising both hands in mock surrender. “I mean, just think about it! That’s not intuition. That’s not observation. That’s stalking. That’s obsession p>

The crowd around them was starting to listen more intently now, sensing that things were escalating once again.

Victoria smirked and kept going, her tone growing more venomous with every word. “So you’re a stalker now? Wow, Cora. That actually explains a lot p>

She gave a bitter little laugh and tilted her head to the side like she was connecting invisible dots. “Maybe that’s why the whole incident with Samuel even happened in the first place. You probably weren’t a victim like you made everyone believe. Maybe you were the one following him. You must’ve been stalking him the way you’ve been stalking us p>

She repeated it again, this time louder, for everyone to hear. “Stalking. That’s what you do, right? You stalked Samuel. You’re stalking us. So who’s next p>

At that moment Victoria’s voice was practically dripping with mockery, and her goal was crystal clear she wanted Cora to fold. She wanted to push her so far that she’d break in front of everyone, lose her cool, lash out, or even leave. Anything that would give Victoria a sliver of satisfaction, a scrap of control.

But Cora didn’t give her that.

To everyone’s surprise especially Victoria’s Cora didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t look shaken either. Instead, she slowly folded her arms across her chest, standing upright, composed, and unbothered my the words.

She looked at both women like they were playing a game she had already won.

Then she spoke calmly, firmly, and clearly. “Well, you both can say whatever you want to say. That’s fine by me p>

Her eyes settled on Victoria in particular.

“But since claim is right… and Victoria is actually the brother to Robert… then why is he forced to be about it? Why are they trying to change the narratives p>

At that moment, as Cora stood there with poise and confidence, her gaze briefly swept across the faces of everyone before landing squarely on the announcer. Her tone was composed, but it carried the sharpness of someone who had long grown tired of games.

“Thank you,” she said calmly. “It’s an absolute honor to be gifted something as refined and prestigious by Everything Lustry. I accept it with full gratitude. Kindly have it packaged. I’ll be taking it with me p>