Chapter 153: Anger Beyond Words
Claire froze for a moment after abruptly hanging up the phone. She hadn’t expected things to align so perfectly—Caroline had stepped out and heard her talking. Standing there, Caroline’s face flushed with anger. She was utterly furious. Caroline clutched the stair railing with trembling hands, her body rigid, unable to make any further movement. Originally, she had come downstairs to intimidate Claire and assert her superiority. Instead, she had overheard Frederick’s call announcing his engagement to Claire. She glared daggers at Claire, her gaze filled with venom, as if sheer hatred coursed through her veins, shooting straight to her head. After what felt like an eternity, Caroline steadied herself and stormed back to her room.
Inside, she paced back and forth, her fury bubbling up like a volcano on the brink of eruption. She wanted to scream, to smash everything within arm’s reach, to vent her anger without restraint. But the thought of Claire still being downstairs, potentially laughing at her, stopped her. Caroline gritted her teeth, her chest heaving with frustration. The pain of suppressing her rage was unbearable. She had been so confident, so certain she could drive Claire away from Frederick. Yet, with one announcement of an engagement from Nathan, all her fantasies and hopes were dashed to pieces. Her heart pounded as though it would give out at any moment. Unable to contain herself, she grabbed her phone and ran out of the Halfmoon Manor.
Once outside, she immediately dialed Diana. “Diana, what on earth is going on? How could Frederick suddenly decide to get engaged to Claire?” As soon as the call connected, Caroline screamed hysterically into the phone. “What? An engagement? What’s going on?” Diana bolted upright from her bed, utterly shocked. She had no idea what any of this was about. “You don’t know? I don’t know either! I just overheard Frederick talking to Claire on the phone. Apparently, your father instructed him to get engaged to her!” Caroline tried to force herself to stay calm as she explained everything to Diana. “Don’t panic. I’ll figure out what’s going on right now,” Diana assured her. Without wasting a moment, she hung up and headed downstairs.
The moment Diana descended the stairs, she spotted Jane sitting in the living room, leisurely sipping coffee. “I’m not going anywhere. I just came to ask you about Frederick and Claire’s engagement. What’s this all about?” Diana rushed over to confront her mother. “Oh, it’s nothing unusual. They’re getting engaged. Isn’t that perfectly normal? Besides, they were betrothed years ago. Both the Prescott and Hawthorne families agreed to it back then,” Jane said nonchalantly, setting her coffee cup down as if discussing something entirely trivial. “All we’ve done is move the old engagement forward,” she added.
“But four years ago, Claire was responsible for Anna’s death! You all know that!” Diana was visibly shaken, the memory of Anna’s tragic end flooding her mind. “Yes, I know. And so what? Anna wasn’t anything special. I know she saved your life, but didn’t you already repay that debt four years ago? Didn’t you almost strangle Claire to death for it? And didn’t your father lock you up for days because of it?” Jane’s gaze flicked up to meet Diana’s as she calmly set her coffee cup aside.
“What about Frederick?” Diana asked, shifting her focus back to her brother. Yet, she immediately recalled what Caroline had said earlier—that Frederick himself had called Claire that morning to discuss the engagement. “Frederick doesn’t have any objections. Why? Do you?” Jane’s tone turned sharp, her lips curling into a cold smile as if daring Diana to defy her. “Mom, there must be a reason for all this! How could Frederick possibly agree to an engagement with Claire? He loved Anna so much! Please, tell me what’s really going on here?” Diana stood frozen, completely shocked. She simply couldn’t fathom how Frederick, who despised Claire, would ever consent to such a union. Her voice rose into a desperate shout.
“Enough! You useless child! Try shouting at me one more time, and see what happens!” Jane snapped, her voice ice-cold. “Yes, Anna saved your life, but you did everything you could for her four years ago. Don’t drag that matter into this again!” “Have you forgotten how many days your father locked you up back then? You’re nothing but a troublemaker! I’m warning you, if you meddle in Frederick’s affairs one more time, you’ll regret it!” Jane stood abruptly, glancing around to ensure no one else was listening, then delivered a sharp slap to Diana’s face. “You hit me? For Claire?” Diana clutched her cheek, stunned. Her disbelief turned to rage, convinced that her mother had chosen to side with Claire while she remained loyal to Anna.
“I… hitting you is the least I should do! Keep sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, and I swear I’ll do worse!” Jane barked. She hadn’t planned to lash out physically, but Diana’s blatant disregard for the situation had pushed her over the edge. “Fine! Go ahead and kill me if you’re so capable!” Diana yelled back, tears welling in her eyes. With her pride wounded and temper flaring, she stormed upstairs, slamming her bedroom door shut behind her. Collapsed on her bed, Diana burst into sobs, her cries echoing in the empty room. After her tears subsided, she grabbed her phone and called Caroline. “Caroline, tell me the truth—do you like Frederick?” Diana’s voice was raw.