Chapter 27: Retaliate Without Hesitation

“You’re truly unbelievable in your arrogance,” Ophelia pushed him away with disdain, looking at him as if he were trash. “Everything I’m doing now is not out of a fit of temper. Do you think I’m still as naive and ignorant as before, infatuated with you?”

“Wake up! I’ve seen the world now. My husband is so outstanding that even looking at you makes me feel sick!”

After saying this, she left, feeling satisfied.

Cullen was shocked, completely disbelieving that these words came from Ophelia, who used to be shy and soft in his presence. He was confused and uneasy. How did Ophelia change like this? What had caused this change?

“Cullen!” Cullen’s mother, Sienna Lynch, arrived. Seeing Cullen’s face covered in cold sweat, pale, and awkwardly hunched over, she was startled and hurried over. “What happened?”

Cullen quickly stood up, enduring the pain, and weakly said, “Nothing, I just have a bit of a stomachache…”

Sienna asked a few concerned questions, but it was clear she had more important matters. Looking around and not seeing anyone else, she said, “I heard you came here to meet Ophelia. Cullen, don’t be silly. Ophelia is just a nobody; she is not even worthy of you!”

Sienna looked disdainful. “She probably dreams of marrying you. Someone like her can at most marry a rich country bumpkin!”

She smiled condescendingly. “Our family is different. Since your Uncle Winford came to Minston a year ago, our status has risen. Look outside; many people are trying to curry favor with us! Maybe in the future, our family can even go to Kingchester! Our family is so powerful, so Ophelia is completely unworthy of you!”

She urged Cullen, “I heard Winford is here. Go and get close to him, let him get to know you better. Remember, if any girl at the banquet tries to seduce you, have fun but don’t get serious. Your wife should be chosen from Kingchester, where the girls’ backgrounds will match yours!”

Thinking of Ophelia’s drastic change in attitude, Cullen was distracted and irritably replied, “I know.”

Ophelia walked lightly through the back door into the banquet hall.

“That Mr. Winford is old and ugly, and rumored to be a violent madman. I heard his ex-wives were beaten to death or driven mad by him…”

“Did you hear he married a fourth one? Guess how long it’ll be before she makes an appearance?”

Hearing Winford’s name, Ophelia frowned, and her steps halted abruptly. The speakers were a group of ladies and girls nearby, their tone and expressions exaggerated, occasionally laughing suggestively. Her eyes narrowed, and she turned and walked towards them. The group continued talking.

“And I hear that Mr. Winford is disabled… He’s in his forties or fifties, isn’t he? With such conditions, what does wealth matter? I wouldn’t allow my daughter to marry him!”

The girl beside her looked disgusted and upset. “Mom, don’t say such things. I wouldn’t marry someone like that. Don’t associate me with an old man; it’s disgusting!”

Ophelia approached at this moment, seething with anger, and she scoffed rudely. “Even if you want to marry Mr. Winford, he probably wouldn’t have you. Do you think Mr. Winford would be interested in a lowly woman like you?”

The group fell silent instantly, turning to look. There stood a stunningly beautiful girl, glaring at them with a defiant expression.

The girl who had been speaking earlier flashed a hint of jealousy in her eyes and sneered, “We’re talking among ourselves. What’s it to you? From your tone, do you want to marry that old and ugly man?”

The girl’s mother, Nicole Miller, scrutinized Ophelia. Not recognizing her, she guessed that Ophelia was probably a girl with no powerful background who somehow ended up here, perhaps a dubious companion brought by some man.

She mocked, “That’s right. Any decent girl wouldn’t want to marry a man like Mr. Winford, but there are still many women in the world who crave power and money. Such women would do anything for money, wouldn’t they?”

Ophelia scoffed coldly, “You all talk as if you’ve seen Mr. Winford.”

“None of us has ever seen him, but we’ve all heard of him. Everyone says so; it can’t be false,” Nicole said.

Others echoed, their expressions disdainful and mocking.

“Mr. Winford is like that. It’s no longer a secret. Who doesn’t know?”

“He’s nothing but an old, disabled madman. He keeps marrying one wife after another. He might even be a dirty old goat…”

“Ah!” Suddenly, there were screams and chaos. It was Ophelia who angrily grabbed a wine glass and poured it over their heads. Instantly, the attention of others in the hall was drawn, and gazes from all directions turned towards them.

“Since you’ve never even laid eyes on him, you filthy scandalmongers, how dare you judge him like that? You’re the exact piece of trash everyone’s been gossiping about! With your nosey mouths, do you think you’re entitled to spew your filth on everything? Do you have the nerve to repeat those words right in front of Mr. Winford’s face?”

Ophelia unleashed a tirade, her pretty face filled with a fierce aura as if she could slap anyone who dared to speak against her. Since this group of people dared to insult her husband, she would retaliate without hesitation.

“You bitch!”

“Call security! Get security to throw her out!”

Ophelia was quick, not just pouring one glass of wine. Now, this group of people was in a mess, trembling with anger.

“What’s going on?” Arturo’s mother, Elizabeth Pruitt, walked over in the gaze of the crowd. Today was her sixtieth birthday.

“Madam Pruitt, there’s a crazy woman here!” Lara ran over crying to complain.

Elizabeth, having been a mistress, was good at maintaining herself. Even at sixty, her hair was shiny, making her look young. She carried the demeanor of a distinguished old lady, frowning as she glanced at Ophelia. “Which family are you from?”

Ophelia clanged the empty wine glass down, not too softly, then leisurely grabbed a tissue to wipe the wine from her hands. Cullen was a piece of trash, so what could his grandmother be? Even looking at Elizabeth made her feel nauseous. This disregard for her presence made Elizabeth extremely angry.

At this moment, Bessie, who had followed Elizabeth, let out a surprised exclamation. “Ophelia! Is that you?”

Elizabeth immediately asked Bessie, “Do you know her?”

Bessie glanced at Ophelia and hesitated, her face reddening with embarrassment. “Madam Pruitt, this is my sister, Ophelia Greene. I apologize for everything she just did…”

This unprompted apology caused Ophelia’s eyes to become icy.

“Ophelia?” Elizabeth immediately recalled, and she scoffed, “I know her; she’s nothing but a worthless piece of trash with no upbringing whatsoever. It makes perfect sense; with no mother to raise her since she was a child, she has no manners. Oh, Ophelia, I heard you got married. Did you marry some old, ugly man who is also disabled?”