Chapter 143
“Sister, everyone’s watching right now,” Aurora said calmly, her tone even but edged with warning. “So let me say this one last time, stop testing my limits. Like earlier… you must know why the seam on my gown was coming loose, right? I’m sure you have a pretty good idea.”
She looked at Tessa with deliberate ease, waiting to see how she’d respond.
“I…”
Tessa’s gaze wavered. She couldn’t meet Aurora’s eyes.
She’d assumed Aurora hadn’t noticed the little trick she pulled earlier; that was why she’d acted so brazenly.
But clearly, Aurora had just been saving it for the right moment.
Julian, meanwhile, also recognized the server who’d caused the spill.
Wasn’t that the same man Tessa had whispered to earlier?
His eyes narrowed slightly.
So, his fiancée wasn’t quite the gentle, graceful woman people claimed she was.
How interesting.
Tessa’s evasive eyes didn’t go unnoticed.
Her guilt was written all over her face.
No one here was stupid.
After seeing this, how could they not put the pieces together?
Lucy leaned in toward a colleague and whispered, “I used to envy Aurora’s status, but after seeing this… her family’s full of wolves in disguise.”
“Tell me, what kind of person goes around trying to sabotage her own sister?”
“She tampered with a girl’s gown, of all things. One wrong move, and it could’ve ruined Aurora’s reputation.”
Someone else nearby sighed softly. “They’re real sisters. Why let things get this ugly?”
Whispers turned into murmurs of condemnation.
Everyone had the same thought – if Tessa could do something like that to her sister’s gown, who knew what else she was capable of?
Chapter 143
Lucas glanced at Aurora’s unwavering expression, and a thought struck him – he remembered the red wine that had been spilled on her when he first arrived.
So, she must’ve suspected something was wrong with her dress even back then.
Tessa slowly shook her head, her voice trembling as she murmured, “No… it’s not like that… I didn’t do it. Aurora’s making things up. She’s doing this on purpose…”
But the excuse was too flimsy to convince anyone.
And now, she had even stopped calling Aurora her sister.
Half of the mask she wore had already slipped away.
“Enough!”
Grace’s voice cut through the murmurs as she stepped out from the crowd.
She stared at Tessa’s erratic state, a glint of coldness flashing in her eyes.
It was clearly time to reassess her daughter’s character.
Aurora met her mother’s gaze, a flicker of hope surfacing in her eyes.
This time, she had practically laid the evidence out in front of her.
Would Grace still choose to defend Tessa?
But with so many people watching, even favoritism would be difficult to justify.
Grace’s eyes swept over Tessa, sharp and unforgiving.
Tessa’s heart sank.
She stumbled forward, trying to explain herself. “Mom, I swear it wasn’t me. I would never hurt Aurora. This is such an important occasion – I know better than anyone what’s at stake.”
Grace looked at her, saw the redness at the corners of her eyes, the flushed nose from rising panic.
She clutched Grace’s arm like a broken doll – fragile, desperate, and falling apart.
But Grace thought back to everything that had just unfolded.
Her eyes shut for a brief moment, then opened again – colder this time.
“Security, escort Miss Tessa downstairs to rest. I don’t want to discuss this any further tonight. Your health is fragile. There’s no need for you to attend these events anymore. Stay home and recover properly.”