Chapter 279: Pride Comes With a Price

Lydia understood Damien's meaning. She knew he’d been targeted before and rarely held grudges against Oliver, for her sake. She felt indebted to Damien and had doubled her efforts in raising her child. However, Oliver's actions had gone too far, involving innocent people. Damien wouldn't tolerate it—a fitting response for the future heir of the Winters family.

Lydia felt she had failed as a mother and decided to let Oliver face the consequences, hoping it would teach him a lesson. Minor punishments had been ineffective. Damien's intervention might finally curb Oliver's disruptive behavior. This seemed the right course of action.

Isabella sighed, having witnessed everything and learned of the plan through the system. Despite the adage about overindulgent mothers raising spoiled children, Lydia was far from indulgent; she was strict. Yet, Oliver was a scoundrel. Were some people simply born bad? Perhaps he was in the wrong family. Isabella mused, almost jokingly, that Damien should have been Lydia's son and Oliver Mrs. Willis's. Mrs. Willis didn't treat Damien well, anyway. The thought amused her, but she wouldn't pry into others' relationships with the system upon first meeting.

Alexander didn't dwell on it. Ava's attitude toward Oliver was polite but not warm; her coldness toward Damien was understandable, though possibly subject to criticism.

A small group began discussing the situation. "What's going on? What are they going to do?" "Should he retaliate or compromise?" "Retaliation, of course! He shouldn't compromise."

Roland and Elaine, having just returned, were unaware of the details. Deborah and Damien had orchestrated everything.

A commotion erupted in the hall. Deborah had returned. The Carneys stepped forward to explain, but Deborah said, "I know what everyone wants to ask. I'll show you the truth now." She went to the stage where the engagement ceremony had been held, approached a control panel, and accessed something on her phone—a livestream! Isabella smirked.

The onlookers were bewildered, unsure of Deborah's plan. Ava and Ruby felt uneasy. The paparazzi, still present, prepared to shoot.

The big screen displayed a photo of Deborah and Oliver, then switched to a video call. Though no one was visible, the location was clearly nearby. The voices of two individuals followed.

Damien, having brought Oliver to the back garden, shouted angrily, "Why did you do that?"

"What are you talking about? I don't understand," Oliver replied, not a fool.

Damien retorted, "Stop pretending. There's no surveillance. I know you wouldn't let me off easily, and I've fallen into your trap. Why are you treating me this way? Has our relationship deteriorated to the point where you'd use your fiancée's innocence to set me up?"

Damien's pain and struggle were evident. Oliver, wanting to see Damien's defeat, might have been more cautious, but he couldn't resist flaunting his success, even fantasizing about Damien begging for mercy. Years of oppression had finally culminated in this moment, and he couldn't contain himself.

He looked around, confirmed their privacy, and burst into laughter. "Oh, Damien. No matter how much Mom and those old folks praise your excellence, you still lost to me!"

The conversation echoed through the hall, silencing the crowd momentarily, before erupting into chaos. "Holy smokes! That's huge gossip!" "So, they did sleep together, but Oliver set it up." "Why would he cuckold himself? He's insane!"

Ava and Ruby's expressions changed. They rose to intervene, but four bodyguards pushed them back. "What are you doing? Release us!" Ava shouted, but her voice was lost; her screaming only made her appear frantic. "Let me go! Ah, help!" Ruby cried. Lydia gestured, and the bodyguards covered their mouths.

Isabella thought, "Nicely done. Mdm. Lydia seems determined to expose her own son. Still, Oliver is hilarious. Damien clearly knows him well enough to set a trap like this. After all, villains often meet their downfall through excessive talking. Pride comes with a price, and Oliver will be paying it soon."

Alexander knew it was Damien's best option. Unless Oliver confessed, accusations would lead to endless bickering and damage Damien and Deborah's reputations. This method, however, could yield better results. Everything depended on Damien's eloquence.

Damien wouldn't let the others off the hook. "I didn't lose to you, but to my mother and sister. How did you convince them to drug me? Did you threaten or bribe them?"

Oliver's laughter intensified. "Look at you, still making excuses for your mother and sister. Since you're doomed, I'll help you understand. The whole scheme was your mother's idea. She didn't want you to be head of the Winters family, so she sought my help to bring you down. A tarnished reputation would prevent the Winters family from making you heir. They're your closest kin, yet they despise you and want to ruin you. How pathetic are you?" Oliver, aware of Lydia's fondness for Damien, tried to provoke him by mentioning his mother, inadvertently exposing his, Ruby's, and Ava's actions.

The hall erupted. Ava and Ruby stared at the screen in disbelief, their scheme exposed. Their panic was evident when everyone turned their attention to them.