Felicia held the dish of peeled grapes, feeling awkward under Imogen's gaze. Imogen said leisurely, "Don't mind me. If necessary, I can pretend to be blind." Her implication was clear: Felicia could flaunt her affection freely.
Felicia, caught off guard, coughed. Stephan placed a cup of warm water before her. His care for her was unwavering, regardless of who was present, even when Imogen and Felicia had been at odds.
"Imogen, what were you two discussing regarding Archie and Johanna? What truth did you uncover?" Stephan asked, having only overheard fragments of their conversation.
Imogen hesitated, choosing not to reveal the full extent of the truth, especially concerning Archie and Johanna's relationship. "Half a year ago, when the ship accident happened, Archie faked his death. I found evidence on his phone," she said, producing a screenshot from Archie's contacts. "He saved this number as 'Sir'," she paused, struggling, then gritted her teeth. "He's been trying to extract information from me. He's repeatedly attempted to obtain the Russell family seal!"
Stephan listened without surprise. Imogen was stunned. "You... you already knew?" she asked. "Yeah," he replied. "Since when?" "Two years ago."
Imogen was speechless. Two years ago—when she'd begun dating Archie, blinded by love, and urged Stephan to favor him. She recalled Stephan's warnings about Archie's patience and hidden ambitions, warnings she'd ignored. How foolish she had been.
"Stephan, what are you planning to do?" she asked, berating herself internally.
"Of course, I want to eliminate the problem at its root," Stephan said softly. "But I was worried you'd be reluctant." He'd wanted to act countless times, but he'd compromised because of Imogen, even giving Archie opportunities to attack him.
Imogen took a deep breath. "Do whatever you need to. I only have one condition—leave those two to me." She wanted to make them pay, slowly and thoroughly.
Stephan was genuinely surprised. Given Imogen's personality, was she truly willing to abandon Archie? Archie must have done something unforgivable. A trace of cold, murderous intent flashed in Stephan's eyes before he concealed it. "As long as you've seen the truth, that's what matters," he said, picking up a lab report and handing it to Imogen. He feared she might waver and believe Archie again. Imogen didn't glance at it. "I trust you," she said firmly. "The past incident was my fault. I was so foolish that I didn't trust my own brother and kept defending those scheming outsiders! That won't happen again!"
Imogen's eyes turned red. Remembering her past threats and hurtful words, she felt overwhelming guilt. "I must have been out of my mind to say those things back then…"