Chapter 14
Daphne often couldn’t understand the mindset of these spoiled rich heirs. It was as if someone like her marrying Wilson, the golden boy of their social circle, was an unbearable insult to their
collective pride.
The thought disgusted her, and she wanted to turn and leave. But she reminded herself of the real
reason she was here and forced herself to endure it
“Stay calm. Just think of them as maggots feeding on garbage,” she muttered inwardly.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door. All eyes immediately turned to her, but Daphne’s
gaze locked solely on Wilson.
He was dressed entirely in black, seated at the center like a king surrounded by his court. His
striking features naturally drew attention, making everyone else fade into the background.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Wilson’s eyes flickered with a trace of annoyance before hist expression turned cold upon seeing Daphne.
Daphne walked toward him with purpose. I’m here to see you, of course.
The
group of heirs who had been bad–mouthing her earlier burst into mocking laughter at her
response
“Will, why’d you even ask? Of course, she’s here for you. It’s obvious. She’s still hung up on you. I bet,” Ezra Gray sneered as his gaze was filled with contempt.
Daphne recognized Ezra. He came from a wealthy family in the hotel business, so rich he burned. money on film investments just for fun. Countless aspiring starlets sought his favor, using any
means to climb into his bed
That was why Ezra had a deep disdain for actresses, referring to them all as “cheap performers“. Like Noah, he had always belittled Daphne, considering her unworthy of Wilson.
Back when she was married to Wilson, she had smiled through his insults, fearing that
complaining would put Wilson in an awkward position. She never mentioned a word of it to him.
Now, her standing in Wilson’s eyes had fallen so low that Ezra felt free to insult her openly, right
to her face
Wilson’s friends continued their jests without restraint.
“Come on, Will, give her some attention. She’s clearly here out of love. How devoted!”
“Yeah, I think she’s about to break into pieces.
Daphne ignored them as her focus was solely on Wilson. “Why did you spread rumors that I
cheated during our marriage? Seeing that you like Yvonne that much, fine, 111 let you have her. But why slander me? Your affair with a mistress get exposed, and now, you want to drag me down
with you?”
Wilson’s reaction to her accusation was indifferent. He raised on eyebrow, picking up a glass of wine with practiced elegance before nonchalantly saying, “I have no idea what you’re talking
about.”
Daphne’s anger flared. She pulled out her phone, showing him the article. “Don’t pretend. Did you
not hire someone to write this?”
Wilson glanced at the screen, his brows furrowing briefly before the look of confusion vanished. He swirled his wine with a dismissive smirk. “Do you really think I need to spread lies to ruin you? If I wanted to destroy your reputation, I wouldn’t bother with fabricated stories.”
Daphne froze as realization dawned on her. Wilson was ruthless, but he wouldn’t use a story accusing himself of being cheated on. It would only backfire, making him a laughingstock in their
circle.
Which meant
“Yvonne. It was you!” Daphne’s sharp gaze shifted to Yvonne.
Perhaps it was the sharp intensity in Daphne’s gaze but Yvonne instinctively flinched.
Then, realizing she was on her home turf, she straightened her back and regained her composure. “Daphne, you can’t just accuse me like that. I don’t have the time to spread rumors about you. Everyone has seen your relationship with Mr. Turner, even Mr. Farrell. How do you know it just the paparazzi who caught your obvious act?”
wasn’t
“Bullshit!” Daphne grabbed a glass of wine and splashed the contents directly on Yvonne’s face.
Her carefully applied makeup was immediately smudged into a mess.
Even Wilson, who was sitting close to Yvonne, ended up with wine on his clothes
“Daphne Yeager, what the hell is wrong with you? Wilson snapped, pulling the shrieking Yvonne- into his arms protectively.
His glare at Daphne was sharp enough to cut, and his entire demeanor turned menacingly cold.
But what was done was done. Why back down now? Yvonne deserved everything thrown at her.
Daphne stood her ground, her posture straight as she stubbornly met Wilson’s gaze. “Take down. the posts and issue a clarification. You can come after me, but you shouldn’t drag innocent people.
into this.”
“Innocent? Wilson let out a mocking laugh, his words dripping with sarcasm. “By ‘innocent,‘ you don’t mean Sebastian Turner, do you?”
Daphne didn’t answer, but her silence was confirmation enough.
Wilson’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening as he bit out his words, “So, you’re protecting
him now? Daphne, are you really involved with him?”
Daphne let out a short, humorless laugh. “Do you even realize how ridiculous you sound, Wilson?
You’re trying to accuse me of something you’re guilty of. How typical”
Yvonne wiped her face dramatically as she chimed in with venom, “Daphne, you’re so defensive. about Mr. Turner, and you still want to claim theres nothing going on? If that’s the case, why are you targeting me?”
“Because I’m still legally married to Wilson! I’m the wife; you’re the mistress. And right now, you’re sitting in my husband’s arms. I have every right to rip into you a thousand times over.”
Her words carried strength, but her gaze betrayed her as it lingered on Wilson’s hand, which was gently comforting Yvonne. He was probably heartbroken because she hurt his precious darling, wasn’t he?
The way he glared at her moments earlier was as if he wanted to tear her apart. But Daphne no longer cared. She had grown numb to that look. It turned out that when pain became too much, one truly stopped feeling it.
“Wilson, by tomorrow, I want every single defamatory post removed. If not, I can’t guarantee what I might do to Yvonne.”
“Are you threatening me?”
Wilson shot to his feet, his hand clamping Daphne’s chin with bruising force. His grip was so tight it felt like he was about to crush her jaw,
“You should know, Daphne Yeager–people who threaten me never end well.”
Daphne felt an icy chill crawl up from the soles of her feet, piercing straight into her heart. Her lips pressed into a tight line, and she refused to utter a single word.
Wilson hated her defiant demeanor, and he tightened his grip on her jaw. “You’ve grown bold, haven’t you? Do you really think I can’t deal with you?”
Though Daphne was gasping for breath under his crushing grip, she still held her head high with pride. “I’ll return that statement to you word for word. Do you really think just because you’re protecting Yvonne, I won’t dare to do anything to her?”
In the
In the past, refraining from threatening Wilson hadn’t saved her from a bad ending. So why not just collide head–on with Wilson?
Wilson studied Daphne’s unfamiliar defiance, and His expression became unreadable. After a long pause, he suddenly smiled and released her.
“Well, well Impressive
He pulled Yvonne into his arms and gently wiped the wine from Yvonne’s face in full view of Daphne. His movements were tender and deliberate, as if handling a piece of delicate porcelain.
Yvonne blushed. Her voice was soft and coy as she muttered, “Oh, stop. There are so many people
watching.”
Wilson didn’t even glance at Daphne as he replied, Daphne, if you insist on humiliating yourself, let me make this clear. Even if Yvonne is behind that defamatory post, I’ll still protect her and spoil her. If you dare lay a finger on her, think carefully about your parents back in the countryside.”
Family had always been Daphne’s weakness. In her past life, even when Wilson used the dirtiest tactics to force her into a divorce, he had never threatened her family. Now, his casual but cutting threat drained the color from Daphne’s face in an instant.
