Chapter 202 Don’t Test The Limits Of My Patience
“Corrine, I’ll shoulder all the blame. Every consequence, every responsibility–it falls on me alone. Leah is innocent in all of this!” Bruce declared, wrapping his arms protectively around Leah’s trembling form.
Tears streamed down Leah’s face as she gazed up at Bruce. “Please, you don’t understand. These feelings, this situation—everything spiraled because of me. You
shouldn’t suffer for my mistakes…”
A hollow smile played across Corrine’s features, her eyes remaining cold and distant. “How tiresome. Must you both recite the same tired lines? Perhaps you could devise something more original?”
Scattered laughter rippled through the gathering crowd.
Leah’s complexion flushed crimson, her eyes darting nervously as humiliation and fury
warred across her features.
“I’ll do anything–anything at all–if you could find it in your heart to forgive me,” Bruce implored, his voice thick with desperation.
Corrine’s lips curved into a cruel smile, mockery dancing in her gaze. “You think sincere apologies erase betrayal? We’re not children playing in a sandbox. Actions have consequences, and yours demand retribution. You conspired behind my back, shattered my trust, and now expect a simple ‘sorry‘ to mend everything? How disappointingly naive. I’ve never been one to dismiss such treachery with a wave of my hand!”
Her words carried an unmistakable threat–today would mark the beginning of the Ashton family’s disgrace.
The onlookers remained silent, understanding that Corrine’s ice–cold demeanor was justified.
They were merely spectators to this unfolding drama, and the deep–seated animosity between Corrine and the Ashtons remained beyond their concern. Their restraint in not openly celebrating this spectacle already demonstrated remarkable civility.
Besides, Bruce and Leah had made their bed. No one would shed tears if they had to lie
in it.
“Please accept my deepest regrets for disrupting your engagement celebration,” Corrine announced, her expression betraying nothing but contempt. “May your union be blessed with all the loyalty and honesty it deserves!”
She turned on her heel, moving purposefully toward the exit when Farris‘ voice rang
out.
He approached slowly, supported by Millard. “Consider the past, Corrine. Remember when Bruce risked everything to save you from those criminals? Surely that counts for something?”
A dangerous glint flickered in Corrine’s narrowed eyes..
The audacity of Farris attempting to manipulate her with past debts struck her as particularly desperate.
Farris withered under her glacial stare, his earlier confidence evaporating. “Three years of memories–they can’t all mean nothing, can they?”
“Indeed,” Tracy interjected eagerly. “Everyone deserves a second chance. The Ashton family embraced you as our own. Couldn’t you find it in your heart to forgive?”
“Forgiveness?” A chilling smile spread across Corrine’s features. “How convenient for the guilty to preach mercy. I take pleasure in watching karma unfold, in witnessing justice served. It brings me satisfaction to see betrayers reap what they’ve sown. Consider yourselves fortunate I’ve shown such restraint today. Don’t test the limits of my patience further!”
With those final cutting words, she strode purposefully toward the exit, leaving a wake of stunned silence behind her.
