Revenge Of The Jilted Bride

Jilted Bride 22

Chapter

22

Emily sat curled up on her bed and hugged her knees, her head down, her face pale and lifeless. She looked like

she'd been dealt a huge blow

Heather's heart broke at the sight of her little princess-once so full of life-now reduced to this. She wrapped her

arms around Emily and softly whispered words of comfort, "Honey, | swear, I'll find out who did this to you.

They'll pay for what they did. But first, eat something, please? Letfeed you."

Find out who did this? Yeah, right. You're all talk and no action, Emily thought bitterly.

Heather called for the maid to bring sporridge and carefully brought a spoonful to Emily's lips. But Emily

turned her head away and kept her mouth tightly shut. She refused to take a single bite

Heather pleaded with her in tears, Owen, unable to stand watching any longer, dismissed Heather with a few

stern words and took the bowl from her. "Emily, is this how you carry yourself as my daughter! You can't even

handle a little setback? Owen said in a serious tone

Emily's emotions flared as she heard her father's words. She had been pampered her entire life and had never

faced such humiliation

"It must be Ophelia, that bitch! She's jealous of everything | have, so she's trying to destroy me. Dad, why

couldn't | be your only daughter?" Emily's eyes burned red as she stared at Owen. She couldn't figure out why

she had to share what was hers with someone else, and why Ophelia had to compete with her. She wanted

Ophelia gone for good.

for yourself Seeing his daughter so distraught softened Owen's heart. He sat beside her on the bed and said, "To

me, Emily, you are my only daughter. Everything | have will be yours. But first, you gotta win back your dignity.

Sitting here feeling sorry isn't going to fix anything. | know you want to get close to the Sinclair family, and |

support that."

Emily's eyes instantly lit up as she asked, "Really, Dad?"

"Of course. But first, you need to keep things steady with the Lewis family. Let's take one step at a time, alright?

Cone, cat something, and I'll tell you what to do next," Owen said with a gentle smile.

Emily obediently took the bowl and began eating the porridge, her movements robotic. But there was something

else- something she was too scared to admit to Owen

For the next two days, Emily did as her father said, going to work at Sungate Entertainment and learning how to

manage the company. Everything was fine until she got a phone call.

"Ms. Hastings, the rental period ended a few days ago. We haven't bothered you about it, but when do you plan

on returning

of sarcasm.

the gown? Chloe's voice on the other end was strictly respectful and professional, but there was a clear under

turning

The unspoken message was loud and clear: Emily didn't have any sense of responsibility.

Emily caught on to Chloe's implication, but she held back her anger and replied, "I've been busy lately. I'll return

it in a couple of days."

"A kind reminder, before Paralet Shopping Center closes tonight, if you still can't return it, you'll be hearing from

our lawyer,"

Chloe said in a serious tone.

Emily stammered, "You-"

But the call ended abruptly, leaving Emily gripping her phone tightly. Ever since her birthday party, it felt like the

whole world had lost respect for her.

She quickly dialed another number and asked, "Hello? Is my gown fixed yet? You call yourselves professional, but

how can it take so long to mend a gown? I'm coming to pick it up this afternoon, so hurry up please."

Later that evening, Emily arrived at La Reverie just as most shops were closing. As she stepped into the store,

she noticed familiar figure sitting at the front desk and was sketching on a drawing board. The sound of the

pencil scratching across the paper filled the store. "Ophelia Emily exclaimed as she had a clear look at the

person's face. She hadn't expected to see Ophelia here, and her grip on the shopping hag tightened.

Chapter 77

Ophelia paused her action and looked up at Emily, her gaze indifferent. "Are you returning the gown?"

"What are you doing here?" Emily asked, her tone guarded, her eyes filled with barely concealed hatred.

"I work here," Ophelia replied curtly

Having been burned by Ophelia before. Emily wasn't so quick to believe her. She glanced around the store, her

skepticism clear "What, that old man isn't treating you well? He's making you work now?"

"In your

world, is relying on a man the only thing that exists?" Ophelia retorted with a cold glance at Emily.

Emily was left speechless, the sharp retort hitting her like a slap in the face.

Her mind instantly flashed back to the humiliating scene at her birthday party. All she'd wanted was to cozy up

to Kenneth, only to be thrown into the fountain and publicly humiliated. And just the other day, she went out of

her way to fawn over Miles, desperate for his attention. Ophelia's words cut deep, striking right at her sore spots.

"Well, Ophelia. | want to know-were you behind what happened at my birthday party?" Emily snapped, her voice

harsher

Ophelia was so used to Emily's sarcastic sweet talk that this sudden directness almost felt refreshing. Wow, you

finally dropped the act, huh? Ophelia thought with a smirk. | guess you can't keep it up any longer. Well, your

turn's over. Now it's mine

"Oh. Emily, what are you talking about? Birthday party? I've been at Rosewood Manor the whole time. | didn't

even know it was your birthday. Are you mad atbecause | didn't get you a gift!" Ophelia said with an

innocent look.

Emily's expression darkened, and she thought, What is she playing at? Her hand clenched in her pocket as she

retorted, "Stop pretending. Who else could it be but you?" Emily couldn't figure out who else would go out of

their way to make her life difficult.

"I really don't know what you're talking about" Ophelia's innocent look was made even more convincing with her

naturally sweet face. Compared to her, Emily-despite all her years in the entertainment world-couldn't even

compete when it cto playing innocent. Emily took a deep breath, thinking her phone's recordingwas

still running. She had to get a confession out of Ophelia. If she could prove to Heather that Ophelia was behind

what had happened at the birthday party. Heather would turn on Ophelia. She'd finally get her revenge by

watching their family tear itself apart.

With that thought, Emily softened her tone, trying to coax the truth out of Ophelia. "Elia, | know you hate me. You

probably think | took your place, but I never meant to. | know you've had a hard tbefore Mom and Dad found

you, and | have even tried convincing them to treat you better.

"But look, you've been out of touch for twenty years, and it can't be made up for overnight. I've tried my best.

We're sisters, aren't we? Why would you do that toand embarrasslike that at my own birthday party?"

"Sisters? Oh, please. Owen and Heather only have one daughter, right? Weren't you the one who got mixed up

and adopted by mistake! You don't even know who your real parents are, and you're calling us sisters?" Ophelia

corrected her with a sneer.

Emily's hands tightened even more. She was a Hastings too, but as the illegitimate child, she was forced to live

in the shadows. She could hardly accept that. However, she couldn't blow the whole thing open-not without

risking her position as the beloved Hastings's heiress.

"Elia. Emily put on a vulnerable look and stared at Ophelia.

"Enough with the act. Save it for when you find your real parents, alright? Now, aren't you here to return the

gown? Letsee

Ophelia impatiently cut her off.

Emily's initial embarrassment turned into nervousness. Her gaze darted away from Ophelia as she swallowed

hard. She placed the shopping bag she'd been holding onto the counter, her mind racing. Suddenly, a clever idea

popped into her head.