Chapter 88: I haven’t forgiven the two of you for betraying me.

Meanwhile, at the Hayes Mansion...

Vincent stormed into the living room and slammed his phone onto the coffee table in front of Dorothy and Julianna.

The screen was still playing the livestream from the bakery.

"What the hell were you two thinking?" Vincent roared, startling both women.

Dorothy looked at him in confusion, while Julianna silently cursed the assistant who had failed to remove the livestream before Vincent found it.

"Dad," Julianna spoke first, trying to calm him down. "Mom only did it for your sake."

"For my sake?" Vincent let out a cold laugh. "Then when exactly were you planning to tell me? After you’d finished ruining everything I’ve worked for?"

His voice echoed through the mansion.

He would never have discovered the incident if several of his business associates hadn’t called him earlier, questioning why Pristine Enterprise had suddenly refused to cooperate with Hayes Group.

Vincent had believed he still had a chance to secure that partnership.

Now...

After watching the livestream and seeing Dorothy publicly cause a scene, he wasn’t even sure their existing investors would continue trusting the company.

Dorothy, however, refused to back down.

"Are you blaming me?" she snapped. "Everything I did was for this family!"

She shot to her feet, glaring at Vincent.

"If Grace hadn’t shown up at the last minute, I would’ve shut Clara’s bakery down for good!"

The humiliation she had suffered replayed vividly in her mind.

Noran and Martha had not only refused to support her, but they had also blamed her for dragging them into her family’s affairs. They had even warned her not to involve them again.

The thought made her clench her fists.

"I was one step away from getting rid of that bakery," Dorothy said through gritted teeth. "But Grace and those girls turned everything around. They left us standing there like fools while everyone questioned us."

Even now, Dorothy couldn’t understand what had changed in Grace.

The woman who had once remained indifferent toward Clara had suddenly defended her without hesitation.

That realization only convinced Dorothy of one thing.

The Sterling family was no longer someone she could provoke carelessly.

If they wanted to deal with Clara again...

They would have to be far more cautious.

Her anger shifted back to Vincent.

"And this is all your fault to begin with!"

Vincent’s face darkened.

"My fault?"

"Yes!"

Dorothy pointed a finger directly at him.

"If you hadn’t cheated and gotten involved with Clara’s mother all those years ago, we wouldn’t be dealing with your illegitimate daughter today."

Her voice was filled with resentment.

"So if you want to blame someone for this mess..."

She took a step closer.

"...then look in the mirror."

Silence filled the room.

The anger on Vincent’s face slowly faded, replaced by visible embarrassment.

He lowered his eyes.

Deep down, he knew Dorothy wasn’t entirely wrong.

Everything that was happening today had begun because of the mistakes he had made years ago.

And despite everything... Dorothy had chosen to stay with him. That was something even he couldn’t deny.

In the end, Vincent couldn’t find a single word to defend himself.

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"Mom... Dad..." Julianna finally spoke, drawing both of their attention. "Now isn’t the time to argue."

She looked from one parent to the other. "If we keep blaming each other, we’re only giving Clara more time to get ahead."

Vincent frowned. "What do you mean?"

Julianna folded her arms. "Can’t you see it? Clara is getting stronger by the day. She’s already started taking away opportunities that should’ve belonged to us."

Although those opportunities had never truly belonged to the Hayes family, Julianna deliberately twisted the narrative to fuel their resentment.

"If we continue acting impulsively, we’ll only end up helping her." Her words caused both Vincent and Dorothy to calm down.

That was exactly what Julianna wanted.

She couldn’t afford another reckless stunt like the one at the bakery. If they were going to make Clara fall, it had to be done carefully—without leaving any evidence that could come back to haunt them.

A faint smile appeared on Julianna’s lips.

"Mom... Dad..." She met their eyes one after the other.

"I have a plan."

Vincent and Dorothy exchanged a glance before looking back at her.

"What kind of plan?" Vincent asked.

Julianna’s smile slowly deepened, a calculating glint flashing across her eyes.

"A plan that won’t just ruin Clara’s reputation..."

She paused for effect. "...but will also make the Sterling family lose their trust in her."

The room fell silent. Even Dorothy couldn’t help but smile.

"Let’s hear it."

Julianna leaned forward, her expression filled with confidence.

This time... I’ll make sure Clara has no way of turning the tables on us.

***

Later that afternoon, Grace and Jonathan were enjoying the desserts Clara had sent over.

The two sat comfortably in the living room, completely immersed in the pastries.

"Mmm... the taste of the pastries is getting better every time," Jonathan commented before taking another bite.

Grace nodded in agreement. "Dominic wasn’t lying when he said she makes the best pastries."

Just then—

"Ahem."

The deliberate cough made both of them turn their heads.

Standing a few feet away was Nicolas. His eyes weren’t on his son or daughter-in-law. They were fixed entirely on the desserts.

More specifically... the last slice sitting on the plate.

Jonathan instinctively pulled the plate a little closer to himself.

Grace elbowed him.

"Ow!" Jonathan winced. "Honey, that hurt."

Grace shot him a warning look.

Jonathan blinked innocently.

What did I do?

Ignoring her husband, Grace smiled at Nicolas.

"Father... would you like to have a bite?"

Nicolas immediately looked away and scoffed.

"Hmph."

Grace held the plate out a little farther. "One bite won’t hurt."

The old man glanced at the pastry. Then at Grace. Then back at the pastry.

Finally, with all the dignity he could muster, he reached over and picked up the smallest piece.

"I’m only eating this because you insisted," he declared proudly. "Don’t misunderstand. I haven’t forgiven the two of you for betraying me."

"..."