NovelEnglishChapter 259 Vincent's roar nearly shattered the cold steel bars between them, veins bulging on his neck as if he could tear apart the venomous woman who had destroyed his life and wounded Claire beyond repair.
"You witch!" Vincent's voice was raw, scraped by fury that seemed to erupt from the pit of his soul. In that moment, he looked less like a man and more like a wild animal driven mad with rage.
But Vanessa only lifted her chin and laughed, loud and reckless. Paired with her disheveled appearance, she looked every bit the demon she truly was.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtOnce upon a time, Vincent had been Cresthaven's star attorney-brilliant, ambitious, the kind of man Vanessa had found useful to keep around. When he'd had value, she'd played the sweet, gentle girlfriend, all honeyed words and coy smiles.
Now, Vincent sat slumped in a battered wheelchair, legs useless, wearing cheap, wrinkled clothes that hung off a sallow frame. He stank of sweat and neglect, and was a shadow of the man he'd been. To someone as selfish as Vanessa, he was now worthless—a tool worn out and discarded. Why waste any more false affection on him? "If you hadn't been such a hopeless fool, do you really think I could've used you? Don't you dare blme. If you want someone to blame, look in the mirror- blyour own blind stupidity!" She paused, eyes glittering with malice. "Letguess. The only reason you know it was Claire who helped you all those years ago, and not me, is because Claire told you herself, right?" Vanessa's lips curled into a vicious smile as she pressed on, "Letguess again, Claire must be so disappointed in you, so heartbroken that no matter how much you beg, she won't ever forgive you, will she?" She clutched her stomach, shrieking with laughter. "Oh, poor you. Boo-hoo-ha! Hahaha!" Vanessa had always been a self-absorbed, spiteful woman. Now that her own life was in ruins, she needed somewhere to dump her pain-and Vincent made the perfect target.
She hurled all her pent-up bitterness at him, savoring the way his face twisted with anger, guilt, and regret. Watching his suffering filled her with a perverse sense of pleasure.
Vincent shook the bars with all the strength his broken body had left, his expression murderous.
"Witch-bitch-you'll rot in hell for this!" Memories of Vanessa's betrayals flooded his mind. He'd spent Claire's hard-earned money to please Vanessa, and had even sent Claire to prison for five agonizing years, all for Vanessa's sake.
Now, remorse gnawed at him like a thousand ants devouring his soul.
"I'll rot?" Vanessa scoffed, lifting her chin higher. "I'm the heiress to The Linwood Group, remember? My parents and brother adorethey'll do whatever it takes to getout of here." Vincent's face twisted, but then a cold, mocking smile spread across his lips.
"The Linwood heiress? You wish. Haven't you heard? The Linwood Group is bankrupt. Your brother was hauled off by the police. Your parents crossed Foster & Co's CEO-he had their legs broken. They can barely look after themselves, let alone remember a washed-up fraud like you." Saying it gave Vincent a grim satisfaction. If Vanessa had tormented him, he could at least return the favor.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHe waited, expecting her to break-panic, rage, at least a flicker of shock. But Vanessa just looked at him, an ambiguous smile on her lips.
"So what if they're bankrupt? What does that have to do with me?" she said coolly. "My real parents are worth millions. There's no way they'll letrot in jail."
Vincent froze, staring at her as if he could pierce her lies with sheer force of will. "Don't givethat. If your real parents were so powerful, why did you stay with the Linwoods all those years?" he spat, voice shaking with frustration. Vanessa's lips curled in contempt. "You think I wanted to stay with them? That was all part of my parents' plan." "What plan?" Vincent pressed.
Vanessa leaned back, looking at him like he was sclueless child. "You think you can trickinto telling you? Please. Don't flatter yourself."
"All your so-called talents, you wasted them on Claire. You know why I picked you to be my defense attorney back then? Because I knew you and Claire grew up together. Only you, personally, could put her in prison-and that would truly break her spirit."
Vanessa's voice oozed smug satisfaction. "Otherwise, what use m would I have for a fresh grad with zero experience? You think a nobody like you could ever be hired to defend someone like me?"
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