Pampered By Power: The True Heiress Returns

Then she turned to Elysia, her simile growing more genuine. “Elysia, will you joinin cutting the cake?”

Looking into Jocelyn’s sparkling eyes, Elysia understood what Jocelyn was trying to do,

By calling her a “special person” Jocelyn was being careful to keep their family ties under wraps.

If she had introduced Elysia as the daughter of the Evans family, the crowd would surely jump to conclusions

about a possible marriage between their families.

But that kind of talk hadn't been officially discussed yet. If misunderstandings arose, it could put the Evans

family in a tough spot.

Whatever the outcome, the Evans family wouldn't benefit from such assumptions.

Deep down, Elysia knew that even without revealing her identity on stage, the guests probably had their

suspicions.

But now that Jocelyn had mentioned it, everything had changed. Even if people were guessing about the Hartley

family and Evans family, at least half their doubts would vanish.

Sure enough, someone in the crowd thought, ‘Could Ms. Evans have cwith Mr. Hartley because she has a

strong bond with Mrs. Jocelyn Hartley?

As everyone watched the two on stage, they saw Jocelyn holding Elysia’s hand, poised to make the first cut.

The audience leaned in, convinced that Zane and Elysia were together solely because of Jocelyn’s influence.

Meanwhile, down below, Esther glared at Elysia, who was clearly basking in the spotlight. Anger simmered inside

her.

Ashley noticed the crease in Esther's brow and the frown on her face. She gently tugged at Esther's sleeve,

trying to break through her dark mood.

“Hey, smile,” she whispered, worried that with so many important people around, someone might misunderstand

the situation.

Hearing Ashley’s words, Esther felt a wave of anger rising within her. It was tough to hold back her fr tion.

Thankfully, a small part of her still had sense. If not, she might have launched into a screaming match with

Ashley right there.

“Why am | the only one you're picking on right now?” Esther said, lowering her voice to keep it under wraps. Her

annoyance was clear. “Am | even your daughter?”

Ashley let out a heavy sigh, feeling helpless. If Esther wasn’t her daughter, she would probably just ignore her

complaints.

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“Look, Ashley said, trying to stay calm, “even if you're angry, you have to keep it together. There are so many

people around. If anyone sees how upset you are, you know they'll start spreading rumors

Esther's frown softened a bit, but she still felt cornered. “But | can’t help it! Why does that country girl get to

grab all the attention while I just stand here? No one even sees met*

Suddenly, an idea sparked in her mind, Grabbing Ashley’s wrist, her face lit up with excitement. “Mom, since no

one is giving us a chance, let's create our own opportunity

She leaned in closer. “When Mrs. Jocelyn Hartley comes down, you can takeover to say hello. Just a quick

chat. Who knows? She might likemore than that village girl!”

Ashley hesitated at Esther's wild plan. She almost wanted to say no, but then she noticed Esther glance over at

Zane standing nearby. “If | can catch Mrs. Jocelyn Hartley's interest, maybe Mr. Hartley will noticetoo,”

Esther said.

“Once we're connected to the Hartley family, you won't have to deal with Grandma or Uncle’s judgment

anymore,” Esther added, beaming with optimism.

Ashley felt a tug of temptation. She knew it was a long shot, but maybe it was worth a try.

She glanced between Esther's eager face and Elysia up on stage, narrowing her eyes slightly. Sure, Elysia

seemed to have the upper hand, but Ashley thought, ‘What if Esther's plan actually works?

Just as excitement filled her, she opened her mouth to agree when Lindsey's voice cut through the air like a

knife. “Wow, talk about wishful thinking! What are you two dreaming about?”

Startled, both Esther and Ashley whirled to face Lindsey, their hearts racing with the fear that their conversation

had been overheard. But upon realizing it was just Lindsey, they sighed in relief. Still, the smiles on their faces

slowly began to fade.

Ashley's face turned serious in an instant, but she tried not to let it show too much. “When did you cback?”

Lindsey smirked, a playful spark in her eye. “When did | cback? Why should I tell you, Ashley?”

“Seriously? I'm the older one here. Is this how you talk to your elders?” Ashley said, her voice low, struggling to

keep her anger in check.

“Older? You've got to be joking. | don’t see it,” Lindsey said, glancing Ashley up and down with a sarcastic smirk.

“You hardly seem like an elder to me.”

“Lindsey, how can you talk to my mom like that?” Esther burst out, her frustration boiling over. She momentarily

forgot where they were and raised her voice, surprised by her own reaction.

Heads turned toward them instantly.

Lindsey shrugged casually. “Esther, did | say something wrong? Did Jim teach you to yell at people? That's just

wild.” “It’s... It’s because you're being rude to my mom!” Esther snapped back, fists clenching at her sides.

“Rude? That's an interesting way to put it. Why don’t you explain how I've been rude to your mother?” Lindsey

raised an eyebrow, challenging her.

Esther felt trapped. It seemed like Lindsey wanted her to admit that she and Ashley were trying to butter up

Jocelyn to get closer to Zane. There was no way she could say that out loud.

“Struggling to find the words? Letassist,” Lindsey said with a smug smile as if she had it all figured out.

Esther's heart raced, and she scrambled to think of a reply just as Jim's voice boomed, “Enough!”

He strode over to them, serious and tense, with a deep frown. When he got close, he leaned in and whispered

sharply to Esther, “Is this how you learned to act?”

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Seeing Jim's dark expression sent a wave of frustration through Esther. Why am | the only one he’s mad at?‘ she

thought.

“Dad, Esther started to say, but Jim's cold glare silenced her, freezing the words in her throat.

Ashley noticed the tension and quickly grabbed Esther's arm, signaling her to stay quiet.

Jim was clearly fuming. If Esther pushed back, things would only be worse for her.

Now that Esther had fallen silent, Jim shifted his focus to Lindsey. His irritation eased a fraction, but his tone was

still firm. “And you. Can't you see this isn’t the right place for childish games?”

Lindsey simply smiled, unfazed as if everything was just a joke to her. “Oh, lighten up! If she wants to steal the

spotlight, who's really going to stop her?”

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