The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

The moment Vester entered, every pair of eyes in the hall turned to him.

Whispers rippled through the crowd, no one bothering to lower their voices.

"Isn't that the third son?"

"Third son? Please, he's just the bastard's kid. Everyone knows Mr. Archer can't stand him."

"If it weren't for that mistress of his dying and leaving him without a guardian, there's no way Mr. Archer would've brought him back into the family. A bastard born to a mistress-what a disgrace for the Archers."

"And on top of that, the guy's crippled. A total waste. Mr. Archer treats him like a stray pet-barely worth the trouble to feed."

"I heard his mother was the one who crippled him. Do you know why? She broke his legs just so Mr. Archer might pity her enough to see her one last time. Pathetic, isn't it?"

"Honestly, what's he even doing here tonight? Just an embarrassment."

Mr. Archer's face was practically green.

subject of praise in

the only thing people remembered was his affair

he not

spent a lifetime building, branding him with a

in as if nothing was wrong, his expression calm, as though he couldn't

was ice-cold, his jaw tight with contempt. "What's that cripple doing here? On a night this important, he just has to show

look of pure disgust, she muttered,

in his brother and sister's eyes. He nodded politely to the guests around him, then wheeled himself straight up

was spoken, but the mocking glint in his

curdled. He all but ground out the words through clenched teeth. "What are you doing here? Get out. This is no place for

flickered across

Archer's fists clenched so hard he was close to shattering his own teeth. "Filthy brat. You're just as

feral flickered in Vester's blue eyes, but it vanished

at