Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Chapter 31

The atmosphere in the dining room suddenly plummeted to freezing point, as if someone had pressed the pause button on everyone's actions.

Nathan furrowed his brow slightly but chose to remain silent.

Adah's face showed a flicker of discomfort, unable to come up with a way to ease the tension.

Only Ethan reacted, slamming his knife and fork onto the table with a loud "bang," startling the maid.

"What's going on here?" he demanded.

The maid shrank back, murmuring with her head down, "Young Master, the meals have always been prepared for four, so..."

Her explanation was feeble, doing nothing to quell Ethan's anger. Instead, it only fanned the flames.

"So what? Are you blind and didn't see my sister back at home? Or did you see her and deliberately not prepare her portion?"

"Sir, I..." the maid attempted to explain, but Ethan impatiently cut her off, "You're fired."

The maid looked terrified, glancing towards Vanessa for help, but Vanessa kept her head down, lost in thought.

throat, "May, prepare another

with relief, hastily retreating to the

shifted, and she quickly put on a concerned expression, pushing her own

speak, but she didn't refuse the "kindness" either. She was genuinely hungry

were calm and steady, as if

Claire to say something to her, but Claire didn't even spare her a glance. Vanessa's hopeful

to remind Claire, but she continued eating her breakfast, not

He coughed loudly.

Claire remained unmoved.

tone carrying a hint of disapproval, "Claire, look at how

that's what this

Ha!

even have

kind of

complied for three years and never won their hearts.

at them, "Thank her for what? For taking over my life? For sowing discord and framing me? Or for the five years I spent in prison because of

her breakfast, you demand I thank her? For three years in this house, I couldn't even have