Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Chapter 368

The once pampered, reckless Vanessa had fallen so far-reduced now to this pitiful state.

Claire gazed at her, a storm of emotions swirling inside. But as her eyes hardened, she let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Vanessa, did you ever imagine you'd end up like this?" she asked, her voice icy.

Vanessa froze mid-mouthful, crumbs of stale bread still clinging to her lips. Slowly, she turned her head, meeting Claire's scornful stare with dull, lifeless eyes.

At first, there was only confusion in Vanessa's gaze, as if she truly didn't recognize Claire. But old hatreds die hard; something deep inside Vanessa recoiled at the sight of her, and rage flared up with startling speed.

She didn't care about the mess smeared around her mouth. With a guttural snarl, more animal than human, Vanessa lunged at Claire as though she meant to tear her throat out with her teeth.

She barely made it a step before the iron shackles around her ankles snapped her back, slamming her face-first into the filth-strewn straw.

But even that didn't slow her down. Crazed, she clawed and thrashed at the ground, hissing and baring her teeth-a wild animal in a human body.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" she shrieked.

just stared down at her, cold contempt in her eyes. "Kill me? You? Don't

was glacial, but there was a gleam of satisfaction in her tone. "Vanessa, I came all the way out here just to see for myself

remember back at the Linwood estate?" Claire continued, her words sharp as knives. "You manipulated everyone-my own home, yet I was treated like an outsider.

why I survived all those beatings and humiliations in prison? Because I

snapped in Vanessa. She struggled frantically, the

the chairman! My mother's a socialite! My brother's a CEO! They'll come for me—they'll make you pay

blind in one eye and locked away in a psychiatric ward, and your precious brother is behind bars. And look at you-do you even look human anymore? You're nothing but a toy passed around by the men in this wretched village. You're lower than the pigs in the

with madness. "No! No! I'm a lady—I'm

say. She simply watched Vanessa writhe on the ground,

her scream.

be long now. Soon enough, Vanessa would

a shame, Claire thought. If only Vanessa could hear herself, hear

stood there in silence,