Chapter 227

Evelyn and Lucas knew the truth all too well.

They had only held back from mocking this mother-daughter pair out of respect for their uncle Charles.

William had always been fiercely protective of his family. Genevieve had crossed the line, especially here at Sterling Manor. She'd brought this upon herself.

Her face now looked rigid and unpleasant.

Burning with indignation, she'd tried playing the family card but ended up losing everything instead.

Even the maids were snickering at her.

Genevieve couldn't tolerate it any longer. Fury consumed her.

William, Evelyn, and Lucas's condescending attitudes made Genevieve's face flush crimson with rage.

They had thoroughly provoked her.

"Hmph! If not for you people, Charles would have married me ages ago!" she spat. "I'm only in this situation because of your interference! Who do you think you are to insult me like this?"

Evelyn gave the mother-daughter pair a cold glance before laughing derisively.

"Once a homewrecker, always a homewrecker."

"You should stay in the gutter where you belong. Not just anyone can marry into the Sterling family," she continued icily. "If you somehow managed to wed Uncle Charles, the media would expose your sordid past. Then the world would know you're nothing but a mistress who clawed her way up."

A meaningful smile played on Evelyn's lips. "Better to remain Charles's little secret if you want to keep your comfortable life."

"Know your place, and don't provoke those far beyond your station."

Seeing Genevieve's ashen face, Evelyn felt immense satisfaction.

Genevieve had asked for this humiliation. Clenching her teeth, the woman shrieked, "Evelyn, how dare you threaten me? You're the one who married Nathan Blackwood and ruined your own reputation!"

"Why don't you mention how you've disgraced the Sterling name? Do you think your current position lets you look down on everyone?" Genevieve braced herself, expecting Evelyn to strike her so she could retaliate.

Instead, an icy malice filled the air.

Even the observing maids glared at Genevieve with righteous anger. Evelyn's eyes narrowed, turning dark and fathomless.

A terrifying silence descended. With each deliberate step Evelyn took toward her, Genevieve felt overwhelmed by the younger woman's commanding presence.

Margaret gulped, glancing between William and Lucas. Both men looked ready to skin her alive.

Evelyn's expression remained unreadable.

"Ms. Dawson," Evelyn said calmly, her voice deceptively light, "are you truly naive enough to believe you can insult me without consequence? For what you've said today, you'll never be connected to the Sterling family again."

This was a direct threat. Evelyn's words struck fear into them. As William's publicly announced successor, Evelyn held absolute authority over who remained in the Sterling family circle.

Margaret momentarily panicked.

Her hands clenched so tightly at her sides that her nails drew blood from her palms.

"Evelyn, my mother just speaks without thinking," Margaret hurried to explain. "She didn't mean it. You're magnanimous—please don't take it to heart." Though inwardly seething at Evelyn's arrogance, Margaret dared not openly offend the heiress.

She knew Evelyn had every right to make such declarations.

Evelyn's expression was icy, her lips pressed into a thin line of disdain. She had no patience left for these two conniving women.

"What a colossal waste of my time." Her voice cut through the tense air like shards of glass. "Archibald, escort them out immediately."

The butler moved with practiced efficiency, his polished shoes clicking against the marble floor as he approached the unwelcome guests.

Genevieve trembled visibly, her resentment warring with primal fear. Even in her fury, she knew better than to challenge Evelyn directly. Her manicured nails dug crescent moons into her palms.

"You're all just a bunch of arrogant snobs!" Margaret spat, her shrill voice echoing through the grand foyer. "Mark my words - I wouldn't set foot in this wretched place again even if you begged me!"

With that dramatic declaration, she grabbed Genevieve's arm and stormed out, her stiletto heels striking the floor like gunshots.

The moment they crossed the threshold of Sterling Manor, Genevieve whipped out her phone with shaking fingers.

"Evelyn blocked our access to the company," she hissed into the receiver, her voice dripping with venom.

Upstairs, William Sterling's rage was palpable. Both Lucas and Evelyn could feel the tension radiating from him as he marched to his study and slammed the door with enough force to rattle the portraits on the walls.

The household staff froze in place, barely daring to breathe. Evelyn arched an eyebrow at her brother. "And you call this entertaining?"

Lucas merely shrugged, his boyish grin at odds with the tense atmosphere. "I found it rather... enlightening."

A derisive snort escaped Evelyn's lips. "Next time they show up, have security turn them away at the gates," she instructed Archibald coolly.

There was no point pretending civility anymore. These social climbers weren't worth a single moment of her consideration. Let them choke on their pathetic schemes.