Chapter 21 LILITH 288 IVouchers In the meantime , Claire had rushed up to Brandon , grabbing the front of his shirt . " Say it again ? " she pulled him closer , her voice trembling . She was clearly on the verge of a breakdown . " What happened between us was a mistake ? " Then , she turned toward me , eyes burning red with hatred and jealousy . " And what ... you love her now ? " " Then what about me ? What have I been doing with you all these years ? " " You said you were forced into this engagement ! You said you had no choice . You told me you'd find a way to annul it and be with me openly- " A violent smack to the face cut off the rest of her words . Standing in front of her , Paula - the culprit - wore a contemptuous expression . " A shameless whore like you sure loves to dream big . Do you think the threshold of our family is that low ? That even the likes of you think you can enter anyhow you wished ? " Claire looked toward Brandon , as if to confirm if that's what he truly thought of her . But he avoided her gaze She slumped to the floor , despair settling on her face . Watching the dog - eat - dog scene unfold , my mood lifted slightly . 08:53 Chapter 21 788 You har It was quite funny , really as before the scandal , Paula had always liked Claire better In fact , in my previous life , after I got married , they'd seemed more like mother - in - law and daughter - in - law than she and I ever were . Yet now , it was as though she'd never even known Claire . Likewise , Claire and Brandon had claimed to be ' true love . ' But the moment his future began to teeter , this so - called love couldn't even survive a little test . In the end , the one Brandon loved most was always himself . Ridiculous - but not surprising . I expected nothing less from the Scotts . Mercenary and manipulative to their core . All of a sudden , I realized that the third group - except for Claire - has been suspiciously quiet . Immediately , my gaze shifted to Claire's uncle and aunt . As expected , they made no move to help her . Instead , only calculation and greed flickered in their eyes . But if they'd taken the time to come all the way from the neighboring city , they were clearly after something . I just didn't know who their target was . But as long as it wasn't me ... I shrugged inwardly . I'd stay out of their dogfight . " Was everything you told me a lie ? " Claire suddenly looked up at Brandon , eyes full of 08:53 Chapter 21 stubbornness . 甘 The guilty , almost tortured look he gave her was nearly laughable . Even now , he was trying to put on a show . What was this - a remake of star - crossed lovers ? Even among scumbags , there were tiers . A scumbag who frankly admits what he is - fine . But the ones who gaslight and brainwash you into thinking they didn't mean to ? That they were forced into it ? They were the worst of the lot . And Brandon ? He was the perfect example of the latter . But naive as young Claire was , she seemed to believe him , judging from how her expression was softening , and conflicted . No way was I letting that happen . What I wanted was for the trust between them to shatter . For them to tear each other apart . What I wanted was for the trust between them to shatter . For them to tear each other apart . Not stage some cringey , third - rate soap opera Time to stoke the fire , I thought . in my presence . I chuckled - loud enough for the room to hear . And just as I intended , Claire's gaze turned to me . " Please don't tell me you're actually falling for his lousy excuses ? " I said , my gleeful tone making no secret of how much I was enjoying their drama . 08:53 Chapter 21 288 Vouchers " Then I'd better make it clear , lest you get deceived again . A man who truly loves wouldn't keep you as his underground lover for five years . " " Be with you openly ? Keep dreaming . " you , While Claire's face went pale as a sheet . The rest of the room turned stunned at the ' five years ' I dropped . " Five years ? " My mom exclaimed in disbelief . " They've been together that long ? " I glanced at the others . Julian's ever - composed face showed a slight furrow . Marissa arched a brow , visibly surprised . Dad and Mr. Scott's faces were dark and stormy . " Is Lilith right , Brandon ? " Dad finally spoke , voice deep and heavy . Brandon's eyes turned gloomy as he stared at me . He seemed to be asking : How did you find out the exact length of our relationship ? I smiled , then mouthed to him : If you don't want people to find out , then don't do it in the first place . Nothing stays hidden forever . I caught a flash of something sinister in his eyes after I finished . Looks like he was reaching his limit with me . I thought playfully , completely unafraid of his revenge . But when he turned to Dad , his face had returned to normal . As if nothing had happened . Before he could respond to Dad's question , Paula stepped forward and cut in . 08:53 " Of course it's not true . Lilith probably made a slip of the tongue . " It wasn't hard to tell what they had in mind . They probably thought they could downplay or muddle their way through a two - year relationship - likely by putting most of the blame on Claire . But five years ? That would be harder to explain . S as long as they still wanted me to marry Brandon , they had to vehemently deny it . But ... They seemed to have forgotten one variable - Claire . Someone who was about to lose everything and will likely stake it all on one last bet . But I miscalculated . Claire didn't react the way I expected . In fact , it was as though the discussion had nothing to do with her . In my line of sight , she slowly stood up , patted her dress , and walked toward me . As she came closer , a fair arm shot out protectively in front of me . I turned . As expected , It was Marissa - again . The sun must've risen from the west today . If not , how could I explain why both siblings of mine were acting so out of character ? 08:53 Chapter 21 "You're enjoying this , aren't you ? " Claire stood just a step away , smiling strangely creepily . Chapter 22 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!