Chapter 377

Olivia clicked her tongue sharply. "I had every intention of releasing Miss Hartley, but her hostility remains unchanged," she stated coolly. "If she's set free, what guarantee do we have she won't seek retribution like before?"

"Olivia!" Evelyn's eyes burned with venom beneath her tangled locks. "Look at what you've done to me. Isn't this enough for you?"

Olivia's response was glacial. "Not even close. Your suffering barely scratches the surface of what you've put me through all these years."

Evelyn sneered, her voice dripping with poison, "You were just a pathetic mute back then, trying to steal what was mine. You got exactly what you deserved!"

Olivia sighed, her gaze shifting to Sebastian, whose distress was palpable. "So the victim is to blame now? Sebastian, you see the danger I'm in. She's still a threat."

In a burst of frustration, Sebastian shoved Evelyn harder than intended, pinning her to the ground. "This is your own doing. I hoped for remorse, but you're exactly the same."

Sebastian delivered his ultimatum through clenched teeth. "Evelyn, if you want me to take you out of here today, you'll get on your knees and apologize to Olivia."

"Never!" Evelyn spat the word through gritted teeth.

Olivia waved a dismissive hand. "Then forget it. Take Miss Hartley back to her room."

At Olivia's command, the guards seized Evelyn, dragging her toward the dreaded darkness of that familiar cell.

Seeing the door to her personal nightmare looming again, Evelyn snapped.

With desperate strength, Evelyn broke free and threw herself at Olivia's feet, her head bobbing in frantic, mechanical bows - a grotesque pantomime of submission fueled by terror and simmering hatred.

Evelyn's voice was a broken rasp. "I'm sorry, Olivia. It's all my fault. I won't cross you again. Just... please don't send me back there."

Olivia looked down at Evelyn, her expression unreadable. She wasn't fooled. This apology was nothing but a survival tactic. Beneath the surface, Olivia knew the hatred still burned, but that didn't matter. True revenge, when served, should be a slow, deliberate feast.

Turning to Sebastian, Olivia gave a curt nod. "Take her away."

Sebastian reached to help Evelyn up, but as she stood, her legs gave way and she collapsed in a heap, appearing unconscious.

With no alternative, Sebastian scooped Evelyn into his arms and carried her out.

As they passed Olivia, Evelyn's eyelids fluttered open just enough to shoot Olivia a venomous glare, her lips curling in a triumphant smirk.

That look said everything - Evelyn still believed she held power over Sebastian's heart, and in her twisted mind, that meant she'd already won against Olivia.

In Evelyn's delusion, once she secured her position as Sebastian's wife, crushing Olivia would be child's play. To her, Olivia would always be the loser, destined to be trampled underfoot.

Beatrice's birthday gala arrived soon after. Olivia's legs had nearly healed completely, though her relentless search for Alistair had yielded nothing. Wracked with guilt, Isabelle couldn't eat or sleep properly. The stress had hollowed her cheeks, and Olivia's heart ached seeing her like this.

Hoping to lift Isabelle's spirits, Olivia decided to bring her to the gala, praying the festive atmosphere might offer some respite.

As expected, the Ellington family treated Olivia like royalty, attending to her every need with meticulous care. But it was the Blackwood family who commanded the most respect. Representing the Blackwoods, Victor and Catherine made their grand entrance at the event.