Free Web NovelChapter 120: The birthday party II
"It’s your big day," Lyvana said finally pushing him back slightly. "I wanted to look my best for you."
Mark looked proud. He turned to Lady Glowen and said, "She is the perfect fiancée."
Behind them, Emily was busy texting Julian, who had already sent three of his men to the party. They were disguised as waiters, moving quietly through the crowd.
They carried a small flash drive with a shocking video on it. The footage showed Mark and his personal assistant together in Lyvana’s office, having sex right on her desk.
When her office was revamped, thanks to Julian, hidden cameras, which only the two of them could access, were set up.
Mark had no idea about this. The day he and Clarisse had used her desk for their sexcapade, it had been recorded.
Two of Mark’s cousins, Leo and Sarah, walked over to Lyvana. They had never liked her. In fact, they probably hated her more than anyone else in the family.
"Look who cleaned up nicely," Leo said, his voice full of sarcasm.
"So, what we saw in the papers is true," Sarah added, looking Lyvana up and down with a sneer. "You’re really sticking around."
Lyvana didn’t look away or feel embarrassed like she used to. Instead, she looked them straight in the eyes.
"Don’t you two have somewhere else you’d rather be than bugging me?" she asked coldly.
Leo and Sarah both froze. They looked at each other in shock. In the past, Lyvana would have stayed quiet or tried to be nice to them. freewebnøvel.coɱ
"Oh," Leo laughed, though he looked annoyed. "Now she can talk back. Is that what happens when you get a little bit of fame?"
"It’s not fame, Leo," Lyvana replied with a smile. "It’s just that I’m tired of pretending to like people who don’t matter."
She walked past them without waiting for an answer, leaving the two cousins standing there with confused and angry looks on their faces.
As Lyvana turned, she caught sight of the massive, three-tier birthday cake standing nearby. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Clarisse moving closer. Just like in her past life, she stuck her leg out, waiting for Lyvana to trip and go flying into the frosting.
But Lyvana was ready this time.
Instead of falling, she gracefully stepped over Clarisse’s foot. With a quick, subtle movement, Lyvana nudged Clarisse’s own heel with her toe.
Clarisse gasped as she lost her balance. She stumbled forward, her arms waving wildly in the air as she tried to grab onto something. With a loud splat, Clarisse fell face-first into the side of the cake.
The room went silent. The music seemed to stop as everyone turned to look. Clarisse pulled her face out of the white frosting, gasping for air, her hair and expensive dress ruined.
Lyvana stood over her, looking down with a look of fake concern.
"You clumsy fool!" Clarisse hissed, wiping frosting from her eyes. "You did that on purpose!"
Lyvana looked down at her calmly. "What are you talking about? I didn’t even touch you. You should really be more careful where you step."
Susan rushed over, her face twisted with rage. "What did you do to her, Lyvana?"
She didn’t wait for an answer, turning immediately to help Clarisse up.
"Clarisse, are you alright? Oh my God, the baby! Is the baby okay?"
Lyvana felt a cold click of realization in her mind. So that was it, she thought. She’s pregnant. That explained why Susan was being so bold in public.
Susan turned back to Lyvana, her voice trembling with hatred. "If something happens to her..."
Just then, Mark pushed through the crowd. "What happened? Why is everyone shouting?"
"It’s your fiancée!" Susan cried out, pointing a shaking finger at Lyvana. "She pushed Clarisse! She tried to hurt the baby!"
"I didn’t," Lyvana said, her voice cool and level, contrasting with Susan’s hysterics. "I didn’t even know she was pregnant."
"Yes, you did!" Clarisse sobbed, leaning into Susan. "You’ve never liked me, but to attack me like this..."
"Everyone, calm down," Mark said, looking between his crying mistress and his calm fiancée.
At that moment, Damon and Isabel arrived at the scene, with Lady Glowen walking gracefully beside them. The tension in the room was at a breaking point.
"What is happening here?" Damon asked, as he looked at the mess on the floor.
"Your daughter pushed Clarisse!" Susan snapped, her face red with anger. "She tried to hurt her!"
Clarisse was standing there, shivering and trying to clean the thick frosting off her face and dress with some paper towels. She looked like a victim, sobbing quietly to make sure everyone felt sorry for her.
"Is that true, Lyvana?" Damon asked, turning to his daughter.
Lyvana didn’t look scared. She didn’t even look annoyed. She just looked at Clarisse with pity. "I didn’t touch her. She tripped on her own feet."
Susan gasped. "You pushed her! You’re just jealous. You wanted to hurt her on purpose because she is pregnant and you can’t have children!"
"Now you watch your tongue Susan," lady Glowen barked.
The guests erupted into hushed, sharp whispers. The word baby had hit the room, and suddenly everyone was looking at Lyvana with pure disgust.
"Poor Clarisse," one of the aunts whispered loudly, looking at Lyvana with a scowl. "Imagine being so hateful that you’d attack a pregnant woman."
Leo leaned over to Sarah, his voice dripping with malice. "So she can’t have children. That explains everything. She’s just a bitter, woman."
"Clearly Mark is wasting his time with someone so useless," she responded.
"That’s absurd," Damon said to Susan. "My Lyvana won’t hurt anyone."
"Mother, let it go," Mark said, his voice sounding thinner than he liked. "Take Clarisse to the bathroom to clean up. You’re making a scene."
Clarisse sniffled loudly, leaning her weight into Susan to look even more fragile. "It’s okay, Susan," she whimpered, casting a fearful glance at Lyvana. "I’m sure she didn’t mean it... even if she did look me right in the eye before she pushed me."
"Such an angel," someone in the crowd whispered, and several others nodded in agreement. The guests were looking at Clarisse with pity and at Lyvana as if she were a monster.
