Chapter 158

Victoria's perfectly manicured nails dug into my cheek, not enough to break skin, but enough to make her threat clear. I refused to flinch, even as my heart hammered against my ribs. The cold stone of the railing pressed against my back, a stark reminder that I was cornered.

"You're nothing but a gold-digger who got lucky," she hissed, her breath hot against my face. "A nobody who crawled her way into our family through manipulation and deceit from your mother," Victoria sneered, “From what I heard, she was a whore who sold her body just to get you a better life!”

I knocked her hand away, fury burning through my veins. "And you're nothing but a jealous, bitter woman who can't stand the fact that not everyone can be under your control and not everything will go the way you want!" I seethed, “I am not afraid of you, Victoria, I know what you truly are beneath all this bark!”

The slap came fast, the crack of it echoing in the night air. My cheek stung, but I kept my head high, refusing