Chapter 5

The lights suddenly brightened, and the screen went black.

An abrupt silence fell over the room, making every whisper unusually distinct.

I stood frozen, acutely aware of how the stares around me had transformed from contempt to pity—all feeling sorry for me, the supposed star of this engagement party who had just become the betrayed victim.

But none of them knew that in this second chance at life, I didn't see myself as pitiful at all.

I was only grateful for the opportunity to expose these cheaters and free myself from that scumbag.

Heath's face had turned ashen.

He gave me a long, penetrating look, took a deep breath, and strode purposefully to the center of the ballroom, grabbing the microphone.

"May I have your attention, please!"

Heath's tone was grave and authoritative.

All the chatter instantly died down.

He maintained his composure as he addressed the crowd, "I sincerely apologize for the unpleasantness we've all witnessed tonight. This is my failure as head of the household for not properly guiding my daughter. I deeply regret any discomfort this has caused."

Heath paused momentarily, then declared with finality, "Furthermore, I hereby announce that the engagement between my daughter Seraphine and Mitchell is canceled. No daughter of the Whitaker family will ever be subjected to such disrespect or marry a man of this character!"

My heart warmed at his words.

Though Heath rarely showed emotion and maintained a stern demeanor, I knew he had a soft heart beneath that cold exterior.

In all my years with the Whitaker family, though not his biological daughter, he had never once let anyone slight me.

Even in my previous life, while I had trusted and been dutiful to Amara, I'd always felt closer to Heath.

"That will be all. Please feel free to leave now! I apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding!"

Heath maintained his dignified composure as the family patriarch, though he shot Amara an icy glance.

"This is your precious daughter's doing!" He said coldly.

With that, he turned and headed toward the private lounge.

Amara looked absolutely mortified, trembling from head to toe.

Ignoring me completely, she hurried after him, her steps unsteady.

I remained rooted to the spot for a moment, instinctively glancing up toward the shadowy corner of the second floor.

A figure moved quickly away, leaving only the fleeting glimpse of a dark coat tail.

I felt a slight jolt of surprise.

Octavius had witnessed my entire scheme from beginning to end.

He must have realized that by exposing Mitchell and Brielle, I had deliberately chosen to destroy this engagement and return to being single.

Would he continue to despise me, or might he develop some measure of appreciation for my actions?

I dared not hope for too much as I hurried toward the lounge.

Heath was already knocking on the door when I arrived.

After about fifteen seconds of silence, footsteps finally approached from inside.

Mitchell opened the door while adjusting his tie, only to have Heath push past him forcefully.

I followed behind and saw Brielle frantically straightening her clothes, her lipstick noticeably smudged.

What a shame.

If the screen hadn't been turned off, everyone would have witnessed them kissing and carrying on in here.

"Dad, Mom, Seraphine... what are you all doing here?"

Brielle, still unaware of what had happened, quickly stood up and walked toward us with a forced smile, trying to appear composed.

As soon as she reached Heath, he suddenly raised his hand.

The sound of a slap rang out.

Heath had delivered a stinging blow across Brielle's face.

Caught off guard, Brielle tumbled onto the sofa, her cheek instantly swelling and reddening.

I exhaled softly.

How satisfying.

"Dad, why did you hit me?"

Brielle clutched her face, tears immediately welling in her eyes.

"You shameless girl! I should break your legs! And you have the nerve to act wronged after getting just one slap?"

Heath's face darkened with fury as he turned and pointed at Mitchell, "And you! Mitchell, I respected you as my future son-in-law and agreed to let Seraphine, the daughter I most admire, become engaged to you!"

"And this is how you repay us? Betraying Seraphine right under my nose by fooling around with her sister? What do you take the Whitaker family for? What do you think Seraphine is to you?"

Mitchell's face drained of color, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

He looked at me frantically, trying to explain, "That's not it! Seraphine, you've misunderstood! We were alone here only because Brielle was upset, and I was just checking on her!"

Mitchell still had no idea what had happened downstairs.

He grabbed my hand, swearing earnestly, "Seraphine, you have to believe me. I've always been sincere with you—you know that, don't you?"

Mitchell's eyes were filled with conviction, clearly confident that I would believe him.

After all, in his mind, I had always been an easily manipulated romantic fool.

I stared coldly at Mitchell, mimicking his tone as I softly asked, "Darling, why did you change your clothes?"

Mitchell's face instantly flushed crimson. "You... how did you..."

I cut him off, "How did I know what you two were doing in here, what you were saying? Is that what you're wondering?"

Mitchell stood there, mouth agape.

I yanked my hand away and stepped back, giving him a sardonic smile, "Not just me—every guest downstairs knows exactly what you were doing. Everything that happened in this room was livestreamed to everyone."

"It was you!"

Brielle suddenly looked up at me, her eyes filled with venom.

I had no doubt that in that moment, she truly wanted me dead.

"You set me up!"

Brielle cried out, pointing at me as she appealed to Heath, "Dad, Seraphine is jealous that I've come back and taken everything from her, exposing her as the fake heiress she is! That's why she's using these underhanded tactics against me!"

"How exactly did I set you up?" I tilted my head slightly. "Did I force your hand onto Mitchell's belt? Did I make you kiss him? Or perhaps,"

I walked closer, looking down at Brielle's panicked expression with satisfaction, "Did I somehow make you sleep with multiple men at once, getting it all captured on video?"

Mitchell's eyes snapped to mine, "What did you just say?"

Brielle was clearly thinking of something specific, her voice rising with panic, "Shut up! What do you mean 'multiple men'? That's not true! Any video is fake!"

Amara immediately pulled her into a protective embrace, "Seraphine, Heath, please calm down! We haven't gotten to the bottom of this yet. Brielle must have been set up. I'll get to the truth of this matter and clear her name!"

I deliberately put on a disappointed, dejected expression, lowering my head with a self-deprecating tone, "So in Mother's heart, if the person in the video is Brielle, then she must have been framed. But if it were me, you'd immediately believe I was behaving inappropriately before my engagement."

Amara froze, seemingly remembering how she had confirmed my guilt downstairs without hesitation.

"Enough!"

Heath looked at the mother and daughter embracing each other, his eyes cold as ice, then glanced at the pale-faced Mitchell with undisguised disgust.

"Do you take me for a fool? Amara, this is your precious daughter's true nature!"

Amara's lips trembled, unable to utter a word.

Heath massaged his temples, then turned to me with a complex expression.

"Seraphine, we're leaving!"

He grabbed my wrist, ignoring Amara's hesitant expression, and led me straight out of the lounge.

I followed Heath downstairs, feeling how devastated he was in this moment.

I didn't want him to be hurt, but for my revenge, I couldn't afford to worry about such things.

The car ride was silent.

I leaned against the window, pretending to be understanding, "Dad, don't be too upset. Please take care of your health. Brielle probably just made a momentary mistake when she and..."

Before I could finish, Heath sighed heavily, his tone softening.

"Seraphine, you're too kind-hearted. Even now, you're still making excuses for Brielle. Don't worry! I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."

I lowered my head to hide the mocking smile in my eyes, "Thank you for standing by me, Dad. I wouldn't know what to do otherwise."

Back at the mansion, I went straight upstairs and checked my phone.

As expected, news about tonight's engagement party had exploded online.

Sensational headlines about the fake heiress being betrayed at her engagement party and the real heiress's scandalous videos were spreading like wildfire.

I leaned back against my headboard, scrolling through my screen, seeing messages of sympathy and shock for me in every group chat, along with curses aimed at that despicable pair.

I let out a cold laugh that only I could hear.

This was merely the beginning.

Everything you all owed me, I would collect back with interest, every single debt.

The Whitaker family was in for quite a storm.