Chapter 202

Grace could only speculate about the lengths Victoria might have gone to in order to make this happen. She suspected her daughter Evelyn must have employed some carefully calculated strategy to intimidate or coerce Victoria. Otherwise, there was no conceivable way Victoria would have ever apologized to her.

The realization sent a surge of emotion through Grace, her heart swelling with gratitude.

Across the table, Victoria clenched her jaw, her dark eyes burning with suppressed rage. Her fingers dug into the edge of her seat, fighting the overwhelming urge to hurl the dishes at Grace. But she didn’t dare—not now. She was terrified of provoking Grace. More importantly, she feared Evelyn.

Her recent investigations had confirmed what Gregory had told her—the Caldwell family had abruptly severed their business ties with the Reeves family, all because of Evelyn.

Victoria had even heard whispers about others in high society who had foolishly crossed Evelyn. Those individuals had been reduced to humiliating acts—public apologies, groveling—just to shield their families from Evelyn’s retaliation. The more Victoria dwelled on it, the more resentment festered inside her. It was clear now that Evelyn hadn’t been bluffing. She held the power to dismantle the Reeves family’s financial stability with a single word.

Bitter thoughts churned in Victoria’s mind. Life had a cruel way of turning the tables. Who would have imagined that the illegitimate child she had once scorned and dismissed could now dictate the fate of her family’s empire?

If she had known this day would come, she would have treated Evelyn very differently from the start.

Grace savored her meal with a contentment she hadn’t felt in years, while Victoria sat in seething silence.

Later that evening, after returning home, Grace picked up the phone and dialed Evelyn’s number.

"Mom? What is it?" Evelyn’s voice was calm, laced with mild curiosity.

Grace exhaled slowly, her tone a mix of astonishment and delight. "Evelyn, today at lunch, your Aunt Victoria apologized to me."

On the other end of the line, Evelyn’s lips curved into a faint smirk. A soft chuckle escaped her. "How did it feel? Did you enjoy it?"

Grace pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter, nodding vigorously as if Evelyn could see her. "Absolutely. It was incredible. Seeing Victoria swallow her pride isn’t something that happens every day."

"As long as it made you happy," Evelyn replied, her voice tinged with quiet amusement.

Grace’s expression softened, her voice thick with emotion. "Evelyn… thank you. Thank you for standing up for me."

Evelyn’s tone remained steady, unwavering. "I told you before—I won’t let anyone hurt you."

Grace’s chest tightened at her daughter’s resolute words, tears welling in her eyes. She was deeply moved.

After a brief pause, Evelyn’s voice lowered, gentle yet probing. "Mom… why didn’t you agree to help Victoria back then?"

If Grace had agreed to assist Victoria—or rather, Celeste—things might have unfolded differently. Even if her efforts had been futile and Victoria had still berated her, perhaps the cruelty she endured wouldn’t have been so relentless.