Claimed by the Crown Heir novel Chapter 21

The crowd below pointed and whispered, the gossip endless.

"Vanessa is as gorgeous as a supermodel. How could Mr. Lowery overlook her for some naive, green little girl?"

"A loyal woman at home is never enough for a man who prefers the taste of garbage."

"It just goes to show, you should never build a man up. You don't get a happily ever after, just a cold betrayal."

Listening to the whispers around her, Vanessa Grant watched the farce unfold with perfect calm. She couldn't just brush off his betrayal, and this retaliation was simply claiming the justice she was owed.

She stood up and quietly exited the venue, shutting the chaos and humiliation entirely behind her.

Unbeknownst to her, shortly after she left, several uniformed police officers strode into the banquet hall, their cold, hard voices cutting through the noise.

"Chloe Quinn, you are suspected of orchestrating the attempted assault and recording of Vanessa Grant. You're coming with us for questioning."

The color drained entirely from Chloe's face as she vehemently denied it. "I didn't do it! It wasn't me! You have the wrong person."

The officer remained expressionless, his words echoing with absolute authority. "The three men you hired have already given full confessions. How you instigated it, how you arranged everything, along with the corresponding bank transfers and chat logs—the evidence is irrefutable."

Chloe's legs gave out, nearly collapsing to the floor. She frantically grabbed Lucas Lowery's arm beside her, babbling incoherently. "Luke, they're framing me! Vanessa set me up! I didn't..."

Before she could finish, Lucas backhanded her across the face with ruthless force. The sharp crack of the slap exploded in the noisy banquet hall, instantly silencing all the gossip.

His eyes surged with monstrous fury and disgust, his words laced with ice as he gritted his teeth. "You bitch. How dare you touch her? How dare you hurt her?"

He was consumed by overwhelming regret. He had been bewitched by this vicious bitch and betrayed Vanessa.

The slap was incredibly heavy. Chloe's head whipped to the side, blood instantly pooling at the corner of her mouth. Her makeup was ruined by tears and the stark handprint, and the fingers clutching his sleeve slipped away limply.

The surrounding noise paused for a split second before erupting into an even greater uproar, with gazes of absolute contempt piercing Chloe like needles.

An officer stepped forward, the cold handcuffs snapping around her wrists with a resounding click. The icy chill of the metal made her entire body shudder.

"Take her away."

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