Her Gilded Revenge For Stolen Fate novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

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Sylvia’s face changed dramatically at Vivian’s loaded words.

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But she quickly collected herself and said, “Vivian, I’ve always told you that even as a side daughter, you must live with honor and never stoop to hurting others.

“But you’ve forgotten everything, hiding caustic soda and causing this disaster.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she coaxed, “You’re my child, born after ten months of pain. I’d never hurt you. Please, apologize to Lord Quentin, Lady Flora, and Lady Celia. Don’t be so stubborn.”

With that, Sylvia gracefully bowed to Quentin, her slender figure looking fragile and pitiful.

In contrast, Vivian stood defiant, seeming more rebellious than ever.

“Vivian, Quentin looks furious. If you can’t clear your name, he might call for family punishment,” System Vault said nervously.

“He won’t,” Vivian said firmly. “There’s no injustice to clear.”

Ignoring Sylvia’s act, Vivian scooped up some powder from the floor. “Mom, how do you know this is caustic soda?”

Sylvia’s voice dripped with sorrow. “I saw you buy caustic soda, and you mixed it with lime to make it stronger.

“You tricked me, saying it was for bugs. Who knew you’d use it to ruin the lantern? How did I end up with such a calculating daughter like you?”

Vivian followed up on Sylvia’s explanation. “Caustic soda degums silk, but it’s dangerous. Mixed with lime, it gets more corrosive. Add water, and it could seriously burn skin.

“If this is caustic soda, it would strip flesh off my hand once it touches water.”

With that, Vivian grabbed a cup from the table.

“Vivian, don’t!” Celia called out, sounding worried. But she didn’t move a single step.

Flora and Beatrice rushed forward, trying to snatch the cup before Vivian could do something rash.

Vivian dodged them. “Don’t worry. This isn’t caustic soda,” she said, pouring water into her palm.

Sylvia turned her head away, looking like she was afraid of seeing something bloody.

To everyone’s surprise, no burning or corrosion happened.

Vivian stood smiling, the white powder unchanged in the water, giving off no heat.

Not hearing the expected scream, Sylvia turned back in confusion and froze on the spot.

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Chapter 21

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‘Wait, this is supposed to be caustic soda mixed with lime. A splash of water should’ve burned her skin off. So why didn’t anything happen?’ she thought.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t make sense of it. If she hadn’t held onto some reason, she’d have rushed over to check herself.

But Nina did what Sylvia wouldn’t. She grabbed Vivian’s wrist and stared at her palm.

“How is this possible?” Nina asked, her eyes wide in disbelief.

“Why not?” Vivian sneered. “I told you from the start, this isn’t caustic soda.”

Nina glared, unconvinced. “If it’s not caustic soda, how did the lantern get corroded? What did you do?”

Vivian turned, held out her palm to Beatrice and Flora, and smiled, “Take a look. What do you think this is?”

Beatrice’s face grew serious. She dipped her finger in the water, then brought it to her nose and sniffed.

Suddenly, she burst out laughing and poked Vivian’s forehead. “You little schemer, you almost had me. This isn’t caustic soda at all.”

Flora sniffed it as well, and her face showed sudden realization.

Sylvia’s heart sank as she stared hard at Vivian, thinking, ‘What game is she playing now?’

Vivian wiped her palm with a handkerchief, walked steadily to the Crystal Hex Lantern, and blew softly on its grimy surface.

A few gentle breaths scattered the blue-violet dust, revealing the angel’s face. The crystal at the top gleamed in the sunlight, dazzling and radiant.

Not a single flaw was visible; the lantern was perfectly intact.

Sylvia’s guilty expression froze. She stood there like she’d been struck by lightning, stiff and comical.

Vivian looked at her with a bright smile, her voice soft. “Mom, what’s wrong? The angel on the lantern looks fine.”

“Wait, the lantern isn’t damaged?” Nina blinked in disbelief, turning to Dorothy.

Dorothy had weathered years of ups and downs at Aurea Manor, and she instantly realized the foul play behind the day’s events.

She quickly covered Nina’s mouth, preventing her from getting tangled in trouble.

“Mom,” Vivian looked at Sylvia, “do you really think this is caustic soda?”

Sylvia gritted her teeth so hard her jaw cracked. She never imagined Vivian would outsmart her so completely.

Vivian had seen through everything from the start. She deliberately wore that robe with the powder to

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Chapter 21

mislead Sylvia.

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Before changing, she swapped the powder on her sleeves with the blue-violet one as a decoy.

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This way, even if the angel on the Crystal Hex Lantern was painted with flower juice, it wouldn’t fade, since no real caustic soda was involved.

The powder only made the lantern look corroded while it remained untouched.

Sylvia laughed wryly. ‘No wonder I smelled flowers when the angel looked ruined. Those blue-purple specks must’ve been flower pollen,’ she thought.

Quentin was still confused. He turned to Flora and asked, “If that’s not caustic soda, what is it?”

Flora chuckled. “It’s just crushed borneol. I caught a faint rosin scent earlier.”

Sylvia’s shoulders dropped, and she closed her eyes in defeat. She couldn’t imagine how Beatrice and Flora would judge her for selling out Vivian in the name of justice.

‘Would they see me as principled or a heartless mom? Either way, it bodes ill for me. I seriously underestimated Vivian,’ Sylvia thought bitterly.

“Celia, put the Crystal Hex Lantern away to avoid more trouble,” Beatrice instructed.

Celia’s face turned pale. She knew Beatrice was warning her.

She forced a smile, nodded, and meekly tucked the lantern back into its box.

Celia made a smooth escape under the pretext of stashing the lantern, but Sylvia wasn’t so lucky.

Beatrice fixed her with a cold stare, her cane thumping against the floor. “Sylvia, you’re Vivian’s real mother. Why do you treat her so harshly?”

“I saw Vivian buy caustic soda before. So when this happened, I jumped to the wrong conclusion. I’d never intentionally hurt her,” Sylvia cried, trying to explain.

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14:32 Tue, Jan 13

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

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Sylvia crumpled to the floor, her eyes swollen and red, looking like a wreck.

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Even if a mother had never been kind, it was rare for her only daughter to remain indifferent at the sight of her mother looking so wretched.

But as Flora glanced at Vivian, she saw total calm, not a hint of emotion. It was like the weeping Sylvia wasn’t her mother, but a stranger.

‘What could Sylvia have done to make them so distant?’ Flora wondered, confused.

Quentin was bewildered. He glared at Vivian, his face contorted. “It was a misunderstanding. Your mom didn’t mean any harm. Stop making such a fuss over it.”

Vivian cocked her head, her voice icy. “Father, do you really think I’m the one holding a grudge?

“If Mother and Grandmother hadn’t kept their cool and demanded proof, you’d have beaten me the moment that powder fell from my sleeve.

“You’re strong. I’m not fragile, but I’m no match for you. I was terrified just thinking about being lashed by your barbed whip.”

Matthew, already annoyed by Vivian stirring up trouble and embarrassing Celia, let out a cold laugh. “So now you think Father and Sylvia are heartless? You’ve got some guts.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Vivian replied, lowering her eyes.

Matthew sneered, “You certainly have a lot of nerve.”

Vivian looked up at him, her gaze steady. “You’re sharp. You saw it too. Mom was convinced that powder was caustic soda mixed with lime and said it’d burn skin on contact with water.

“But when I picked up the cup to pour water on my palm, she didn’t even try to stop me. What do you make of that?”

Matthew wanted to argue, but Sylvia’s behavior was far from motherly. Defending her would only make him look foolish.

Besides, as the legitimate son, he rarely interacted with Sylvia. There was no need for him to get his hands dirty over her.

He took a deep breath and stayed silent, but his look toward Vivian was cold and hostile.

Sylvia listened quietly. Her tears fell like a broken necklace, streaming down her face.

Her delicate crying made her look heartbreakingly vulnerable. Remembering how she’d saved his life, Quentin couldn’t stay angry, and the harsh reprimand stuck in his throat.

He mused, ‘Sylvia messed up, but it wasn’t serious. She meant well. Going too hard would hurt her feelings.

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