Her Gilded Revenge For Stolen Fate novel Chapter 72

Chapter 72

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Celia moved painfully slow, dragging her feet with every step. The bed and windowsill were so close that, even if she took her sweet time, she’d still get there sooner or later.

Celia gritted her teeth. Just as she was about to reach the flowerpot, the petal of the ordinary orchid suddenly dropped, exactly like what had happened to the Emerald Orchid earlier.

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock, none of them able to believe what they’d just witnessed.

“What the heck? The flower just dropped out of nowhere when it looked perfectly fine,” Nina murmured under her breath.

Dorothy couldn’t help but glance at Vivian, her brows furrowing. “This is the exact same thing as yesterday. Lady Vivian, did you tamper with it again?” Dorothy demanded.

“That’s not quite right, Aunt Dorothy,” Vivian shot back with a smile. “Yesterday, when the Emerald Cloud Petall fell, you all immediately pegged me as the villain.

“Either I was up to something shady, or just plain jinxed and bringing bad luck to everyone. You didn’t even give me a chance to explain. Do you really think that’s fair?”

Dorothy was at a loss for words. She knew deep down it wasn’t fair. ‘But whoever said the world was fair?‘ she thought.

Back then, both Quentin and Henry were born out of wedlock, and Beatrice had no legitimate son to carry on the family name. Even with plenty of choices, Beatrice ended up picking Quentin, who was now known as Quentin.

Henry, her own husband, became the family’s castoff. Abandoned by the mother he’d always looked up to, Henry was left bitter and defeated.

He started to fall apart, got addicted to gambling, blew through most of his side of the family’s wealth, and threw away the best years of his life. Dorothy suppressed a sigh, her face betraying nothing.

When Dorothy didn’t respond, Vivian shifted her gaze to Flora. Flora squeezed Vivian’s hand and said, “I believe you.”

Vivian gave a faint smile, her slender fingers giving a gentle shake. Instantly, the orchid that had fallen to the floor was now suspended in midair.

Flora narrowed her eyes, noticing several nearly invisible silk threads wrapped around Vivian’s fingers. Silk thread was even finer than human hair.

Though fragile, a few strands together were more than enough to hoist a delicate orchid. And with sunlight pouring in by the window, it was even harder to spot anything at all.

“Grandma, Mom, if you want a petal to stay put or drop at a certain time, it’s totally doable.

“The trick I used was just a few nearly invisible silk threads. Thin enough that no one would notice, but strong enough to keep the orchid in place.

“I’m not exactly book–smart, so my trick is pretty basic. If it were someone else, they could probably pull off something way smarter and totally foolproof,” Vivian explained softly.

Vivian’s words carried a pointed undertone. The someone else she was hinting at was Celia. The one with the flawless reputation, supposedly pure as snow.

Celia picked up on the jab instantly. Her face kept shifting between pale and red, her whole body trembling like she was on the verge of falling apart.

“Vivian, are you actually accusing me of wrecking the Emerald Orchid I spent ages caring for, just to frame you?

12:02 Wed, Jan 14 M

Chapter 72

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“Do you have any idea how hard it is to raise an Emerald Orchid? Every single day, I had to measure out the water and fertilizer perfectly. If I messed up even a little, all my effort would go down the drain.

“That’s why I kept it in my own room. Anyone can see how much I treasure that flower,” Celia shot back, tears threatening to spill as she glared at Vivian.

Nina, trying to get on Celia’s good side, squealed, “Vivian, you’re so scheming yourself that you think Celia’s just as bad. You’re projecting your own villainous mind onto someone decent.”

Vivian shot back, “Noble? Seriously? What does it even mean to be noble in your eyes?”

Nina just stood there, her face turning red, unable to get a single word out. Vivian sneered, “What’s wrong, Nina? Suddenly out of words?

“Listen. A real noble lives by five things. They are kindness, justice, respect, wisdom, and honesty. They control themselves. stick to what’s right, and always push to be better.

“But if someone goes out of their way to rig the Wheel of Fate, twisting the results for their own gain, that’s neither honest nor wise. That’s not what a noble does. So, how could you call her one?”

Nina was completely shut down by Vivian’s comeback, her mouth opening and closing, but no sound coming out. Vivian didn’t bother with Nina anymore and turned her gaze back to Celia.

Vivian said. “Celia, the Emerald Orchid may be precious, but as I said before, it wasn’t even ready to bloom. You rushed it to flower before its time, so it was nothing but a weak, defective flower from the very beginning.

“And how could something so flawed ever be called the fruit of your labor?”

“You.” Celia was so mad she could barely stand, her voice shaking with frustration. “Always so clever with your words, but you just don’t get it.”

But if you looked closely, her guilty conscience was written all over her face. Vivian could see right through her. Beatrice and Flora could see it too.

Vivian wasn’t afraid of Celia, but she didn’t want to embarrass Flora, so she held her tongue. Vivian sat herself down by the bed, barely brushing Beatrice’s cold fingertips with her own.

“Grandma, you see now how the Emerald Cloud Petal was ruined and fell to the ground, don’t you?” Vivian said quietly.

At this point, there was nothing left for Beatrice to question. Tears ran down her aged cheeks as she slammed her hand against the bed, crying out, “Such tragedy.”

Once she regained her composure, Beatrice swept her stern gaze across the room and barked, “From now on, no one is to ever mention bad luck or evil aura again. Is that understood?”

Dorothy and Nina nodded in quick succession. Celia wasn’t ready to back down yet. She wanted to say something, but the second she caught Beatrice’s freezing cold glare, her heart froze.

Beatrice had always doted on her, never once snapping or scolding. But now, all because of Vivian, she’d left Celia out in the

cold.

Celia was torn with pain and anxiety, but she bit her tongue, too scared of getting scolded by Beatrice to repeat the shameful things Vivian had said.

Sylvia, worried that Beatrice might see Celia as scheming or malicious, quickly stepped forward to explain.

“Beatrice, you know how talented Lady Celia is when it comes to growing flowers. Every plant she touches thrives and looks perfect. So how could the Emerald Orchid possibly be a dud?

12:02 Wed, Jan 14

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Chapter 72

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“I’m the first to disagree with what Vivian just said,” she said.

Usually, Sylvia looked out for Celia, but she always kept her affection and concern hidden, just like her true feelings, never daring to let anyone see how much she cared.

But today, with her back against the wall, she couldn’t keep it bottled up anymore and called Vivian out right to her face. She was practically throwing Vivian, her own daughter, under the bus.

Beatrice frowned, totally baffled by why Sylvia was acting so clueless. ‘Had taking care of Celia for so many years really made her treat Celia like her own daughter, and left Vivian out in the cold?

‘Otherwise, the way Sylvia was acting just didn’t make any sense, Beatrice thought.

“So, are you saying Vivian’s accusing Celia of something she didn’t do?” Beatrice’s voice was steady, but the question landed on Sylvia like a punch to the gut. Sylvia’s heart skipped a beat, anxiety flooding her all at once.

“That’s not what I meant, Beatrice. I’m just saying, if you don’t believe in Celia, just take a look around Wisteria Attic. Any flower you pick is a prized bloom you’d be hard–pressed to find anywhere else,” Sylvia said.

Vivian moved with graceful steps toward Sylvia, smiling brightly.

She said, “Mom, the Emerald Orchid isn’t just any flower. Ordinary plants can’t even compare. If Celia’s really that good with rare orchids, I happen to have a Crystal Orchid whose roots are damaged.

“Surely, with Celia’s talent, she could make it bloom like new again, couldn’t she?”