The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1023

“Are you happy?” Anthony’s voice was gentle as he wiped the corner of Charlotte’s mouth, then softly ran his palm over her hair.

“Mhm.” Charlotte leaned back, one eyebrow arched, her clear eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief.

***

Not far from Cabinda, the weekend had finally arrived. Olivia was back home from school.

“Olivia, come check this out!” The moment she walked through the door, Elizabeth grabbed her excitedly and showed her phone, scrolling through a sea of news articles.

“I told you this would get to Charlotte,” Elizabeth said, practically beaming. “People are going crazy online about her mom being a homewrecker and a fraud. It’s been trending all night. Neither Charlotte nor the Gates or Blair families have said a word to defend her. That has to mean it’s true. She doesn’t even have the guts to deny it.”

“Is that so?” Olivia smiled, scrolling through the comments. Amusement flashed in her eyes, growing brighter with every spiteful post she read. There were always people online who just couldn’t stand anyone doing better than them. Give them the tiniest flaw, and they’d make it a scandal. They just wanted to knock others off their pedestals and bring them down to their own level. That was the only way they could feel good about themselves.

Especially someone like Charlotte—pretty, smart, born into a great family. She was just too easy to hate.

“Did you two put that story online?” Steven’s voice shook with anger, his breathing heavy.

“That’s right!” Elizabeth snapped, her expression turning icy. “It’s done. The whole internet knows. What are you going to do about it now? Nora only came to you because she wanted a father for her kid, right? If Charlotte’s real father was someone worth knowing, why doesn’t she go back to the Gates family? Why doesn’t she look for her real dad?” Her voice was sharp, every word a challenge. “I’m not wrong. Charlotte’s a bastard. Nora was a homewrecker.”

“You…” Steven was so furious his face went red and he struggled for words. “You know Charlotte has the Gates and Blair families behind her. If they find out you’re the one who started these rumors, do you think they’ll just let it go?”

“If they were going to find out, they would have already.” Elizabeth sat back on the sofa, arms folded, a sneer on her lips. “Right now, everyone’s blaming Charlotte. The Gates and Blair families aren’t saying anything, which means it’s true. There’s no way to turn this around. And honestly…” She shrugged, a cold smile on her face. “Nora’s been dead for years. The dead can’t defend themselves.”