The Scorned Heiress: No More Mercy novel Chapter 468

No! The vitriol isn't just targeting her—it's dragging her brothers and the entire Dennis family through the mud.

Panic seizes Jade's chest as she frantically scrolls through the trending topics. Why aren't they tearing Tara apart? Why are all the crosshairs locked onto her?

The horrifying truth quickly becomes clear. Every lingering touch, every overly intimate glance between her and her brothers on the show has been clipped, magnified, and broadcasted across the internet. The netizens aren't just questioning their bond; they are dissecting it, calling their physical closeness unnatural and downright disturbing.

"Why is this happening? Why are they attacking us?" Jade gasps, her perfectly manicured nails digging into the edge of her phone case.

Nikolai looks equally bewildered. Years of Jade's subtle manipulation have completely warped his sense of boundaries. Even staring at the glaring headlines, he doesn't understand the backlash. To him, they live together, they grew up together—of course they're affectionate. Why would anyone maliciously twist something so pure?

Jade, however, is spiraling. She had anticipated a front-row seat to Tara's destruction, only to find herself tied to the stake. The comments are brutal, accusing them of inappropriate behavior and violating basic decency. Some of the rumors are even more depraved. Her hands tremble uncontrollably.

"Nikolai," she whispers, her eyes brimming with fresh, carefully summoned tears. "Why are they saying these awful things? We're just going to be misunderstood, aren't we?"

It is a flawless performance. Deep down, Jade knows exactly what she's doing. She intentionally blurs the lines with her brothers because she needs to keep them leashed to her. What is so wrong with wanting them to pamper her forever?

Smack!

A sharp, echoing slap cuts off her sentence. The force of Deanna's palm whips Jade's face to the side, instantly leaving a blazing red handprint against her luminous skin.

"Mom?" Jade stammers, clutching her stinging cheek in absolute disbelief. Her adoptive mother—the woman who has pampered her since childhood and never laid a finger on her—just struck her. Her eyes go wide with shock.

"My God, Mom! What are you doing? Why would you hit Jade?" Nikolai, who walked in right behind Jade, freezes in horror. Seeing the swelling on Jade's face, his protective instincts flare. He immediately reaches out to cradle her cheek, leaning in close to inspect the damage.