Chapter 16
Talia glanced calmly at Edric and returned his question. “So, what’s your explanation now?”
As the recording played, Edric’s handsome face grew darker, his expression turning as if he’d been slapped again by Talia. “Janice!”
Hearing her full name sent a jolt through Janice. She immediately tried to defend herself, looking hurt. “Edric, how could you yell at me! I was just joking! Look at what she did to my feet
She pushed her face toward Edric, trying to play the victim. “I was just trying to help you get rid of this batch
“Don’t worry, Janice was just teasing,” Edric finally said, reluctant to hold Janice accountable.
Talia gave a cold, sarcastic smile. “If this recording gets out online, I wonder how the fans of the new rising star will react
She remembered that Janice had just finished filming a drama, and Edric had spent a lot of money to get her name out there. That was how they managed to promote her as a new up–and–coming star,
Janice’s face turned even paler. This was a crucial moment for her–her reputation was everything right now. “Delete it! You have to delete it, now!
“Sure,” Talia said casually, “but only if you apologize first
“You!” Janice’s face went red with fury. She turned to Edric, her voice turning soft and pleading. “Edric.”
Edric furrowed his brow. “She’s just a kid. Why are
are you making such a bag deal out of this?”
In his eyes, Talia was just a malicious, relentless woman. His tone carried no apology, only an unwavering defense of Janice
Talia shook her head inwardly. “A kid? A grown woman in her twenties, and he still calls her a child?”
“Your” Janice screamed, her anger boiling over
“Are you going to apologize or not?” Talia had lost her patience. She uploaded the recording to a social media platform and hovered her finger over the send button.
Janice, now desperate, began to tear up. She grabbed Edric’s arm, pleading. “Edric, I swear I won’t do it again, please help me! She would rather beg anyone else than apologize to Talia.
“Actions have consequences.” Edric said coldly, but his eyes sharpened as they locked onto Talia.
It wasn’t a warning to Janice it was a warning to her. If she dared make Janice apologize, he would never forgive her.
Talia let out a soft stoff, completely unfazed by his glare. Turning back to Janice, she said in a chilling tone, “111 count to three. One..
Janice’s frustration reached a boiling point. She wanted nothing more than to make Talia suffer. “You wish!”
“Two…” Talia continued without missing a beat, her expression impossive
You
Three!”
Before she could finish her sentence, Janice apologized in a humiliating display, on the verge of tears.
For the first time, she was being crushed by Talia, the woman she had always thought of as an easy target. She’d never felt so utterly wronged in her
life.
“Sorry, okay!”
“Good,” Talia said, her tone cool and detached.
True to her word, she deleted the recording but, like Janice had done earlier, she snapped a quick photo of her apologizing for future reference.
Ignoring Edric’s murderous gaze, she calmly slipped her phone back into her pocket,
Suddenly, a loud gasp came
from u
cupstairs. “Janice! What’s going on?”
Talia looked up to see a middle–aged woman, draped in expensive jewelry, rushing down the stairs. It was Pandora Russell, her cruel mother–in–law.
It seemed that the art of humiliating and bellurling others ran deep in the family—just like it did with Edric.
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Chapter 16
Pandora came from a scholarly family and always looked down on Talia, seeing her as a lowly woman from a humble background who sold medicine
Ever since marrying into the Russell family, Pandora had drilled into Talia’s head that her role was to serve Edric, put him first, and be the perfect wife and mother.
In her past life. Talia had done everything she could to win Pandora’s favor for Edric’s sake. But Pandora had treated her like a servant–calling her whenever she needed something dismissing her with barely a second thought,
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