Chapter 88: This Is the Consequence of Offending Me
The men’s faces went from red to white. Beverly Lynch wasn’t giving them any face at all.
Chloe Dave couldn’t take it anymore. "Beverly Lynch, don’t take your anger out on us just because you were dumped by Zion back in the day! The truth will always come out. Everyone’s talking about it tonight, it’s not just us!"
Beverly Lynch grew even more furious. "And you still say you’re not spreading rumors? When was I ever dumped by Caleb Lowell?"
Chloe Dave retorted, "What are you afraid to admit? Even Jane Lancaster knows you and Zion were almost engaged. She sees you as a thorn in her side and goaded you into going after Luna."
Beverly Lynch’s expression went blank for a moment. "You’re saying Jane Lancaster sees me as a thorn in her side?"
"What do you think? You’re love rivals. Did you really expect her to be friends with you?"
Jane Lancaster: "..."
For some reason, she felt like she’d just taken a stray arrow to the knee.
’He’s not wrong, though. I could still team up with Willow Summers for mutual benefit, but it’s completely impossible with Beverly Lynch.’
’Leaving aside our past issues, our personalities just wouldn’t mesh.’
Suddenly hearing a voice drift from behind the potted plant, Beverly Lynch was startled.
"Who’s there?" she demanded instinctively, then she realized... that voice sounded so familiar.
Hearing Beverly Lynch’s question, Chloe Dave and the others finally realized there seemed to be someone behind the plant.
One of them, who had a short fuse, immediately blew up. "Get out here!"
Just as Beverly Lynch realized whose voice it was, she quickly spread her arms to block them. "Wait!"
Just then, someone snatched an ashtray from the table and threw it.
’It’s over! Beverly Lynch is going to get hit!’
There it was again. She heard that voice again! A look of utter confusion was on Beverly Lynch’s face.
Jane Lancaster couldn’t believe it. How could someone see an ashtray flying at them and not dodge? She quickly pulled Beverly Lynch aside.
As if snapping to her senses, Beverly Lynch yanked her hand free and shoved Jane to the side.
Jane Lancaster fell to the ground, taking the potted plant with her. Her palm landed on the shards of the flowerpot, and a sharp pain shot through it. She knew without looking that she had several small cuts.
Chloe Dave gave her a complicated look. "So it was you hiding here, eavesdropping."
Jane Lancaster felt the painful irony of the accusation. She tried to defend herself. "I wasn’t eavesdropping. I was here first. You all suddenly came over here to talk, and I couldn’t exactly jump out and interrupt you."
Chloe Dave glanced behind the plant. It was true that they had blocked the only way out; even if Jane Lancaster had wanted to leave, she couldn’t have.
"Beverly Lynch, why did you have to go and push her over on purpose?" Luke Chapman called out from the crowd, a gloating look on his face.
While he was disappointed the ashtray hadn’t hit Beverly Lynch, Jane Lancaster’s misfortune was a decent consolation.
He’d been annoyed with Beverly Lynch for a long time. Who did a woman like her think she was, being so arrogant? The eldest daughter of the Lynch family, yet she didn’t have an ounce of a proper lady’s grace.
She had even dared to call him a fucking idiot just now. This was the last straw.
Now that Beverly Lynch had pushed Jane Lancaster down, there was going to be a good show. It would be best if the two of them started fighting right now—a real bloody brawl.
"I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry..." Beverly Lynch stood stunned for a moment, then hurried forward to help Jane Lancaster up.
Jane Lancaster was just trying to get up on her own, and as she rose, she bumped right into Beverly Lynch’s nose. Beverly’s nose stung, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.
The crowd that rushed over at the sound of the commotion all stared in shock at Jane Lancaster and Beverly Lynch.
"Did those two just get into a fight?" someone exclaimed in amazement.
Lana Sterling looked at the scene and thought there was no doubt they’d been fighting!
Oh my god, the two main subjects of tonight’s gossip were tearing each other’s hair out right here!
And from the looks of it, the battle had been intense. One was clutching her face, teary-eyed, as if she’d been slapped. The other hadn’t gotten off easy either—she’d been pushed to the ground, and her palm was cut and bleeding.
She was thrilled to watch the drama unfold, so she stepped forward with feigned concern and asked, "Are you all right?"
Beverly Lynch looked like she was on the verge of tears and didn’t say a word.
She then turned her gaze to Jane Lancaster. "Do you need me to help you up?"
After speaking, she silently gave herself a mental thumbs-up. ’I’m so clever! This way, I can observe the expressions of both parties up close and get all the firsthand intel!’
’At the next gathering of the wealthy socialites, I’m guaranteed to be the center of attention!’
"Get out of the way."
Lana Sterling was stunned for a moment. ’Get out of the way? She actually told me to get out of the way? That’s outrageous! Does she have no manners at all!’
Jane Lancaster had no time to deal with Lana Sterling. A fire was raging inside her.
Luke Chapman saw her walking over and, with his head lowered, whispered to the person next to him, "Is she crazy?"
"Crazy? You’re calling me crazy?" Jane Lancaster asked.
Luke Chapman fell silent. He glanced behind him, wondering if he could slip away now without missing the rest of the show... Suddenly, his collar tightened as he was yanked out of the crowd.
Jane Lancaster had him by the collar. "Who told you to throw that ashtray? That’s assault, you know that?"
Luke Chapman’s face was a mask of panic. "Let me go! I didn’t know it was you hiding there!"
Jane Lancaster laughed in anger. "So if it had been someone else, it would have been okay to throw an ashtray, is that it?"
She had just seen him mouth the words, "Too bad, it missed."
Even before that, she’d noticed he hadn’t yet picked up the ashtray. It was only when he saw Beverly Lynch step in, her back turned to him, that he deliberately threw it.
Luke Chapman was starting to lose his nerve. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t do it on purpose."
Chloe Dave thought she was angry on her own behalf. After all, she was still Caleb Lowell’s fiancée, and if she got hurt, it would be difficult for him to answer to Caleb.
"He really didn’t do it on purpose. I’ll apologize on his behalf, alright?"
Jane Lancaster released her grip. Chloe Dave breathed a sigh of relief. ’It’s good that she can be reasoned with. He didn’t want to put Zion in a tough spot, after all.’
The next second, Jane Lancaster swung her arm around and slapped him hard across the face.
With a loud SLAP!, everyone was stunned.
"You dare hit me?" Luke Chapman instantly lost it. With red-rimmed eyes, he tried to lunge at her, but Chloe Dave was quick to react and held him back firmly.
"Jane Lancaster, don’t take it too far!" Chloe Dave couldn’t help but get angry. What man could stand being slapped by a woman in public?
It was too humiliating. Even someone as domineering as Beverly Lynch would never do something like that.
Jane Lancaster shook out her hand, her gaze slowly sweeping over everyone. "Remember this. This is what happens when you cross me."
Her tone was even more arrogant, haughty, and insolent than Beverly Lynch’s.
The men all looked furious, but they knew they were in the wrong. They had been caught talking trash behind someone’s back. Even if they went to complain to Caleb Lowell, they wouldn’t have a leg to stand on.
Angry and helpless, Chloe Dave could only turn to Beverly Lynch, his voice tinged with concern. "Are you okay? I’m sorry you got dragged into this today. We weren’t trying to target you."
He had always been mild-mannered and hated conflict, usually playing the role of peacemaker among his friends.
Everyone usually respected him enough that if he stepped in to mediate, they would let the matter drop.
The only person he had a truly terrible impression of was Jane Lancaster—not just because he felt she wasn’t good enough for Caleb Lowell, but also because he believed she was malicious and secretly bullied Luna.
Beverly Lynch shot him a glance, then suddenly strode forward and slapped Luke Chapman right across the face.
"Were you trying to hit me just now? Forget it. Whether you were or not, you deserve to be hit."