StarNovelThe Betrayed Heiress' Return to Elegance 199
Chapter 199 | Can't Face Anyone Anymore
Corrine stood a short distance away, her eyes carrying a glacial edge and her lips curved in the barest
suggestion of a smile. Though her expression remained neutral, the sight ignited Leah's fury.
"It's you!" The accusation tore from Leah's throat as she lunged forward like a woman possessed, her hand
raised to strike.
Corrine, having anticipated the attack, caught Leah's wrist in a swift motion. "Miss Burgess, mind your
manners."
Her radiant smile never wavered as her clear eyes danced with mockery, her voice carrying an edge of
aggressive indifference.
Recognition dawned across Leah's features as understanding crashed over her.
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Corrine had orchestrated everything from the beginning, never intending mercy for either the Ashton family or
Leah herself. Corrine's plan encompassed not only the destruction of the Ashtons but her complete ruination.
Hatred blazed in Leah's eyes as she glared at her adversary, murderous thoughts racing through her mind.
"You vile, scheming woman!" She launched herself forward again, fingers curved like claws aimed at Corrine's
face.
The sharp crack of palm meeting flesh echoed through the room.
Corrine's strike caught Leah off-guard, snapping her head to the side. Before she could recover, Corrine seized
her hair and delivered another stinging blow.
"This slap is for your insolence and repeated disrespect.”
The words had barely left her lips before she administered a third devastating strike. "This slap is for ignoring
my warnings tand again."
Leah barely had tto register the burning pain before her knees buckled. She crumpled to the floor, her
carefully styled hair now a tangled mess, her vision swimming from the blows.
For a moment, she just sat there, pressing shaky hands to her swollen face, eyes wide with disbelief. "You-" her
voice wavered, thick with humiliation. "How dare you hit me!"
Corrine flexed her slightly numbed fingers and smiled as if amused by the question. "Why wouldn't 1?" she
replied lightly.
"You bitch! I'll kill you!" Leah shrieked, scrambling to her feet. But in her haste, the hem of her gown caught on
her heel. With a graceless stumble, she fell flat on her face with a loud thud.
Corrine tilted her head, looking down at Leah with an expression of pure disdain. "I heard you're planning a
comeback in the entertainment industry," she mused. "Well, Miss Burgess, consider this your grand
reintroduction to the public."
Bruce emerged from the crowd, gathering Leah protectively in his arms. "Leah, are you okay?"
"Bruce, | can't face anyone anymore." Leah collapsed against him, her sobs wracking her frame.
The weight of judgment in the room was suffocating Around them, guests exchanged pointed looks, their
murmurs thick with disdain.
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Human curiosity was a powerful thing-scandal even more so. And tonight, the media had been handed a golden
story on a silver platter.
Reporters swarmed, cameras flashing as they zeroed in on the tat the center of it all-the jilted fiancée, the
unfaithful lover, and the shameless side piece.
Corrine lowered her gaze, watching Bruce fuss over Leah, his touch gentle, his voice full of tenderness-the kind
he had never once shown her. But now, it no longer hurt her.
"Bruce, you promised marriage once the company recovered, vowing lifelong love and devotion. For three years,
we shared starlit nights and dreams, planned futures and debated life's meanings. | believed we shared an
unparalleled connection. Now | see myself as nothing but a fool in your manipulation.”
A soft, bitter laugh escaped her as she ducked her head, brushing away invisible
tears. “If your heart lay elsewhere, simple honesty would have sufficed. Why choose deception, leaving us both
scarred by the
aftermath?"
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