Chapter_20
Chapter 20
Alana Lane stood triumphantly, still perched on the clown’s back, as she began to cut the cake into pieces. Once she stepped off, she pointed at the clown, who was still crouched on the floor. “Do you guys know who this is?” she asked the crowd with a smirk.
“Who is it?” the guests murmured, curious.
“This clown—or should I say footstool?” Alana continued, her voice dripping with malice. She pointed at Emmeline with a mocking gesture. “…is her…” She paused for effect, eyes glinting with satisfaction. “…her brother, Ethan Louise! Ever since he was banished by his family, he’s been reduced to doing odd jobs, like being a real-life clown!”
The crowd reacted with stunned silence, and Alana laughed, clearly enjoying the chaos. “How could a family like that ever dream of marrying rich?” she sneered.
Emmeline’s blood rushed to her head as the truth dawned on her. The clown—her brother! She had barely recognized him in his makeup and costume, but now, the pieces fit together. The humiliation, the laughter… it was all too much.
“And this lovely camerawoman over here…” Alana continued, now pointing at the woman with a face mask. “…is none other than Ethan’s wife, Grace. She was responsible for livestreaming her clown husband in action as a footstool to the whole of Struyria! Can it get any more embarrassing than that?!” Alana’s laughter filled the room, clearly enjoying every moment of the devastation she had caused.
“Ethan?!” Grace pulled off her face mask and rushed to her husband’s side, her hands shaking as she helped him stand. “It’s really you? This was the ‘job’ you were talking about?” She sounded utterly betrayed, her voice cracking with disbelief.
“Grace?” Ethan was equally shocked. He had never expected their personal lives to be exposed like this. “This is the ‘interview’ you mentioned?” he asked, looking between his wife and the crowd in confusion.
Emmeline couldn’t hold back any longer. Her emotions exploded, and she stormed toward Alana. “Alana Lane, you’re a horrible, deceitful human being!” she shouted, her voice raw with anger. Without thinking, she delivered a flying kick that sent Alana crashing into the cake trolley. The cake wobbled dangerously before it toppled over, covering Alana’s face and body in a mess of cream.
“Go to hell, Alana!” Emmeline spat, her voice filled with disgust.
“Security!!” Alana shrieked, her eyes wide with fear. She had never expected Emmeline to lash out like this. “How dare she attack me?! Get this crazy woman out of here!” she demanded, panic creeping into her voice.
“Bring it on!” Emmeline challenged, defiant as ever.
Within moments, more than ten burly security guards surrounded her. But Emmeline was quick—less than a minute was all it took for her to disarm them with nothing more than a chair and her raw fighting skills. The courtyard was in chaos. Men lay on the floor, bruised and bloodied, and the guests scattered in all directions, desperate to escape the madness.
“Someone, call the cops! Get the cops to catch this crazy woman!” Alana screamed, horrified as she witnessed Emmeline overpowering her men with ease.
Emmeline, her face flushed with fury, marched toward Alana. With two swift kicks to Alana’s ribs, she sent her sprawling to the ground once more. Then, in one fluid motion, Emmeline lifted Alana by her arms and tossed her to the ground with raw strength.
“Oh my god! She’s going to kill me!” Alana yelped, her voice trembling with fear.
“Emma!!” Ethan and Grace cried out in unison, rushing to Emmeline’s side. Ethan wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight and preventing her from attacking Alana further. “Emma, stop it. You’ll end up in jail if you keep going!” he pleaded, his voice filled with desperation.
Emmeline’s chest heaved with anger, but she paused, torn between continuing the assault and listening to her brother. “Even if I go to jail, I must teach this woman a lesson, especially since the entire city is watching this live right now!” Emmeline’s eyes blazed with fierce determination.
“Emmeline,” Alondra’s voice was softer now, almost pleading as she approached. “Don’t be stubborn. You’ll end up paying for all the damage you caused.”
“Damages?” Emmeline gritted her teeth. “How much are we talking about?” she asked, voice low and dangerous.
Alana, still covered in cake and seething with anger, got to her feet and surveyed the destruction. “Including all the antiques you broke, I’d say there’s at least $2 million worth of damages!” she declared, her voice dripping with satisfaction.
“$2 million?!” Ethan gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Emma, I could never earn $2 million in my lifetime!”
Grace was equally stunned, her hands trembling. She had come to get paid, not to end up in debt. “Sis,” she pleaded, grabbing Emmeline’s hands. “Just suck it up this time and apologize to Alana. We could never afford to pay $2 million!”
“Hmph!” Alana huffed, wiping some of the cake off her face as she stood tall, her pride unshaken. “As you know, I’m a forgiving person. I’ll forgive you if you kneel at my feet and say ‘sorry’ a hundred times!” Her words were laced with venom, her smile twisted with malice.
“Kneel at your feet and apologize? Dream on!” Emmeline spat, her defiance unwavering.
“Em, please!” Ethan begged, his grip on her hands tightening. “You can’t afford to be willful now!”
Emmeline’s hand went to her phone, ready to call Benjamin for the $2 million transfer. More than that, she wanted to see the downfall of Lane Corporation and watch Alana beg her for mercy. It would be sweet revenge.
But just as she was about to make the call, Abel’s voice rang out from across the room. “The party ends here,” he said, his voice firm and authoritative. “I’ll personally pay for all the damages suffered by the Lane family tonight.”
Alana’s eyes went wide with disbelief, but before she could react, Adrien moved to approach, his expression hard. However, Julianna held him back with a stern grip.
The tension in the room was palpable as the chaotic scene finally began to settle, but Emmeline was far from finished. She shot a fierce look at Alana, the weight of everything still on her shoulders. This was far from over.
