Chapter 147

The tension in the room skyrocketed as Vincent Holloway stormed in, his face twisted in fury.

At this point, Evelyn Sinclair and her group couldn’t resist stepping inside to witness the chaos firsthand.

Inside, Sebastian Hart and Claudia Bennett had barely managed to pull on their shirts, their lower halves still hidden beneath the tangled sheets, unable to move.

Vincent stood trembling by the bed, his face ghostly pale, his finger shaking as he pointed accusingly at them.

"Darling, I swear—" Claudia’s voice cracked, desperation creeping into her tone.

"Claudia…" Sebastian whimpered from beside her, his expression pitiful, as if silently pleading, Save me.

The Blackwood family nearly choked on their laughter.

Nathan Blackwood smirked, amused by the absurdity of it all. Sebastian, with his muscular build—more suited to a personal trainer than a damsel in distress—was putting on quite the performance.

The paparazzi, initially pretending to be discreet, dropped all pretense and transformed into ruthless journalists.

"Mr. Holloway," one reporter pressed, "how does it feel to walk in on your wife and nephew in such a compromising position?"

Nephew? The Blackwoods exchanged glances, barely containing their amusement.

"Mrs. Holloway," another reporter cut in, "between these two men, who truly holds your heart?"

That was the final straw. The room erupted in stifled laughter.

But the reporters remained stone-faced, relentless in their pursuit of scandal.

"Were the divorce rumors true? Was it never about Miss Vanessa Sterling, but rather your wife’s affair with your own nephew?"

"Mr. Holloway, did you cancel your concert tour because of this betrayal? Did you come here tonight to catch them in the act?"

"Mrs. Holloway, what were you thinking? Cheating on one hand, while conspiring with your socialite friends to ruin Vanessa’s reputation?"

The barrage of questions left Claudia and Vincent both humiliated and furious.

Claudia had hoped Vincent would shut the door and clear the room before she could explain, but—

"Mr. Holloway, don’t play the victim," a voice sneered from the crowd. "You’ve made it clear you don’t love your wife. So you can chase after other women, but if she dares to look elsewhere, she’s the villain?"

The Blackwoods nodded in agreement, finding Vincent’s wounded act laughable.

To him, Claudia was property—something he could discard but never let anyone else have.

Vincent’s mind reeled. He had planned to reconcile with Claudia after this mess was resolved. How dare she betray him with his own nephew?

"You shameless witch!" Vincent exploded, his pride shattered. "At your age, acting like some desperate fool! If you were that lonely, you could’ve bought a damn toy! But no—you had to seduce someone younger! Disgusting!"

His outburst cemented Claudia’s guilt in the eyes of everyone present.

But Claudia’s face paled, her eyes widening in horror.

She had expected the man she loved to defend her. Instead, he spat venom at her. In that moment, the man before her became a stranger—ugly, cruel, nothing like the Vincent she once knew.

Has he lost his mind? The Blackwoods exchanged glances. Vincent’s reputation was already in ruins. If he wanted to salvage anything, he needed Claudia’s support. Yet here he was, insulting the very woman who could save him.

Nathan shook his head. Vincent had been coddled for too long, blinded by his own arrogance.

In their marriage, Claudia held the power—not Vincent. Everything he had was because of her.

Evelyn watched the scene unfold with dark amusement. Oh, Vincent. You could’ve swallowed your pride and lived comfortably off her wealth. But no—you had to play the wounded hero. Now look at you.

But if Claudia remained a hopeless romantic…

"Vincent, shut up!" Claudia snapped, tears brimming in her eyes.

The Blackwoods leaned in, eager for the next act of this drama.

Sebastian, meanwhile, was putting on an Oscar-worthy performance.

Who said he was just some nobody? Evelyn thought. If Isabelle Laurent saw this, she’d sign him in a heartbeat. The man’s a master at playing the wounded lover—a true hypocrite in shining armor.

Thankfully, the room was loud enough that their laughter didn’t ruin his act.

"It was you!" Claudia suddenly accused, pointing at Vincent. "You planned this! You set me up!"

In her panic, she tugged at the sheets, instinctively trying to cover herself—but to Vincent, it looked like she was protecting Sebastian.

Furious, he slapped her. "You fool! You’re still defending him? He played you! Do you really think a young man like him would want an old hag like you? He’s after your money, your status! His whole family are leeches—they used to live off me, and now they want to replace me!"

The Blackwoods exchanged glances. Vincent’s digging his own grave.

Claudia’s expression darkened, her tears drying as cold fury took over.

"Uncle Vincent," Sebastian said softly, "just because you didn’t value Claudia doesn’t mean others wouldn’t. She’s been kind to me for years. No one has ever treated me so well. Is it so wrong that I fell for her? She’s brilliant, beautiful—just because you couldn’t see it, doesn’t mean the rest of us are blind."

His words were so convincing that even the reporters hesitated.

The contrast between Vincent’s cruelty and Sebastian’s devotion was staggering.

"You—you little bastard!" Vincent roared. "You slept with your uncle’s wife! Do you think you’ll have a future after this?" He turned to Claudia. "Get up! We’re calling the police!"

"Claudia!" Sebastian cried, feigning panic.

Then Claudia spoke, her voice icy.

"You already handed me divorce papers. So tell me, Vincent—how is this cheating?"