Chapter 23
Her face twisted with fury, and before I could react, she raised her other hand and yanked my hair, pulling me off balance.
The room erupted into chaos as she dragged me backward, both of us stumbling into tables and chairs.
Guests gasped, some stepping forward to help, others too stunned to move.
“Let go of me, Gritte!” I shouted, trying to free myself from her grip.
“Not until you pay for humiliating my family!” she spat, her voice dripping with
venom.
By the time Louise and Hazel spotted us and rushed over to intervene, it was too
late.
In our struggle, Gritte backed into the elaborate juice tower at the center of the banquet hall.
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The tower wobbled precariously before toppling over, sending glasses and juice crashing to the floor.
The sound was deafening, and in the chaos, shards of glass scattered everywhere.
Gritte let out a sharp cry as the broken glass cut her arm. I, on the other hand, fell backward into a puddle of spilled juice, drenched but unharmed.
“Rachel!” Hazel cried, running to my side. She draped Louise’s coat over my shoulders as I sat on the floor, dazed.
Meanwhile, Gritte’s bodyguards hurried. to her side, carefully lifting her and assessing her injuries.
The banquet came to a standstill as guests whispered among themselves, their gazes darting between me and the injured Gritte.
“Is she okay?” one guest murmured.
“Did you see what happened?” another
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asked, pulling out their phone to check the footage they had recorded.
Before I could say a word, Louise helped me to my feet. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said firmly, his voice calm but protective.
As Gritte was escorted to the hospital by her bodyguards, the whispers grew louder.
Hazel guided me to a quieter corner of the banquet hall, helping me clean up as best as she could.
The aftermath of the incident spread like wildfire. By the time I got into the manor, the internet was ablaze with news of the Douglas family’s latest scandal.
“Gritte Douglas Caused Trouble at the Kim Family Banquet.”
Videos of the altercation had gone viral, with headlines highlighting Gritte‘ s unprovoked attack on me. The comments. ranged from shock to outright condemnation.
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“The Douglas family is truly a mess.”
“Attacking someone at a public event? How uncivilized!”
“Gritte really embarrassed Douglas’s name. No wonder Rachel left them.”
Though the whispers at the banquet had been humiliating, seeing the public outcry against the Douglas family gave me an odd sense of validation.
As I was scrolling through my phone, a gentle knock on my bedroom door interrupted my thoughts. Hazel’s voice followed, soft yet concerned. “Can I come. in?”
“Sure,” I replied, my voice barely audible.
Hazel stepped inside, her presence comforting as always.
I did not waste a moment before
apologizing, my guilt spilling over. “I’m so sorry, Hazel. This was supposed to be a
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memorable first birthday for your baby. Instead, it turned into chaos because of me.”
My voice cracked, and I could not continue. I buried my face in my hands, tears streaming uncontrollably.
Hazel quickly sat beside me, wrapping her arms around me in a warm, protective
embrace.
“That’s okay, Rachel,” she said softly. “You don’t need to feel guilty. Haven‘ t Louise and I already told you? You‘ ve got us now. We’re here for you.”
“But this chaos wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t come,” I choked out, my words broken by sobs.
Hazel shook her head firmly. “No, Rachel, this isn‘ t your fault. It’s because of
Gritte. I honestly think she came to the banquet just to find you and cause trouble.”
Sniffling, I asked hesitantly, “Do you know
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how she’s doing now?”
Hazel sighed, her tone thoughtful yet concerned. “Louise said Mr. Douglas isn’t going to let this slide easily.
“This whole fiasco has deeply embarrassed their family, and it’s made them owe a significant debt to the Kim family for ruining our event. I doubt things will end well for her.”
Just as Hazel predicted, the fallout for the Douglas family was swift and severe.
Gale’s father, already frustrated by the worsening reputation of the family, reached his breaking point.
News about the Douglas family’s decline. spread like wildfire, with headlines speculating about internal turmoil.
It was reported that Gale‘ s father severely reprimanded Gale’s mother, accusing her of failing to raise their children properly, which he believed had led to Gritte’s disgraceful behavior.
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The blame did not stop there.
Gale, already struggling after my departure, became another target of his father’s wrath.
Projects he managed had started failing, and his work performance was in
shambles.
Gale‘ s father could not hide his disappointment and saw it as yet another failure linked to his wife‘ s influence.
“You‘ ve become weak,” he reportedly told Gale. “All because of a woman.”
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