Chapter 252

Celine Valmont's fingers trembled as she scrolled through her phone screen, each vicious comment stabbing into her eyes like knives.

"So this is what it feels like to be cyberbullied..." She bit her lip hard, her nails digging crescent moons into her palms.

She used to love hiding behind her keyboard, fanning the flames while watching others get torn apart. Now that the tables had turned, she finally understood the agony.

"What do I do...?" Panicked, she lifted her gaze and spotted Miriam Whitmore nearby.

"Grandma!" She practically threw herself at the older woman. "The internet is tearing us apart! They're saying Mom and Grandpa—"

Before she could finish, Edgar Whitmore's gravelly voice cut in. "What trending topic? Show me!"

Celine froze, realizing her mistake too late. Her grip on the phone tightened as she instinctively pulled it back. Some comments even speculated she was the old man's illegitimate child—just the thought made her nauseous.

"Hand it over!" The old man's tone brooked no argument.

Miriam cursed inwardly at her granddaughter's stupidity but couldn't intervene fast enough. She knew this man too well—his pride was everything, and in situations like this, he'd only take his fury out on others.

Sure enough, after scanning the phone, Edgar's face turned ashen before he suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed like a felled tree.

"Call an ambulance!" Miriam stomped her foot in agitation. Not out of concern for the old man—but because he hadn't amended his will yet! If he died now, that bitch Evelyn Bennett would inherit half the family fortune!

In her apartment, Aria Bennett carefully carved intricate sigils into a blood-red coral bead.

This millennia-old coral contained the exact yang energy her brother Theo needed. Channeling spiritual power through her fingertips, she etched each symbol with precision.

"Done." Wiping her brow, she picked up her phone and smirked at the trending hashtag: #VeraWhitmoresSugarBabies. The attached photos showed her wicked stepmother cozying up with various young men.

"Saved me the trouble." Aria chuckled. She had similar photos ready to release in a few days.

The Valmont family mansion had turned into an icebox of tension.

The moment Vera stepped inside, she was met with Lucien Valmont's thunderous expression.

"Darling, let me explain—" She forced a smile. "Those are all Aria's fabrications! Dad and I are completely innocent!"

Lucien hurled his phone at her face. "Then what about these 'innocent' moments with your boy toys?"

The screen displayed a clearly recognizable photo of her locking lips with a younger man—pixelated but unmistakable.

"I—" Her legs gave out, sending her crumpling to the floor.

Lucien's veins bulged. "Divorce. And tomorrow, we're getting a paternity test!" He grabbed his coat and slammed the door, leaving Vera trembling on the marble tiles.

Karma had arrived—swift and merciless as a tornado.