He desperately wanted to hear a denial, but there was only the sound of heels clicking against the floor. Just like when he was a child, he was once again abandoned by his mother.

Seeing that the moving platform hadn't moved, Rosalind stepped out from backstage, only to discover what was playing on the big screen.

She turned pale with shock. she hadn't expected June to sabotage her like this!

But thinking of Xavier’s favoritism toward her, she fought to keep her voice steady and explained calmly, "Mr. Thorne, I didn't do this."

Xavier was smoking, his face obscured by the swirling haze.

"I know."

She breathed a secret sigh of relief and pointedly shifted the blame to June.

"Mr. Thorne, it’s my fault for not teaching the mistress well, allowing her to cause such a disaster. When we get back, I will make sure she learns her lesson."

"Oh?"

The man crushed his cigarette butt and narrowed his eyes with a faint, chilling smile. "How will you punish her?"

Chapter 12

"A mistress's conduct must never embarrass the family. The mistress’s tantrums have no limit; she needs to learn restraint. I’ll punish her by making her pick marbles out of a pile of broken glass with her bare hands. If she remains calm, she won't be hurt. If she acts impulsively, she’ll be covered in wounds."

Rosalind’s eyes were full of triumphant joy. She had addressed both the private grievance and the public disgrace; surely Xavier would approve of her method.

"As you wish."

On the way back, she couldn't wait to show June who was in charge. But the moment she stepped into the house, she was shoved into the living room.

Dr. Sterling was lying in a pool of blood.

"Rosalind, your face is very pale."

"When June went with me to check the venue last time, she had already bribed the hotel staff to play the video of our gathering on the big screen. She even live-streamed your affair with this piece of trash. She may not follow the rules, but you two... how did you manage to kill my child together?"

The man’s voice was more terrifying than a soul-reaping shackle from hell, invisibly choking Rosalind. She never imagined June could plan things to this extent.

Seeing Dr. Sterling groaning nearby, unable to even speak clearly, she clenched her fists behind her back, swallowed hard, and burst into aggrieved tears.

"Mr. Thorne, I am just a governess with nothing and no one to back me. Dr. Sterling had long harbored lustful intentions toward me. I was forced to feign intimacy with him; I don't love him. I swear I haven't harmed the mistress in the slightest. You gave me this opportunity, Mr. Thorne; I would never hurt you."

She sobbed piteously, large tears falling one by one to evoke sympathy.

The man remained silent. Clenching her teeth, she grabbed a knife from the table and prepared to stab her own neck, only for the man to snatch it away.

Unable to hide her triumph, she complained with feigned dignity, "Since you don't believe me, Mr. Thorne, it’s better if I just die. I won't live as a wronged ghost."

Xavier gripped her chin, his expression one of utter disappointment.

"I gave you a chance, Rosalind. Is a woman like you truly a descendant of a noble family?"

As soon as he spoke, a timid young girl stepped forward.

"Rosalind claimed she used salt on a blade to force the mistress to transcribe the rules, but she actually dipped the blade in chili water, carving into the mistress's skin inch by inch. After a thousand transcriptions, there wasn't a single patch of healthy skin left on her body."

"After Dr. Sterling bandaged the wounds, he didn't mention a word of it to you, Mr. Thorne. The next day, the mistress was splashed awake with ice water by Rosalind, not warm water as she claimed."

Rosalind panicked and tried to stop her.

"Mr. Thorne, don't listen to this servant's daughter. I only stopped her from stealing from the house, so she’s slandering me."

Xavier closed his eyes and nodded for the girl to continue.

"The rules the mistress transcribed were all kept. Those curses found later were secretly written by Rosalind herself to frame her."

"The stone path where the mistress was made to kneel was full of sharp stones. Even an apple would be pierced if it fell on them, let alone a person. You can see for yourself, Mr. Thorne. My mother was afraid of Rosalind and wouldn't let me speak, but I saw the mistress's legs bleeding for two days without treatment. I couldn't bear it anymore!"

Her legs were that badly injured?

Wasn't it just a single strike from a wooden cane?

Thinking of how June had struggled to push him away before fainting, his heart felt like it was breaking. He couldn't imagine the pain she must have felt.

"Time and time again, Rosalind, you used my name to hurt June."

When all the evidence was laid out before her, Rosalind had no defense left. She adopted a broken appearance, hoping to spark the man’s pity.

"Mr. Thorne, I thought you hated her, so I acted according to what I thought you wanted..."

As if hearing the world’s biggest joke, Xavier burst out laughing.

Now that he truly knew the grievances June had suffered during this time, he understood her revenge at the birthday banquet. Instead of being angry, he was overjoyed.

It was all just a misunderstanding. No matter how many tantrums she threw or how much trouble she caused, it was what he deserved. He could coax her back.

Right now, he only wanted to see her smiling face.

"I love her more than life itself; how could I hate her? When June comes out, Rosalind, I want you to apologize to her for every single thing you've done."

Rosalind continued to plead, "No! Mr. Thorne, listen to me..."

"This is bad, Mr. Thorne! The mistress is gone!"

The knife slipped across his palm. Xavier stared at the seeping blood, his heart in a state of chaos.

"How could June be gone?"

Chapter 13

June Rivers left with nothing, as if she had only stepped out for a moment.

The blood-stained dress lay discarded on the floor, and two distinct punctures caught Xavier Thorne’s attention.

He remembered grabbing a wooden cane from the stairwell meant for the servants' cleaning, but how were there nails in it? Unless...

It was Rosalind’s doing again; she had swapped the cane.

No wonder June’s expression had been one of such pure agony. He had mocked her for being a skilled actress, yet her injured leg had bled for two full days...

His heart tightened inch by inch. As he looked around the room, the sight nearly blinded him with pain.

The bloodied garment carved with a thousand cuts, the thousand copies of the family rules, and the trousers pierced by sharp stones—all had been neatly placed by June alongside their wedding photo.

She had done this intentionally, yet said nothing. This was her silent vengeance!

Feeling as though a thousand needles were piercing his heart, Xavier knelt before the photograph, his trembling fingers brushing over the items as if he could truly feel the pain June had endured.

How could he have committed such atrocities...

The vow he once made to protect her at all costs had become the most cutting irony. He didn't dare imagine, given June’s temperament, how final her departure would be...

"June said nothing to me. Her heart is already dead; she didn't even want to offer an explanation..."

After another search of the entire estate, the butler rushed in to report: "Mr. Thorne, the surveillance shows the mistress slipping out dressed as a servant before you left for the banquet. Everyone was busy with Miss Rosalind’s preparations, so no one noticed."

"How could she escape? Are you all blind!"

"Mr. Thorne, the footage clearly shows that you even spoke to her at the time..."

In an instant, the image of the limping servant with her head bowed flashed through Xavier’s mind.

It was her?

Impossible!

Xavier curled his lip in a move that suggested he still held the winning hand.

"Impossible. Her father’s ashes are here. June would never leave!"

Years ago, he had moved the grave with a selfish motive.

June was free-spirited by nature, and fearing he could not control her, he used the thing she cherished most to restrain her. Only then could this beautiful butterfly remain trapped forever under his glass dome.

The young servant girl looked confused and ventured to speak: "Mr. Thorne, surely you know that the mistress's father's ashes were fed to the dogs?"

"Dog food? I had someone replace the ashes..."

His eyes widened in shock. He rushed to the site of June’s father’s grave and dug out the urn with his bare hands.

It was empty. There was nothing.

He had personally destroyed his own final, self-righteous bargaining chip!