Chapter 179
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 179
Just as Cedric had calculated, the announcement of their relationship became a massive scandal that rocked high society to its core.
Viviana rushed to Harriet’s side, looking as if she might actually faint from sheer excitement.
“So this is what you meant! That bit about me being disappointed in you!”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner, Viviana.”
“I’m a little annoyed, I’ll admit. But who cares? You’re the Duke of Kailas’s lover, not Bella!”
She stomped her feet, so restless with joy she looked ready to bounce off the walls.
“You really never know what life will throw at you. How could there be such a magnificent revenge?”
“Magnificent? Hardly.”
“Why not? You’ve heard the rumors about Bella, haven’t you?”
At that, Harriet nodded, barely suppressing a laugh.
The scandal had become the talk of the town not only because Cedric Kailas’s first acknowledged lover was Harriet Listerwell—the infamous ‘troublemaker of the past’—but also because Bella, once revered as the goddess of high society, was now a laughingstock.
“The Cheslow family officially announced the annulment of the engagement. But word is, Bella is desperately trying to win Young Master Cheslow back.”
Bella hadn’t even properly cleared her name regarding the Angelic allegations. Perhaps she thought that if she seduced Cedric and became his lover, she could easily escape the web of problems she was entangled in. It would explain why she hadn’t taken any proper action until now.
Regarding the new summons she had received, she had only managed to secure a deferral by insisting, ‘It wasn’t me.’ Meanwhile, rumors that people had seen her purchasing Angelic were snowballing.
These reasons alone were enough for the Cheslow family to call off the wedding, but they had hesitated until now because James loved Bella too much.
Now that James—having been insultingly dumped—had withdrawn his affection, there was no reason for Count and Countess Cheslow to hold back. The annulment was finalized.
What was truly surprising, however, was that Bella wasn’t giving up on him.
“She broke up with him first, and now she thinks she can just go back?”
“Not a chance! They say she tried to act chummy at the Vanderbilt party and was utterly humiliated. Bella has sent him letters several times, but James Cheslow hasn’t even replied.”
The scandal was so sensational that even the details of her ignored letters were common knowledge.
But Harriet didn’t feel a shred of pity for James.
“That man is ridiculous too. He should apologize first for spreading those lies about Cedric—claiming he was threatening or extorting Bella!”
“Oh my! ‘Cedric,’ you say? It’s so ticklish, just hearing it!”
“Stop teasing me.”
Harriet smiled, looking genuinely embarrassed.
She didn’t need to pretend. In truth, her heart felt like it was fluttering, as if someone were tickling her from the inside.
“You must call me by my given name everywhere. That way, we’ll appear much more intimate.”
She was only following Cedric’s request, but every time she spoke his name, it felt as if this relationship might actually last forever. Knowing that was merely her own wishful thinking made her feel a flush of shame.
In any case, her reaction was enough to keep Viviana from suspecting the truth. The girl excitedly continued to chatter about Bella’s downfall.
“It seems the Cheslow family is going to file a lawsuit as well. For fraud and defamation.”
“Defamation, I understand, but why fraud?”
“Don’t you remember? That family even threw a party for Bella before she was even married. And Young Master Cheslow practically showered her with gifts—and not just small ones.”
Only then did Harriet understand. Everyone knew how massive the diamond on Bella’s engagement ring had been.
“So, she extorted money and valuables under the pretense of marriage? Is that the angle?”
“I can’t even count how much it was, based on the rumors. Two diamond rings, a fox fur coat, countless dresses and shoes… they even say he gave her a horse.”
Viviana shook her head in disbelief.
“Anyway, Bella’s reputation is completely in the gutter. They’re saying she ruined herself by trying to play two men against each other.”
Having been the subject of gossip many times herself, Harriet knew the reality. Those polite expressions weren’t the full story.
Behind closed doors, people would be pointing fingers and calling her a gold digger. They would be digging up the names of every man who had even the slightest connection to her.
‘Bella Listerwell, the girl we thought was an angel, was actually a loose woman who toyed with men!’ What a juicy topic for the tea tables.
Such whispers spread with uncanny speed. And Harriet suspected this was all part of one of Cedric’s ‘operations.’
‘Truly, he’s a man you wouldn’t want as an enemy.’
As she swallowed a hollow laugh, Viviana took a sip of tea, then clapped her hands as if something had just occurred to her.
“Oh, right! They say Caroline Tarrant has abandoned Bella too.”
“Really? I expected it, but that was fast. What happened?”
“Apparently, Bella had promised to connect her with a man close to the Duke of Kailas. She must have exploited Caroline quite a bit under that pretense.”
Caroline had long claimed to be Bella’s loyal lady-in-waiting, but recently, Bella’s condescending treatment had worsened to the point of building deep resentment.
“They say Caroline completely cut ties, claiming she didn’t want strange rumors rubbing off on her because of Bella. Bella has no friends left.”
“Well, that’s not surprising. They weren’t sharing a friendship; it was merely a symbiotic relationship.”
Their bond operated on a cold calculus, entirely devoid of the natural instinct to help a friend in need. In such a relationship, if one party is no longer useful, the other leaves. It was only natural.
‘How do you feel now, Bella?’
Harriet smiled faintly, recalling her fifteen-year-old self—the girl who had been stripped of her friends by Bella and left utterly alone.
It had been a lonely adolescence. She had lost her parents and her friends, with no one to rely on but an uncle’s family who persecuted her.
Her reputation had been forged by others, regardless of her will. With nowhere to seek advice, she couldn’t judge whether her actions were right or wrong, and so she had wavered, swayed by John’s manipulation.
She didn’t know how many times she had thought of dying.
‘But your situation is better. Your family is still by your side.’
Of course, it remained to be seen how long they would stand by her.
Hiding such chilling thoughts, Harriet offered Viviana a bright smile. The raspberry-scented black tea was truly delicious today.
* * *
Thud.
John tossed a thin file onto the table.
Bella looked at it, her eyes questioning what lay before her.
“It’s an admission permit. You’ll be staying at a convent for a while.”
“What?”
She asked again, but John offered no reply. Bella, dumbfounded, pressed him.
“Did you just say… a convent?”
“Yes. St. Evans Monastery. St. Clarissa’s no longer accepts short-term residents, I’m told.”
“Father! Are you insane?”
Bella sprang to her feet, shouting.
“How could you do this to me, Father? After all I’ve done for you!”
“Who doesn’t know that? But look at the situation! Everywhere you go, it’s nothing but talk of that ‘drug’ and your broken engagement! Just hide yourself away until things quiet down.”
“I absolutely won’t go! Just wait a little longer. I’ll appease James and—!”
“Bella!”
John, losing his patience, roared.
He glared at Bella, who froze in surprise. He was suppressing his anger with great effort.
“James is a lost cause. He’s refused to see you five times now; isn’t it time you accepted that? If you anger the Cheslow family further, it won’t end with just paying back the alimony!”
Bella clenched her jaw.
James, who had once clung to her so desperately, was now ignoring her as if seeking revenge. The thought of him scoffing at her letters, just as he had once done with Daphne’s, made her stomach churn.
But Bella also knew the truth. This situation wasn’t James’s fault, nor the Cheslow family’s.
“This is all because of the Duke of Kailas. He confused me, and that’s why this happened! He’s the one who ruined my engagement, so he should be held accountable!”
“And where exactly do you plan to make that claim?”
At John’s question, Bella’s mouth snapped shut.
Making such a claim would be an admission that she had been playing James and Cedric against each other. Even if she were to host a tea party now, no one would come. All those who had been favorable to her had turned their backs after the Vanderbilt party.
“This is so infuriating!”
Bella slumped onto the table, shedding tears of frustration.
John let out a heavy sigh.
“By the way, I have no idea what Harriet’s relationship with the Duke of Kailas actually is. Surely they can’t be actual lovers.”
At that, Bella’s head shot up.
“That’s right, Harriet! This is all her doing!”
“Took you long enough to figure that out, tsk. What I can’t understand is what kind of leverage someone like Harriet could possibly have over a man like the Duke to make him do something like this.”
“It must be that brooch! Harriet once retrieved the Late Duke’s keepsake from the Kingdom Ship. We couldn’t figure out what kind of compensation she demanded for it, but this was it!”
To them, Harriet had always been a lacking, inferior child. The assumption that Cedric had actually fallen for her was inconceivable.
Conversely, the idea of Harriet retrieving someone else’s item without demanding a price was also something they couldn’t comprehend.
Convinced that Harriet was the mastermind behind her ruin, Bella gnashed her teeth.
“I won’t let you be the only one laughing.”
She wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand and sprang to her feet. Before John could stop her, she rushed outside.
“Terry! Prepare the carriage!”
Terry, the coachman, who was brushing the solo horse’s coat, swallowed dryly at the sound of Bella’s hysterical voice. Bad things always seemed to happen on days when the ‘angelic’ young lady revealed her true colors.