CHAPTER 364: BOTH

All the guests at the engagement party left right after Slater’s song.

They could’ve just walked out earlier, but somehow, his performance drew them all in. Once he finished and took a bow, however, they didn’t even wait for the lights to dim. They simply left.

The only ones remaining, aside from the staff, were Melissa, Lawrence, and Jasmine. The three sat together at a single table, none of them speaking. Their faces were blank, as if everything that had just happened hadn’t quite sunk in.

"..." Melissa opened her mouth but shut it again as her gaze drifted across the venue.

The staff were already cleaning up—quietly, carefully—avoiding even the slightest eye contact with the Young family for fear of being dragged into their wrath.

For the longest time, Melissa had worked hard to make this night perfect. And yet, all that remained of her "perfect" engagement party was her and her parents, surrounded by silence.

A tear rolled down her cheek before she buried her face in her hands.

"No..." she whimpered. "No!"

How could this happen?

"It’s ruined—everything is ruined!" she screamed, losing control as her voice cracked through the empty hall.

Of course, Melissa knew it was over. Derek hadn’t said it yet, but she could already tell. The Lancasters wouldn’t accept her now. None of them would.

Jasmine and Lawrence sat motionless, not even flinching at Melissa’s outburst. They just stared into space, their minds as blank as their daughter’s future.

Did that really happen?

Did Lola really come here? Was that really Atlas Bennet?

The questions crept in one after another, and with each one, the answers only made the truth harder to swallow.

"Lola..." Jasmine finally breathed out, scoffing as the image of Lola’s bare face flashed in her mind. "That’s... that’s her?"

Now that the truth was out, she couldn’t help but recall Lola’s voice and Mrs. Bennet’s. They sounded almost identical. She’d noticed before but brushed it off. After all, there was no way.

Lola was supposed to be nothing but a useless daughter of Loren. Since childhood, Jasmine had made sure Lola would never outshine Melissa. She always assigned her chores, gave her secondhand dresses, and deliberately let people compare them.

Even when Lola left home, she took nothing but her worn-out clothes and the few coins she had saved from her allowance. In Jasmine’s mind, there was no way Lola could ever turn her life around, much less surpass Melissa.

And yet... Lola had married into the Bennet family?

How?

SLAM!

Jasmine’s thoughts shattered when Lawrence suddenly slammed his hand on the table.

"Hah!" he scoffed, his eyes glinting with rage. "They—! They sold me those lands at an inflated price just so I could give them to her!"

At that, Jasmine’s eyes widened with dawning realization.

"That ungrateful brat!" he seethed. "I knew something was off about those prices!"

Those lands were marked up nearly fifty percent above market value. Lawrence had hesitated to buy them. He’d been in real estate long enough to know better. But after Lola mentioned them to the chairman, he was pressured into paying more than he should have.

It crippled his capital flow. And now, that same girl had humiliated his family.

Worse still, Lola had already owned those lands and sold them to him! The thought made his blood boil.

"She scammed me!" he growled, turning to Jasmine. "That ungrateful little witch! She planned all this!"

Melissa turned slowly, her tear-streaked face smudged with mascara.

Jasmine’s hand trembled as fury replaced the fog in her chest.

"That’s right," she whispered. "It’s all her fault."

Had Lola not shown up, none of this would’ve happened. Had she told them she was Mrs. Bennet, Jasmine would never have invited her in the first place.

"She baited us just to ruin this engagement," Jasmine muttered under her breath, eyes burning. "I’m not letting her get away with it."

Lola had ruined everything.

She should’ve stayed gone, stayed quiet, stayed beneath them. But no—she had to come back and destroy everything they’d built.

Not just Melissa’s engagement, but LL Construction’s finances too.

"She’s going to pay," Jasmine said, louder this time. Both Melissa and Lawrence looked at her.

"I’m going to make her pay."

*****

Later that night

"Sis~!" Slater’s voice echoed through the Bennet mansion driveway as he ran dramatically toward Lola and Atlas, who had just gotten out of the car. "Why didn’t you stay and hear me sing~?"

Lola fluttered her lashes lazily, unmoving even as Slater closed in. When he was too close, she sidestepped neatly, dodging his attempted bear hug.

"Huh?" Slater blinked down at Atlas, who was staring at him coldly. "First Brother, why are you the one welcoming my hug? You’re not the one I’m trying to hug."

Atlas blinked once. "Baby, throw him out."

"Ah—"

Before Slater could move, a large hand grabbed him by the armpit and effortlessly lifted him aside. Atlas resumed walking, following Lola with a faint smile.

"Huh?" Slater frowned, watching them go. "Why does Sis look so tired? She was glowing when she left the party..."

He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes as Atlas reached out for Lola, only for her to swat his hand away.

"Did they fight?" Slater gasped. "I knew it! Allen, you were right! Sis must be mad that he stole her spotlight!"

Good thing he performed after the chaos, not during it.

Allen and Baby exchanged a long, tired look.

"If only he knew," Allen muttered.

Baby sighed. "Sometimes... I’m jealous of how clueless he is."

"You’re not the only one. Everyone is."

Slater shot his brows up and turned to the two men, frowning suspiciously.

"What are you two mumbling about?" he asked. "Are you talking badly about me?"

"Baby was just saying he’s envious of you," Allen replied smoothly.

As expected, the corners of Slater’s mouth curled into a prideful smirk.

"I shouldn’t have said that," Allen muttered under his breath.

"Too late," Baby commented quietly.

"Hah! Baby, I know you’re big and that being big has been one of your insecurities in life!" Slater declared with gusto. "But don’t be jealous of me just because I’m fit, handsome, talented, and perfect! I am one of a kind!"

Allen shook his head, while Baby just stared at Slater, thinking that his size was the least of his insecurities. Even so, Slater continued to boast, proving once again that vanity might as well have been named after him.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Lola quietly tiptoed into the twins’ room. She sat on the floor beside their bed, smiling softly as she watched them sleep.

"Babies," she whispered, even though they couldn’t hear her. "Mommy did a good job today."

In the beginning, Lola had wondered how to hurt Lawrence: should she strike at his capital flow... or destroy his beloved daughter’s engagement?

In the end, she chose both — and she did.