Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

No. No, please. Don't do this.

She hadn't regained the memories of her previous life just to drift further and further away from Claire.

She knew she'd been wrong. In her last life, she'd paid the price for it.

Whatever she owed Claire, she'd repaid it in full-every last bit.

Suddenly, Adah threw her arms around Claire's small frame.

"Claire, please, don't leave Mommy. I know I was wrong. Please, forgive me, will you?"noveldrama

Her sobs were messy and desperate, tears streaming down her face. The sight struck a chord with everyone around them.

"No matter what, she's still Miss Tempest's biological mother. And if anyone's to blame for what happened, it's Nathan-he's the one who abandoned his daughter. Mrs. Linwood had nothing to do with that."

"Exactly. Only a mother knows the pain of losing her child. I think we should let her have her daughter back."

"That's right, that's right."

Whispers began to ripple through the crowd.

Mrs. Tempest felt her mind go blank. She looked at Claire, her eyes full of heartbreak and reluctance.

She wanted nothing more than to snatch Claire back right then and there. But this was, after all, Claire's birth mother-however disastrously she'd failed at parenting, the love she showed didn't seem fake.

Was she really about to lose her beloved daughter today?

The thought was enough to make her nose sting and her eyes fill with tears.

"Claire... come to Mommy," she pleaded, her voice trembling with hope and fear, as if even making the request might scare Claire away.

Orion's face flushed with anger as he glared at Adah. "You're not a good person. Just the other day in the boutique, you tried to hurt my sister for another girl. Claire, don't go with her!"

Claire wrenched herself free, shoving Adah so hard that Adah, caught off guard, fell backwards onto the floor.

Claire met her with a cold, steady gaze, her tone barely above a whisper. "Whatever hope I had for you in my past life, you used it alfup. In this life, I refuse to be your daughter. I have only one mother, and that's Mrs. Tempest."

With that, Claire turned away without hesitation.

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"No-!" Adah shrieked, lunging forward to grab Claire's arm.

"No, you're my daughter-my flesh and blood! I carried you for nine months. You can't do this to me!"

Claire looked back, her eyes filled with contempt.

Adah met that gaze and immediately lowered her head in shame.

She had no right to accuse Claire of anything. In her last life, she had never once shown Claire mercy as a mother.

All her love had gone to Vanessa, that spiteful girl, while Claire had been treated worse than the help in the Linwood household.

"Let go." Claire's voice was icy.

Adah clung on, desperate. "No. I won't."

At that moment, Orion rushed forward and sank his teeth into the hand Adah had wrapped around Claire.

Adah yelped in pain and instinctively let go.

Orion grabbed Claire's hand and together they dashed back to Mr. and Mrs. Tempest.

Mr. Tempest scooped Claire up into

his arms, drawing Mrs.

Tempest who was weeping with relief—close with his other arm. His

gaze, cold as steel, swept the room. "Throw those two maniacs out of here."

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Immediately, the security team stepped forward, forcibly dragging Nathan and

Adah from the hall.

Adah screamed and flailed, but no one paid her any attention.

Suddenly, the ballroom was plunged into a heavy, suffocating silence.

Mr. Tempest's icy stare fixed on

everyone present, lingering especially on those who had just moments ago whispered support for Adah. His expression was so frigid it seemed to freeze them where they stood.

Feeling the weight of his authority, the onlookers lowered their heads, each hoping that Mr. Tempest would be magnanimous enough to overlook their moment of weakness.