Chapter 35: You Dare Touch the Luna!
Chapter 35: You Dare Touch the Luna!
(Matriarch Evelyn’s POV)
I watched the video on Olivia’s phone with growing anger. Each second of footage confirmed what I had suspected – my family had betrayed my trust in the worst way possible.
The recording clearly showed Emma deliberately throwing herself into the Moonlit Reflection Pool while
Olivia stood several feet away. There was no pushing, no malice from Olivia – only a calculated performance from a child too young to have learned such manipulation on her own.
My anger rose like a tide as the video continued, showing Victoria’s false accusations and Eleanor’s immediate condemnation without investigation. The final straw was watching my own granddaughter, Isabelle, claiming to have “witnessed” something she couldn’t possibly have seen.
I lowered the phone, my hand trembling with rage. The room had fallen deathly silent as everyone awaited my judgment.
“Kneel down-“I commanded, my voice cutting through the tension.
Isabelle’s face brightened immediately. She clearly thought my command was directed at Olivia. The smug satisfaction in her eyes made my blood boil even hotter.
She straightened her posture, ready to witness Olivia’s humiliation. When Olivia remained standing, confusion flickered across Isabelle’s features.
“Olivia Winters, didn’t you hear Grandmother tell you to kneel?” she snapped, grabbing Olivia’s arm roughly. “Kneel down now!”
“I told you to kneel down!” I roared, my voice echoing off the walls.
Isabelle froze, her hand still gripping Olivia’s arm. Shock registered on her face as she slowly turned to meet
my gaze.
“Grandmother?” she questioned, disbelief coloring her voice.
“Did I stutter?” I asked coldly. “Kneel. Now.”
Isabelle’s legs seemed to give way beneath her as she crumpled to the floor. Her eyes, wide with confusion, stared up at me imploringly.
“Grandmother, what did I do wrong?” she asked, her voice small,
I held up the phone, my grip tightening around it. “This is what you call ‘seeing with your own eyes‘?”
I gestured to Bernard Sheppard, our elderly butler who had served the Stone family for decades. Without a word, he took Olivia’s phone and connected it to the projection system
The video played against the living room wall, large enough for everyone to see. Emma’s deliberate fall into the water was unmistakable, as was Olivia’s genuine shock and concern.
Isabelle’s face drained of color as the truth was revealed for all to see. She hadn’t anticipated actual evidence. Her lies stood exposed in vivid detail.
Chapter 16 You Dare You
“Olivia Winters, you’re so vicious! Isabelle suddenly accused, desperation in her voice. “You set this up beforehand just to get me punished, didn’t you?”
The slap echoed through the room before anyone realized I had moved. Isabelle’s head snapped to the side from the force of my blow
“Grandmother, why did you hit me?” she wailed, clutching her reddened cheek. “Where did I go wrong? Olivia is clearly framing mel”
“You dare talk back!” I thundered, my patience completely exhausted. “What’s wrong with Olivia being cautious? Did she hold a knife to your throat and force you to lie and frame her?”
I raised my hand again, ready to deliver another blow. Isabelle cowered, covering her face with her arms.
“Mother!” Eleanor rushed forward, placing herself between me and Isabelle. “Mother, Isabelle is still young
and doesn’t understand things. Don’t take it to heart.”
I stared at my daughter–in–law in disbelief. ‘Still young? Twenty–four years old and still young and doesn’t understand things? When does she plan to grow up? Eleanor, you’ve spoiled her!”
Eleanor flinched at my words but remained protectively in front of her daughter. I glared at her, disappointed beyond words.
“Go to the Stone Ancestral Hall and kneel to reflect on your actions, I ordered Isabelle, pointing a finger at her trembling form. “Without my permission, no one is allowed to let her out!”
Two servants immediately stepped forward, grasping Isabelle by the arms and dragging her away. Her protests faded as they pulled her from the room.
Eleanor shot a venomous look at Olivia, who calmly returned the gaze. Then Olivia’s attention shifted to Victoria Frost, who was shrinking against Ethan’s side.
“Grandmother,” Olivia said softly, her emerald eyes reddening with unshed tears. “Victoria also wronged me.”
I was taken aback for a moment. In all the years I had known her, Olivia had never complained about her
treatment. She had endured everything silently, protecting others even at her own expense.
A surge
ge of warmth filled my heart. My girl had finally learned to speak up for herself.
That warmth quickly transformed into icy fury as I turned my gaze to Victoria Frost.
(Olivia’s POV)
I watched Victoria pale under Matriarch Evelyn’s stern gaze. For once, the perfectly composed Victoria looked genuinely frightened.
She tugged at Ethan’s sleeve, her voice barely a whisper. “Ethan.”
Ethan glanced down at her, his amber eyes unreadable. Victoria’s face fell as she realized he wasn’t immediately jumping to her defense.
Tears welled in her eyes- practiced, calculated tears that I had seen too many times before. She tur me with a perfectly crafted expression of remorse.
to
“Olivia, I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice trembling. “I was just so worried about Emma that I spoke without thinking. I didn’t mean it.”
Though her words were directed at me, her performance was clearly for Ethan’s benefit. I watched his
A
R
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expression soften slightly, accepting her flimsy explanation without question.
He glanced at me, his eyes sending a clear message: Drop it. Let it go. Don’t make a scene.
A cold fury swept through me. After everything that had happened – the false accusations, the humiliation in the Stone Ancestral Hall, the physical punishment – Victoria thought a simple “sorry” would erase it all?
Lignored Ethan’s warning look and stepped forward. Victoria’s eyes widened as I approached, uncertainty flickering across her perfect features.
The sound of my palm connecting with her cheek was sharp and satisfying. Before she could recover, I struck her again on the other side.
“Victoria, I’m so sorry,” I said, perfectly mimicking her insincere tone. “I didn’t mean it.”
“Olivia V
Winters!” Ethan roared, grabbing my wrist before I could strike again.
His grip was tight, almost painful, but I didn’t flinch, I met his gaze steadily, challenging him to defend her
again.
Victoria, perhaps emboldened by Ethan’s intervention, forgot herself completely. Her mask of contrition vanished, replaced by raw fury.
“Olivia Winters, you dare hit me!” she shrieked, raising her hand to retaliate.
Before her palm could connect with my face, a cane struck her arm with surprising force. Victoria recoiled with a cry of pain, clutching her forearm.
“You dare touch Olivia!” Matriarch Evelyn bellowed, her small frame
on with an
Victoria’s eyes widened in shock “Grandmother, Olivia hit me first!” she protested, gesturing to her reddened
cheeks.
“Even so, you wronged her first,” Matriarch Evelyn stated firmly. “Olivia is not one to cause trouble.”
Tears pricked at my eyes, unexpected and unwelcome. After years of standing alone against Victoria’s manipulations, someone was finally taking my side without question.
“And don’t call me Grandmother,” Matriarch Evelyn added, her voice sharp as a blade. “Who are you to call me
Grandmother?”
Victoria flinched as if physically struck again. Her carefully constructed place in the Stone family was crumbling before her eyes.
“But I’ve always called you-” she began.
“That was my mistake,” Matriarch Evelyn cut her off. “1 allowed too much familiarity from someone who
hasn’t earned it.”
Victoria’s face crumpled. She looked to Ethan, clearly expecting him to defend her against his grandmother’s
harsh words
Ethan’s jaw tightened, caught between his grandmother’s authority and Victoria’s expectations played out across his features as he struggled with his response.
conflict
I watched him with a strange detachment. Once, his indecision would have hurt me deeply. Now, I found I didn’t care which way he leaned
E
III O<
“Grandmother,” Ethan finally said, his voice carefully measured. “Victoria has been a close friend of our family
for many years.”
“Friend,” Matriarch Evelyn repeated, emphasizing the word. “Not family. Not your mate. A friend”
Victoria’s eyes filled with genuine tears now. The distinction was clear and cutting.
“As for you,” Matriarch Evelyn turned to me, her expression softening. “My dear Luna, what other injustices have you suffered in my absence?”
Luna. The title rang through the room like a bell. Matriarch Evelyn had deliberately used it to remind everyone of my position not just as Ethan’s wife, but as the female Alpha of the Silvercrest Pack.
1-1 began, uncertain how to summarize five years of isolation and mistreatment.
“She’s been through quite enough today,” Matriarch Evelyn declared, placing a protective arm around my shoulders. “Bernard, prepare the cast wing for Olivia. She will stay there tonight, away from those who have
harmed her.”
Bernard bowed deeply. “Yes, Matriarch.”
“But Grandmother, Ethan protested, “Olivia’s place is-”
“Her place,” Matriarch Evelyn interrupted firmly, “is wherever she feels safe. And clearly, that is not by your
side at present.”
The rebuke silenced Ethan immediately. His grandmother rarely criticized him directly, making her words all the more powerful.
Victoria, sensing an opportunity, stepped closer to Ethan. “Emma needs comfort after her ordeal,” she murmured. “Perhaps I should-”
“You should leave,” Matriarch Evelyn stated flatly. “Take your daughter and go home. You’ve caused enough trouble in this house for one day.”
Victoria’s face flushed with anger. “You can’t just-
“I can and I have,” Matriarch Evelyn replied. “This is still my home, and you are not welcome in it tonight.”
Victoria turned to Ethan again, her eyes pleading. “Ethan, please. Emma is frightened.”
Ethan hesitated, clearly torn. “Grandmother, Emma is just a child. She shouldn’t be punished for-
“For deliberately jumping into the reflection pool to frame Olivia? Matriarch Evelyn finished for him. “That child needs discipline, not coddling.”
Victoria’s face darkened with hatred as she glared at me. “This isn’t over,” she whispered, too quietly for anyone but me to hear.
“You dare touch the Luna!” Matriarch Evelyn bellowed. “And don’t call me Grandmother, Who are you to call me Grandmother?”
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