"Enough!" Austin's voice cut through the tension like a knife. "Ella, not everyone is as unscrupulous as you are."

Ella felt her body freeze as she stared,at Austin in disbelief.

She had always known that Austin favored Judith over her.

But she could never have imagined his bias would reach such an extreme.

He was like a king bewitched by an enchantress, blind to the truth!

"Exactly! How could someone as kind-hearted as Judith ever do something so despicable? It must be Ella trying to slander her out of jealousy,"someone from the crowd called out.

"That's right! She even joined the same company just to compete with Judith! But Judith graduated from Westfield Art Institute-Ella could never measure up to her, no matter how hard she tried."

"Ella,you should just give up. These schemes won't change your status in Austin's heart, no matter what you do."

The mocking voices swirled around her, and Ella lowered her eyes, feeling a chill spread throughout her body.

In everyone's eyes, she was nothing but a calculating woman who would do anything to force her way into Austin's life.

But she had done nothing wrong.

Margaret joined in. "You've ruined Grandma's birthday party. Go apologize to Judith right now. What if she gets upset and refuses to marry Austin?

What then?"

The pain in Ella's chest felt like it was being torn apart, but she remained seated,unmoving.

Then she did something that shocked everyone.

She watched as the man on the floor writhed in pain, her eyes sharp and penetrating as she reached out to touch him.

The man looked at her like a dog eyeing a bone, desperate to get closer.

"Tell me who it was, and I'll end your suffering right now," she said coldly.

Everyone assumed she was the culprit.

But the name he uttered next left them all stunned.

"Judith."

Questioning stares came from all directions, and Judith felt more humiliated than she'd ever been in her life.

"Oh my God, she actually did it."

"I can't believe it. Judith seemed so sweet and innocent, but her methods are absolutely ruthless."

"Appearances can be deceiving, I guess."

After saying this, he seemed to expect a reward.

Austin forcefully interrupted, "Security, throw this raving madman out!"

Ella's back stiffened.

Her hand froze in mid-air as she looked toward Austin,who stood protectively beside Judith, shielding her from the crowd's scrutiny.

Judith was crying hysterically,repeatedly mumbling through her tears.

"It wasn't me."

Before she could finish, she collapsed into Austin's arms.

Then Austin lifted the unconscious Judith, his eyes meeting Ella's.

The deep disgust in his gaze was unmistakable beore he quickly walked away.

Ella knew that they had been so close to resolving this matter once and for all.

But Austin unconditionally trusted Judith.

Even when faced with the truth, he chose to protect her.

As the crowd dispersed. Margaret left her with one final, biting remark.

"Stop using these underhanded tactics to hold onto Austin. He doesn't love you, and nothing you do will change that. Today's incident has damaged the Raymond family's reputation-you deal with it. I refuse to be associated with this disgrace!"

With that. Margaret stormed off, leaving Ella standing alone.

The wind blew against her face as her eyes slowly reddened.

Ella tilted her head up toward the overcast sky.

The clouds seemed to have torn open, and large raindrops began falling

on her face.

Two tears slipped down her cheeks.

Pure hatred.

Her love for him had turned to pure hatred.

Ella left the courtyard and composed herself before apologizing to each guest individually.

Margaret's warning still echoed in her mind-she was Mrs. Raymond,and she had responsibilities that came with that title.

After completing her apologies, she finally left the Raymond estate.

The rain hadn't stopped by the time she returned home.

As Ella entered the living room,she was surprised to see Austin sitting on the sofa.

She had assumed he wouldn't come home tonight.

She glanced at him briefly before walking toward the stairs,treating him like he was invisible.

"Stop right there," he commanded.

Ella paused, her back still to Austin as she spoke coldly, "Sign the divorce papers as soon as possible. I'll find a way to make grandmother accept it."

She had decided to stop hiding the truth from Karen.

This marriage had become completely meaningless.

"n't vou have anvthing else to sav2"

There was nothing left to say.

She took another step toward the stairs, but Austin suddenly rose and grabbed her wrist.

Ella was forcefully pulled backward.

"Let go of me," she demanded.

He yanked her into his arms while she pounded against his chest,seriously wondering if he had some kind of mental disorder.

Ella's arms grew tired from hitting him.

She looked up with reddened eyes and demanded, "We're finished.Would you please keep your distance?"

"You think you're the victim here?" Austin let out a mocking laugh.

Ella heard that contemptuous sound and felt overwhelming disgust rise within her.

How had she been blind enough to love this man for so long?

"I'm not a victim. I don't feel victimized at all," she said through gritted teeth, struggling to break free from his grip around her waist.

His gaze was ice-cold as he smiled sardonically. "You've been desperately trying to find investors for the Prometheus Project just to escape from me.

But Ella, as long as you're still Mrs. Raymond, I won't let you succeed."

"Is it Anthony? Your next target? Or maybe Eugene? Don't tell me you wouldn't even spare a server?"

Ella felt a chill run down her spine, her scalp tingling as she starea at Austin. "What are you talking about?"

"Men are just tools for your advancement, aren't they?"

He exhaled softly near her ear, making it tingle.

Ella pushed against Austin with all her might, screaming hysterically."Yes!I'm just a manipulative bitch who uses her looks to get ahead! Are you satisfied now?"