Chapter 10

Just thinking about that slap from a few days ago still made Mara’s cheek sting. She clenched her teeth silently, burning with rage. That humiliation—she was going to make Cassandra pay it back, with interest. Those rich madams nearby were visibly startled, an awkward look briefly flashing across their faces. Everyone had heard about the Taylor family heiress causing a scene at the funeral. In their hearts, they were now smugly thinking: "Ah, so it really was that lunatic from the Taylors." Evelyn’s perfectly made-up face darkened a bit. Her anger burned not just at Mara, but even more so at Cassandra, whose behavior had embarrassed her. Cassandra gave a dazzling smile, though her voice was ice-cold as she bit back her fury. "Miss Hawthorne, nothing stays hidden forever. Don’t look so smug." "What… what are you implying?" Mara tensed up, her voice shaking. No way… there was no way she could know. Only she and Ethan had been involved in that. Cassandra caught the flicker of panic in Mara's eyes and scoffed coldly. But then, something around Mara's neck caught her eye—a silver pendant with a polished green stone at its center. Her pendant. The one with the polished green stone, set in silver and expertly handcrafted—purchased at a steep price by her grandfather when she was just a child. Cassandra had cherished it more than anything in her past life. She hadn’t expected this woman, just days after Faye’s burial, to already be walking around flaunting her most precious thing. Her nails practically dug into the flesh of her palm as she clenched her fists, barely keeping her hatred in check. Leaning in toward Mara, she whispered, her voice low and chilling, "Mara, you’re wearing the pendant that Faye never took off when she was alive. Aren’t you scared she’ll come back as a ghost and stand by your bed, watching you sleep? Maybe she’ll even strangle you in your dreams. You know, she’s already come looking for me once." Mara turned deathly pale, as if those awful words had really summoned Faye’s spirit next to her. She stumbled back, eyes wide in terror. It took her a few seconds to recover. Then, on the verge of tears, she looked around and cried out, “Cassandra, I’ve never wronged you! Why do you keep picking on me?” Because Cassandra had slapped her out of the blue at the funeral, and now her aggressive attitude seemed totally unhinged, many in the room really began to wonder if the girl had lost her mind. But with Evelyn present, no one dared to speak up for Mara. Looking at her pitiful, fake face, Cassandra’s jaw clenched again. Then, suddenly, she raised her hand. Mara flinched hard and shut her eyes tight. Just when everyone thought Cassandra was going to slap her again, her hand stopped mid-air, then slowly shifted to gently—but firmly—pinch Mara’s pale cheek. "Relax, it was just a joke," Cassandra said playfully, glancing at the curious madams. She winked, her smile charming. "Come on, I tend to speak before I think and act on impulse. That slap at the funeral? Total accident. I’m sincerely sorry about it now." Then she added with a dry chuckle, "Hey, if you’re still mad, how about you slap me back—twice, if you want. I’ll take it." "We’re all part of high society. We run into each other all the time. Can we just drop it after this—either with an apology or a slap?" Her sudden switch in attitude stunned the wealthy bystanders—they weren’t quite sure how to react to Cassandra’s dramatic flip from aggression to sweet-talking.