Chapter 496

Madelyn stood frozen in place, thoroughly shaken by Lambert's warning. By the time she regained her composure, her back was drenched in cold sweat. She took a deep breath, pressing her lips together as she willed her racing heart to calm down. Approaching Irene, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of complicated emotions upon seeing the tear-streaked face. There was even a faint, almost imperceptible flicker of schadenfreude—so deeply buried from years of suppression that she barely noticed it herself. But most of all, she was furious on Irene's behalf. "That cheap imitation has no right to act so high and mighty!" she muttered bitterly under her breath. Then, softening her tone, she added, "But don't worry, Irene. The fact that Lambert reacted like this means he still cares about you deep down." Irene swallowed hard, her voice hoarse with sorrow. "I know." She had been wrong in the past. Lambert had every reason to treat her this way, and she would find a way to make it up to him. At