Back From Prison, Built For Revenge - Chapter 63: Chapter 63

"A family?" Chloe scoffed, her voice devoid of warmth. "Is this how a family treats each other? How ridiculous."
Her words landed like a merciless slap across everyone's face. A deathly silence fell over the living room. Even Yolanda, who usually excelled at masking her emotions, couldn't help but bite her lip, trying to conceal her unease.
Hayden finally turned around, his gaze frosty. "What on earth are you trying to say?"
His voice was low, laced with barely suppressed impatience.
"If this is about Westvale Estates," he added, his voice carrying an unmistakable threat, "you'd better shut up."
"Shut up?" Chloe arched an eyebrow at him, her icy eyes brimming with mockery. "Why? Because the truth is too ugly to face? Or are you just too much of a coward to confront it?"
"Enough." Hayden slammed the table, his towering frame looming over Chloe like a mountain. "Who the hell do you think you are? Just Yael's pathetic little clown."
His words cut Chloe like a dagger. But she didn't flinch. Instead, she defiantly rose to her feet, meeting his gaze head-on.
"If I'm a clown," she spat, "then what are you? Sheltering criminals, protecting murderers—you're far more pathetic."
Their standoff plunged the living room into extreme tension, the very air seeming to turn to ice. Then, at that moment, Yolanda's sickly sweet voice cut between them.
"Hayden, don't be so hard on Chloe," Yolanda said softly as she slowly walked over, her high heels clicking faintly. A sweet, innocent smile was plastered on her face, but it couldn't quite hide the faint flicker of disgust in her eyes.
Softly, her voice sweet but distant, Yolanda cooed, "Chloe, are you okay? Should I call a doctor for you?"
"A doctor?" Chloe scoffed, her smile dripping with contempt. "How very considerate of you, Ms. Stone. But no need to trouble yourself—these little wounds won't kill me."
Her words seemed calm, but there was a sharp edge beneath the surface, making Yolanda's smile freeze for just an instant.
But Yolanda quickly recovered, putting on a feigned cheerfulness as she said, "Oh, Chloe, you must be joking. We're family, after all."
"A family?" Chloe advanced slowly toward Yolanda, each step carrying an intimidating presence. "Seems you've forgotten, Ms. Stone. I left the Stone family a long time ago."
Chloe's words made Yolanda's smile stiffen. Hayden let out a cold snort, glaring at her. "Drop the act," he said, his voice dripping with disdain.
Hayden stared straight at Chloe and said coldly, "I know everything that happened at Westvale Estates."
His words struck like a thunderbolt, stunning everyone. Chloe's eyes widened as she stared at him. "What exactly do you know?"
"Enough," Hayden said icily. Then he abruptly reached out and shoved her with brutal force, sending her crashing to the floor.
Caught completely off guard, Chloe crashed heavily onto the icy marble floor. A sharp pain shot up from her tailbone. She stifled a groan, stubbornly refusing to cry out.
"Do you really think you can get away with this?" Hayden looked down at her, his eyes ablaze with fury and contempt. "You're nothing but a pathetic little social climber who used men to get ahead."
Hayden's words ignited a firestorm of rage in Chloe's heart. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself upright despite the pain, straightening her spine with defiant pride as she locked eyes with the brother who had once doted on her.
"If I'm really a clown," she spat, "then what does that make you? Harboring criminals, sheltering murderers—you're far more pathetic than I'll ever be."
Just then, a commanding yet powerful elderly voice cut through the tension. "Enough. What's all this racket?"
Everyone turned as Peter approached, his immaculate suit radiating authority. His gaze swept the scene, landing on Chloe, disheveled from her fall yet still standing tall and defiant. His brows knitted in visible displeasure.
"How disgraceful," Peter snapped, turning to Hayden with a stern, warning tone. "This is a home, not a fish market. Must you resort to violence instead of talking things out?"
"Dad—" Hayden opened his mouth to explain, but Peter's sharp glare cut him short. Clenching his jaw, he swallowed his words and, with frustration simmering beneath the surface, could only step aside.
The maid, who had been standing quietly in the corner, suddenly let out a startled cry. "Ms. Quinn, you're covered in so much blood."
The maid's startled cry snapped everyone's attention back to Chloe. With trembling hands, she carefully pulled aside the fabric on Chloe's shoulder, revealing a horrifying tapestry of scars—old and new, varying in depth and severity.
The sight was a silent testimony to the brutal truth of her three-year ordeal.
The living room was plunged into a deathly silence, everyone rendered speechless by the shocking sight. Even Yolanda, usually so adept at masking her emotions, couldn't help but cover her mouth, her face a picture of disbelief.
Standing amidst the stunned crowd, Chloe merely curled her lips into a faint, cynical smile. Her voice, laced with mockery, cut through the silence. "Surprised, are we?"
Chloe's gaze swept across the room, taking in every detail of the shock and guilt on their faces. Then, in a calm, measured voice, she began to speak. "Three years in prison all for this? Do you think it was worth it?"
No one answered—not even Mrs. Stone, who had always worked so hard to maintain the illusion of family harmony. Now, she could only lower her head, unable to meet Chloe's piercing gaze.
"Since no one wants to answer, let me sum it up for you," Chloe continued. She made her way toward the sofa with measured steps, then paused, adding in a voice that was cold, almost cruel. "No, it wasn't worth it.
"But I don't care. From today on, I owe you nothing."