Falling For My Ex's Uncle - Chapter 63: Chapter 63

The eyes of the people around us constantly flickered toward Angela and me, their glances full of scrutiny, their voices dripping with mockery.
As I put my utensils down, Juliet and Rosemary walked straight up to us, their heels clicking on the floor.
Rosemary shot me a sideways glance, her beautiful eyes gleaming with derision. "Laurel, do you seriously think that now you're no longer with Austin, Alex is going to chase after you? He's just feeling sorry for you. If I were you, I wouldn't have the face to show up here again."
Before I could say anything, Juliet quickly chimed in, her tone falsely sweet, but laced with condescension. "Rosemary, don't be too harsh on Laurel. At least she's not bad-looking. Who knows, maybe one day she'll find a good man. Marrying into a wealthy family isn't impossible—there's always some rich guy whose wife has passed away. Though, she's probably too old for that."
I let out a cold laugh, lifting my eyes to watch them, arm-in-arm, looking like they were real sisters.
As I was about to get up and leave, Angela suddenly stood up, grabbed Juliet by the head, and slapped her twice, hard.
"Rosemary's crazy. I'm not going to stoop to her level. But you? What are you even doing here, talking all this nonsense?" Angela's voice was low and seething with anger.
Juliet, clearly stunned that Angela would strike her, held her bleeding, swollen lip and glared at her, eyes full of venom. "You dare hit me? I... I'm calling the police!"
Angela sneered, her voice dripping with disdain. "Calling the police? Fine... You can borrow my phone if you like."
"You wait here. I'll have Austin come and deal with you," Juliet hissed, still rubbing her swollen face.
"Austin? Sure, I'll just sit here and wait. I'm dying to see if Austin will come to your rescue," Angela shot back, her fury barely contained.
Angela was about to grab the chair and throw it, and I raised an eyebrow, wondering if she was truly ready to swing it.
Rosemary seemed to be rattled by Angela's sudden outburst. She froze, then quickly reached for her phone and dialed Ivan.
I walked over to Angela and gently tugged at her hand. "I'm tired, Angela. Let's go upstairs."
Juliet, of course, wasn't about to call the police, because she knew all too well her position within the Herrera family.
And she had started this confrontation. Angela was the one who struck her, not me. Beckham wasn't stupid; he wouldn't risk offending the Adams family, especially not the eldest daughter.
"Don't worry," Angela said, her anger not abating. "I've already called my mom down. They can bring people, why can't we?"
Rosemary's eyes widened as she heard Angela's words. She instinctively pulled Juliet closer, glancing toward the restaurant's entrance.
Juliet didn't show any fear, her expression unchanged, though as her eyes met mine, I caught a flicker of resentment and malice. It seemed like she wasn't even trying to keep up her sweet act anymore.
I could tell she was still holding a grudge from when I exposed her fake persona in front of Ivan last time.
She must have had a hand in exaggerating the story of me falling into the water, giving it some extra spice to humiliate me further. That's the only reason she would act so brazenly now.
The moment Ivan walked into the room, my brow furrowed, and my eyes narrowed with caution.
"Austin," Juliet whispered, her voice shaky as tears welled in her eyes. She looked up at Ivan with a pitiful expression.
Ivan's eyes widened as he saw her swollen face. He reached out, as if to touch her cheek, and asked, "Who did this to you?"
As soon as he spoke, Juliet's tears poured out in a rush.
"It was Laurel. She had Angela hit me," Juliet choked out, her voice trembling. "I was just trying to help her. I told her to apologize to Austin, but she... she—"
"I'm the one who slapped you. What does Laurel have to do with it? You've been spouting nonsense, so consider yourself lucky that's all you got." Angela's voice was full of venom, her glare unwavering as she stared at Juliet.
Juliet stood there, looking utterly pitiful, and I couldn't help but laugh quietly. I stepped in front of Angela and spoke nonchalantly, "It was me who had Angela slap you. Do you want to hit me back?"
Ivan froze, his expression darkening.
The room fell into an eerie silence, but the onlookers were growing in number, intrigued by the drama unfolding.
I glanced at Juliet, then turned my gaze back to Ivan, whose eyes were sharp and cold with scrutiny.
After ten long seconds, I sighed and said, "Angela, I'm tired."
I tugged on Angela's hand and, as we passed Ivan, I narrowed my eyes and coolly added, "I've been in a bad mood lately. I don't pick the days I hit people. Tell Juliet not to wander in front of me for no reason."
Ivan's fury suddenly dissipated. He stood rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.
The eyes of the room shifted to him, even Juliet looking at him in disbelief.
In the past, if anyone even brushed against her, Ivan would have stormed forward, demanding an apology. But now, she'd just been slapped multiple times, and Ivan was doing nothing.
"Didn't Ivan always act so arrogant and domineering? Now that his sister's been slapped, he's not even reacting?" one of the bystanders whispered.
"Are you kidding? There are too many eyes on him right now, and besides, it wasn't Laurel who slapped Juliet—it was Angela. If Ivan actually did anything, it'd only backfire on him," another person murmured.
I smirked ever so slightly. Everyone with half a brain could see that Ivan's family would end up losing out if this escalated.
It was clear Ivan had hoped to take advantage of the situation, but now he had only suffered a slap and lost Juliet's favor.
It was a classic case of a fool reaping what they sow.
When the elevator doors opened, Angela squeezed my hand. I snapped out of my thoughts and realized Alex and Samantha were standing inside.
Samantha had changed into a white gown, her makeup still flawless, looking every bit the picture of grace and elegance. Compared to her, I was wearing my own clothes, no makeup, and I was sure my complexion was far from its best.
Still, I walked into the elevator with Angela.
"Miss Parks, are you okay?" Samantha asked softly.
I smiled faintly and replied, "I'm still alive."
If it weren't for her, how could I have ended up in that pool?
"I'm so sorry, I didn't manage to catch you," Samantha said, her face tinged with regret.
I blinked, pausing for a second. Wait... Was she implying that I dragged her into the water with me?