Rose was met with a tight slap on her right cheek. She froze, surprised to see her dad standing right in front of her. She held her cheek in pain.
"You still have the guts to come here after disgracing this family!" Mark Preston yelled, his eyes already red with anger.
Tiffany and Meghan stood behind him. They exchanged glances and smiled wickedly, clearly enjoying the scene.
Some maids had gathered upstairs, while others hid downstairs, peeking to see what was happening. Earlier they were shocked to see the family return with such anger.
Rose inhaled her anger deeply and said nothing. She simply turned and walked away.
"Come back here now! You insolent child, I've forever disowned you!"
That statement made Rose stop.
Her heart skipped.Slowly, she turned back to face him.
"Yes, I cheated" she said, her voice trembling, tears brimming in her eyes. "But it's not like you never cheated on Mom with this wretched mistress. Don't start acting innocent here"
Tiffany's face twisted in anger at that direct insult. She glared at Rose.
"Have you forgotten?" Rose continued, her voice breaking.
"You're one of the reasons Mom fell into depression and died. I guess the cheating blood runs in this Preston family"
Mark Preston stared at her in disbelief.
What had happened to Rose?
The girl he knew had always been calm, obedient… she had never once disrespected him or her stepmother.
"How dare you!"
He raised his hand to slap her again...
"Touch her if you dare!"
A deep, cold voice cut through the air.
Vincent stood at the door, one hand in his pocket. His presence alone silenced the entire room. He walked toward Rose, his gaze dark.
Rose turned, shocked to see him.
Without a word, he pulled her into his arms and his eyes fell on the red handprint on her cheek. His expression hardened instantly.
"How dare you touch my wife."
His voice was low… but it carried a chilling weight, like a blade pressed against their throats.
Tiffany and Meghan froze. Even Mark felt it, the overwhelming aura this man carried. he became speechless.
Meghan's chest tightened with jealousy.
Why did Rose always get everything?
This man handsome, composed and powerful… Ethan couldn't even compare. The only thing Ethan had over him was money.
Or at least… that's what she told herself.
Maybe this man was just pretending.
"Vincent…"Rose whispered softly, looking up at him with innocent eyes trying to tell him to calm down.
As if by magic, his anger eased.
"You want me to leave your house, Dad?" Rose said, her voice steadier now.
"Fine. I'll leave… and I'll never come back"
She turned and walked upstairs to pack her things.
Vincent followed behind her.
As she passed Tiffany and Meghan, she shot them a cold, dirty glare.
Mark Preston collapsed onto the sofa, clutching his chest in anger.
"Mark, please don't stress yourself over that girl" Tiffany said gently, sitting beside him.
"Where are they going?" Mark asked, gesturing toward the stairs.
"I'm sure she's packing her things," Tiffany replied.
But inside she was smiling, finally that wretched girl was leaving this house for good. Something she had wanted for a long time.
Now she could finally take her place as the true mistress of the house… without any obstacles.
Thank you, Rose… for doing my job for me.
A dirty smirk spread across Tiffany's face.