Chapter 92 The Powder Room Confrontation
Veronica's POV:
I escaped to the powder room, as I was desperately needing a moment away from all those judgmental stares.
These people were just exhausting me. Every glance from them felt like an assessment, and every whisper was gossip.
I could practically hear their thoughts... 'There's the Whitmore girl who left her fiancé. The one shacking up with both Ashford brothers. She is scandalous. '
I turned on the tap and splashed cold water on my face, not caring if it ruined my makeup. I needed to center myself, to remember why I was here. We were supposed to be finding answers about the family feud, not drowning in social judgment.
I looked up at my reflection in the ornate mirror, water dripping from my chin... and froze.
Laura Bellamy's reflection appeared behind mine.
Great. Just great. The last person I needed to see right now.
I grabbed a hand towel and dried my face, deciding to just ignore her and leave. I didn't have the energy for whatever confrontation she was planning. But as I moved toward the door, her stare made it impossible to just walk past. The intensity of it, the barely contained emotion... it made the air in the small powder room feel suffocating.
I stopped and turned to face her.
"What do you want, Laura?" I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral. "Just leave me alone."
A slow smile spread across her perfectly made-up face. "I'm marrying your boyfriend."
I blinked, confused. Then I actually laughed—a short, bitter sound.
"Congratulations on marrying my useless ex, Chase Pemberton," I said, genuine relief in my voice. "I'm honestly happy for you. You two deserve each other."
Laura's smile turned sharp, predatory. "Oh, Veronica. I knew it wouldn't hurt you enough if I just married Chase. After all, you hate him. You'd probably celebrate that union."
"And that's why," she continued, taking a step closer, "I'm going to marry Maximilian Ashford instead."
The words hit me like a physical blow. "What?"
"You heard me," Laura said, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "This whole Debutante Ball? It was set up specifically for my engagement announcement to Max. His father approached my family weeks ago. The contracts are being drawn up as we speak. And in about...." she checked her diamond-encrusted watch, "... fifteen minutes, Senior Ashford is going to announce it to everyone in that ballroom."
I felt like the floor had dropped out from under me. "Max would never agree to that."
"Max doesn't have a choice," Laura said with a cruel laugh. "He's been trying so hard to be a good son lately, hasn't he? Taking on responsibilities, working with his brother, proving he's not just a useless party boy. Well, this is what happens when you make yourself useful to Senior Ashford. You become a pawn he can move around the board."
My mind was racing. Did Max even know about this yet? Had his father blindsided him the same way my father constantly blindsided me?
"Laura, listen to me..." I started, trying to find some way to reason with her.
"No, you listen," she interrupted, her voice rising. "You think you can just destroy people's lives and walk away without consequences? You played Chase, led him on while you were clearly interested in other men. And now you're playing two brothers for your own entertainment, keeping them both dangling while you decide which one is worthy of you."
"That's not what's happening..."
"I won't let you be happy," Laura continued, her eyes blazing with a fury that looked almost unhinged. "You took my fiancé, my position, my future. You humiliated me in front of everyone. So now I'm going to take Max from you. I'm going to marry him, and you're going to have to watch."
"Laura, please," I said, trying to keep my voice calm even as panic clawed at my chest. "I never meant any harm to you. What happened with Chase... that wasn't about you. That was about him and his choices."
"Oh, spare me," she spat. "Chase loved me. We were happy. And then you came along with your pathetic victim act, and he felt sorry for you. But it was always temporary. He always intended to come back to me."
The delusion in her voice was staggering. She actually believed that. She'd convinced herself that Chase's serial cheating, his manipulation, his cruelty... none of it was real. That somehow I was the villain in her story.
"Chase cheated on me," I said bluntly, hoping the direct approach might break through. "Multiple times... With multiple women. I have proof... He was using you the same way he used me. This isn't about me stealing him. This is about him being a terrible person who hurt both of us."
But Laura was shaking her head, her hands clenched into fists. "You're lying. You're just trying to turn me against him because you can't stand the fact that he chose me."
I realized with sinking certainty that she was too consumed by vengeance to hear reason. Too invested in her narrative of me as the villain to accept any truth that contradicted it.
"I'm sorry you're hurting," I said quietly. "I really am. But marrying Max to get revenge on me... that's only going to hurt you in the end. And him. And everyone involved."
"I don't care," Laura said coldly. "As long as you suffer, it'll be worth it."
There was nothing more I could say. No argument I could make that would penetrate the wall of bitterness and hurt she'd built around herself.
I had to get to Max. Had to warn him before his father made this announcement and trapped him in front of five hundred witnesses.
I pushed past Laura, heading for the door.
"Running to save him?" she called after me, mocking. "How romantic. Too bad you'll be too late."
I didn't respond, just yanked open the powder room door and started running—as much as one could run in a floor-length gown and heels... back toward the ballroom.
The corridor seemed endless, my heels were clicking frantically against the marble floor. I could hear the murmur of the crowd ahead, the tinkling of champagne glasses, and the soft strains of orchestra music.
Please don't let me be too late. Please let Max know what's coming. Please let us have time to stop this.
I burst through the doors into the ballroom, immediately scanning the crowd for Max's familiar dark hair, his tall frame, anything that would...
And then I heard him.