Chapter 445 Shattered Dream
Lynda's back was drenched in cold sweat, and a gnarly sense of dread hit her like a freight train.
Her hands and feet went ice-cold, and her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was gonna jump out of her throat.
She rushed forward, grabbed Edward's wrist, and was about to demand the phone when she saw Edward's jaw drop, looking totally floored.
"What?" Edward stuttered, "You mean Miss Baker's shady behavior is why the engagement's off?"
Edward's voice wasn't loud, but he "accidentally" waved the mic in front of his mouth, and his words blasted through the hotel, hitting everyone's ears.
Everyone fell silent, but a few seconds later, people started talking.
"Oh my God! The engagement's canceled? This Miss Baker must be a real piece of work." Someone blurted out, and then the room exploded with chatter.
"What did she do?"
"What could make him call off the engagement? This party was planned down to the last detail!"
Lynda's mind went blank; the news hit her like a ton of bricks.
She gasped, thinking, 'What the heck does this mean?'
Lynda was totally lost, couldn't wrap her head around it.
'What was Edward saying? Misconduct? Who's he talking about?' Lynda didn't dare dig deeper; her legs felt like lead, her breathing was all over the place, and the buzzing conversations around her gave her a splitting headache.
Lynda stumbled a bit, eyes wide, and lunged forward to snatch Edward's phone.
With everyone staring, she shakily held the phone and asked with trembling lips, "Engagement canceled? Why?"
Lynda paused for a sec and quickly came up with an excuse. "Ronald, did something happen to Samuel? Which hospital is he in? I'll head there right now."
Lynda was quick on her feet; if the engagement was gonna be canceled, she needed to pin it on Samuel. It had to be that Samuel had an accident that nixed the wedding, and her rep couldn't take a hit.
She didn't dare think about the deeper meaning of "misconduct."
"Miss Baker, Samuel's perfectly fine," Ronald's voice was ice-cold on the other end. "You should look at what you've done. Samuel asked me to tell you that you're getting what you deserve. He's not your backup plan. If you try to play him, you better be ready to face the music."
In the noisy hotel, Lynda pressed the phone hard against her ear and covered her other ear with her hand.
This way, she could hear Ronald loud and clear.
At his words, Lynda's face went pale as a ghost.
Especially when she heard "backup plan," Lynda's legs turned to jelly, and she swayed. The girl holding her dress had to prop her up so she wouldn't hit the floor.
At that moment, Lynda finally got it.
What she didn't want to think about was the cold, hard truth. Samuel knew exactly what was up.
But how did Samuel know?
He acted like he was totally clueless, like a puppet on strings.
She was decked out in a gorgeous dress, but the skin on her neck, face, arms, and back, exposed to the air, was covered in goosebumps.
She kept taking deep breaths, her chest heaving.
"By the way," Ronald kept going on the other end, "Samuel also said you should stop dreaming about marrying into a rich family. No one's gonna want you, and the Lawrence family sure as hell won't."
Lynda's eyes nearly popped out of her head, veins bulging, and she screamed into the phone, "No, Ronald, Samuel's got it all wrong! Let me talk to him, I can explain!"
The call cut off, just like that.
Lynda almost blacked out, listening to the dead tone on the phone, her mind a total blank.
She thought, 'It's over.
'All these years busting my ass, trying to be someone, marry rich, and join the elite.
'And now, right when I'm about to make it, everything's trashed.
'From now on, I'll be the joke of the upper class.'
Her chest felt like it was in a vice, and her head was spinning from lack of air.
She thought, 'No, it can't end like this, all those years can't be for nothing.'
Lynda suddenly had an idea, looked up, and scanned the room, trying to spot Sebastian.
But instead, she saw Isabella, with a cold smirk on her face.
That smile felt like a slap, and Lynda's fists clenched so hard her nails dug into her palms.
She'd been going head-to-head with Isabella for so long, always coming out on top. Last time, she almost took Isabella out for good and got away with it.
But now, Isabella was loving every second of her downfall.
If Samuel's plan was to make Lynda suffer, then Isabella's look was what totally broke her.
The phone slipped from Lynda's hand, hitting the floor with a loud thud.
Lynda bit her lip, seething with rage!
She thought, 'Everything Isabella has should've been mine!'
Lynda regretted not pushing Isabella just a bit further back then; one more shove, and Isabella would've been history!
She hated Samuel, but she hated Isabella even more!
Without Isabella, Sebastian would be hers, and none of this would be happening!
Right then, Lynda turned all the humiliation from this engagement into pure hatred for Isabella.
It seemed like the only way she could keep it together.
In the corner, Isabella stood quietly, feeling a brief moment of satisfaction seeing Lynda's slight trembling.
But it was just a moment.
After that, Lynda's miserable and painful look didn't stir any sympathy in Isabella.
After all, this was Samuel's revenge, not hers. She was just a spectator.
Compared to everything she'd been through, Lynda's punishment seemed like nothing.
Isabella looked at Lynda's face, a strong wave of disgust rising in her chest. She pursed her lips and closed her eyes, pretending to rub them.
She told herself it should end here.
"What's wrong?" Sebastian asked, concerned, looking down. "Are your eyes hurting?"
Isabella pulled her hand away, opened her eyes, and looked up at Sebastian with a faint smile, "It's nothing, just something in my eye. I'll go to the restroom to wash it out."
"I'll go with you," Sebastian said right away.
Isabella shook her head. "No need."
Sebastian frowned.
She sighed lightly and said seriously, "I just need to wash my face and clear my head. I'll be out soon."
Isabella wanted to find a quiet spot to chill for a few minutes, then wash her face, wash away the crap in her heart, and start fresh.
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