Chapter 1009

For Elliana, it was an invitation, really. When someone thrust their arrogant face that close to hers, practically begging to be put in their place, she couldn’t help but oblige them.

Elliana was Death Thorn, after all. If she had wanted to, she could have easily crushed every bone in Wanda’s skull with that single strike.

But since Wanda was nothing more than a pampered woman, Elliana had held back her true strength. Even so, the controlled blow was still far more than Wanda’s delicate constitution could handle.

Wanda’s shriek of pain and shock filled the air as she collapsed to the marble floor. Her carefully applied makeup was smeared, and an angry red handprint was blooming across her pale cheek, the skin beginning to puff and swell. Her head spun violently, bright spots dancing across her vision. She lay there trembling, unable to even attempt to get up as a thin trickle of blood appeared at the corner of her mouth.

Eva stumbled backward in complete shock and horror. She had never imagined that this seemingly refined young woman could be capable of such swift, brutal violence. The casual way Lilah had struck Wanda, without even a moment’s hesitation, was terrifying.

Milton, however, watched the scene with barely concealed satisfaction. Elliana had always been decisive and direct in dealing with problems, and he found her approach deeply gratifying.

Despite her terror, Eva forced herself to speak. “How dare you lay a hand on Wanda!” she cried, her voice shaking with outrage and panic. “Wanda is my daughter; you have no authority to touch her!”

Another sharp crack split the air as Elliana’s palm connected with Eva’s face—the same controlled force, the same precise technique.

Just like Wanda before her, Eva was completely unable to withstand the impact. She screamed and crashed to the floor as blood immediately began pouring from her nose and mouth, her vision going dark around the edges.

Elliana stepped forward calmly and placed her designer shoe firmly on Eva’s face, pressing down just enough to make her position of absolute dominance unmistakably clear.

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Never in Eva’s wildest dreams had she thought she would find herself in such a degrading position.

As the only daughter of Ruben and Diane, Eva had been spoiled rotten, and no one had ever dared to lay a finger on her. Even after marrying into the Campbell family—where Arthur denied her love and recognition—her pain had always been emotional, never physical. No hand had ever struck her.

Yet here she was, her face pinned beneath Lilah’s heel. Moments earlier, she had tried to assert her power. Now, in the blink of an eye, she was drowning in shame.

Shock, rage, and disbelief clashed within Eva, but the reality of her situation was undeniable. Her cheek still burned from Lilah’s slap. Trapped under the weight of a designer shoe, she was powerless. In that crushing moment, the pride she had carried her whole life slipped away like smoke in the wind.

Elliana stared down at Eva, her expression an icy mask, stripped of sympathy. This was the woman who had made her mother’s life miserable—the same one who had ripped apart her family and kept them separated for twenty long years.

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