Bianca clutched her cheek, her eyes wide with shock.

Tessa enveloped her in a protective hug, murmuring comfort. Turning to me, she snapped, "You're out of line, Wendy! Someone, drag her to her room and lock her in!"

I kicked away the servants lunging at me and spun toward the butler. "Who exactly is Jared marrying?"

His face was grave. "The heiress, Miss Bianca Pittman."

My face turned cold. "The Pittman family has one heiress—me, Wendy Pittman! Bianca is irrelevant!"

Tessa lunged forward, trying to clamp a hand over my mouth, her face flushed with panic as she glanced at the butler. "Don't listen to her nonsense. Bianca is my daughter, and Wendy is just my niece, throwing a tantrum here because she's bitter about caring for the old man."

She turned to me, her tone softening, but her eyes flashed with a warning. "I know you're upset. I'll make it up to you, okay? Just stop this."

The guests erupted in whispers, their stares prickling my skin.

"Talk about ungrateful."

"A cousin trying to steal Bianca's fiancé? And making a scene like this?"

Bianca chimed in, her voice soft and pitiful. "Wendy, why are you picking on Tessa?"

Her eyes glinted with venom for a split second before melting into teary innocence. "I know you've always been jealous, throwing fits to get Tessa to love you more."

She clung to Tessa's arm and sobbed, "You've taken my clothes and jewelry, but now you're after my identity and fiancé?"

My heart pounded painfully at their betrayal.

I locked eyes with Tessa. "You're really going this far for her? Twisting my entire life to hand it to her? I went abroad to care for Rupert without a single complaint. Is this how you repay me?"

Their faces twitched, but I pressed on. "And you even matched her up with my fiancé? Does Rupert know any of this?"

The room buzzed with gasps and murmurs.

"What is going on? If that's true, Tessa has crossed a line."

"I always thought it was odd. When did the Pittman family get another heiress? Sounds like a bait-and-switch."

"Shh, keep it down. If the Reillys realize the bride's a fake..."

Exchanging looks with others, an older woman whispered, "Five years ago, when Mr. Pittman Sr. was sick, Wendy went abroad with him to receive treatment."

"So, Tessa sent her daughter away and raised her niece as the heiress?" Someone sucked in a sharp breath. "That explains why we've only seen Bianca at all the fancy parties these past years."

Tessa's face shifted from pale to red as the whispers reached her. Suddenly, she raised her hand and slapped me hard.

...

The crack of the slap echoed through the hall. I stumbled back, my cheek burning as if branded.

"You ungrateful brat!" Tessa shrieked, her voice trembling with rage. "I poured my heart into raising you, and you choose today to make a scene?"

She grabbed my hair, yanking so hard my scalp screamed. "Look at you! A few years abroad, and you've forgotten every ounce of decency I taught you?"

Forced to tilt my head, I saw the fury in her eyes, laced with a flicker of panic she couldn't hide.

"Mrs. Pittman?" the butler gasped.

"I'm disciplining my child. Sorry for the scene." Tessa forced a smile, her grip tightening like a vise. "This girl has always been a handful, but today she's gone too far."

She turned to the gawking guests, her voice booming. "Please, forgive the drama. This is my late sister's daughter, orphaned young and raised in our house. Caring for Rupert must've been too much. She's not herself."

Bianca sobbed, clinging to Tessa like a damsel in distress. "Mom, don't be mad. Wendy is just exhausted."

"See how sweet Bianca is?" Tessa shoved me. "And look at you!"

I crashed into a champagne tower, the glasses shattering with a deafening crash.

Shards sliced my leg, blood trickling down my ankle onto the marble floor, but Tessa didn't spare a glance.

"Today, I'm teaching you manners." She grabbed a stick from a table and swung it at my back, each blow whistling through the air. "This is for lying! For slandering Bianca!"

I bit my lip, refusing to utter a sound.

Guests shifted uneasily, some stepping forward to intervene but shrinking back under Tessa's ferocious glare.

"Mrs. Pittman," the butler interrupted, "beating her in front of everyone like this..."

"I'm teaching her to behave!" Tessa screamed, her voice cracking. "She's a compulsive liar, and now she's pretending to be an heiress. If I don't set her straight, she'll be unstoppable."

She raised the stick again, but I caught it mid-swing, locking eyes with her. "Go on and hit me! Kill me, and your secrets die with me!"

Her hand froze in the air, her eyes flashing with raw fear.

"You're full of it!" she screeched, swinging the stick with bone-breaking force.

Unable to dodge, I closed my eyes and braced myself for the strike. In the nick of time, a frail figure threw herself in front of me.

The stick cracked against flesh with a sickening thud, but I felt no pain. My eyes flew open to see Candace, our old nanny, crumpled before me.

Her back was torn open by the blow, but she clenched her teeth, refusing to make a sound.

"Candace!" I gasped.

Tessa's face contorted with rage. "You meddling hag! Who let you in here?"

Candace ignored her and clutched my hand, her eyes brimming with tears. "Miss, you're finally back."

My heart skipped a beat. Candace had raised me. She was the only person I trusted in the house.

Five years ago, when I was forced to leave, she'd chased my car, sobbing, until it vanished from sight. Now, she'd taken a blow for me without hesitation.

I touched her back gently, my voice shaking. "Does it hurt?"

She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Not a bit. I'm just glad to see you again."

Tessa was livid, raising the stick again. "Drag these troublemakers out!"

The servants hesitated, then stepped forward. Candace spun around, spreading her arms to shield me, her voice trembling but fierce. "Don't you dare touch Miss Wendy Pittman!"

Her glare, sharp as a blade, froze the servants in place.

Tessa trembled with fury. "This is mutiny! A servant defying the master?"

She screamed at the housekeeper, "What are you standing there for? Get rid of her!"

The housekeeper swung, the stick cracking against Candace's spine. She groaned, her body buckling.

"Candace!" I roared, pulling her behind me.

"Protecting a servant? You're as low as they come!" Tessa sneered, then turned to the housekeeper. "Keep going!"

"I dare you!" I shot back, my voice like ice.

Tessa froze, stunned by the fire in my eyes. Bianca seized the moment, fake-crying. "Mom, look at her! A nanny means more to her than I do!"

Tessa's rage reignited. She grabbed the stick and swung again. "I'll teach you respect, you ungrateful wretch!"

I shielded Candace, bracing for impact, when a deep, commanding voice thundered from the entrance. "Who dares lay a hand on my granddaughter?"