The Heiress's Comeback
Chapter 63: [Volume 1] - 63- i challenged you!

Chapter 63: [Volume 1] Chapter 63- i challenged you!

"It’s okay. Everyone makes mistakes. We were concerned when both you and the waiter, Vader, went missing. If something dangerous had happened to you, we wouldn’t have forgiven ourselves. That’s why we acted the way we did."

Hearing this, a few members of the crowd, who had been unsure, nodded in agreement, feeling a bit more confident now that Noah had spoken up. The room shifted slightly, a murmur of support buzzing through the onlookers.

Esme’s eyes narrowed, but a mocking smile played on her lips. The kind that didn’t reach her eyes. Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she spoke. "Oh, is that so? So, let me get this straight—what exactly did you think was going on in here? Did you imagine I’d run off with Vader, only for something dramatic to unfold?"

She paused, her cold gaze sweeping across the room before landing back on Noah. "Tell me, Mr. Noah," she continued with a taunting tone, "what were you imagining when you thought the newlywed couple had gone missing? What exactly was your concern? Privacy, maybe? Does that concept escape you?"

The crowd shifted uncomfortably, glancing at each other. Esme was relentless now, her voice cutting through the room like ice. "And why, pray tell, were you all so worked up about a waiter going missing? Could it not have been as simple as him being busy, doing his job, or having an unrelated issue?"

Then, Esme’s smile grew sharper, her eyes gleaming with calculated anger. "And yes, I did call your fiancée an illiterate person. You asked why?" She pointed dramatically at the door behind her, where everyone’s attention followed. The crowd shifted as they finally noticed what they had missed: a "Do Not Disturb" sign hanging right on the door handle.

Faces began to flush deeper shades of red as realization sank in. The weight of their mistake pressed down on the room like a heavy blanket.

Esme’s smile widened with satisfaction. "So tell me, when a couple is inside a room with a ’Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door, what does that mean to you? If I don’t call your fiancée illiterate, who should I call? You?" She let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "I’m not just calling her illiterate, Mr. Noah. I’m calling you all illiterate, because none of you understood the simple message hanging on that door."

Her final words echoed, a biting sting. "When a ’Do Not Disturb’ sign is up, it means exactly what it says. Do. Not. Disturb." She crossed her arms, daring anyone to argue further.

Diana, now humiliated, clenched her fists, her face burning with rage. But under the weight of the crowd’s embarrassment and Esme’s cold stare, there was little she could do but stand there, fuming, knowing she had walked right into a trap of her own making.

Esme’s voice sliced through the tension in the room, her tone sharp and unapologetic. "And Mr. Noah?" She barely glanced at him, her gaze cold. "I don’t care if you don’t feel embarrassed when someone catches you in a compromising position or sees you naked. After all..." She paused, allowing her eyes to scan him up and down with deliberate disdain. Then, with an exaggerated turn of her head, she broke into a smile that was anything but warm.

"But you see," she continued, her voice light yet deadly, "I don’t like anyone looking at my husband. You could say I’m excessively possessive." She leaned forward slightly, as if sharing a secret, though her words were loud enough for everyone to hear. "And what you’ve done today—" her smile grew sharper "—I’ll have my lawyer deal with that." She straightened, her voice suddenly cold as ice. "Be ready, because now Aron Group is going up against Valhalla. This is an open challenge."

The room went deathly quiet, tension thick enough to cut. Eyes darted around nervously, and murmurs died on trembling lips. Mrs. Valhalla, who had been standing on the sidelines, finally spoke, her voice a forced calm in an attempt to defuse the escalating situation.

"Ms. Rose," she said, her tone steady but firm, "we know what happened was wrong, but there’s no need to take things this far. We were worried about you, and that’s why we reacted the way we did. Don’t you think you’re being a little excessive?"

Esme, already fuming, snapped her attention to Mrs. Valhalla. The calm facade she had maintained earlier was gone, replaced with cold fury. Her eyes narrowed, and her voice dropped, carrying a weight that silenced any further protest.

"Mrs. Valhalla," Esme said icily, "it seems you’ve forgotten who you’re speaking to. I am the CEO of Aron Group." She let that sink in before continuing. "And yes, I know exactly what you and everyone here are thinking—that I only got this position because of my husband."

Her words caused a ripple of guilt to pass through the room. People averted their eyes, their unspoken judgment confirmed. Esme’s smile returned, but this time it was a cruel, mocking thing.

"You see," she added, her tone biting, "even though I gained this position through my husband, I don’t feel the slightest bit of shame. But I can’t say the same for you, Mrs. Valhalla... or for you, Madam Valhalla." Her eyes locked onto both women, her words landing like a blow. Diana stiffened, her earlier smugness evaporating under Esme’s gaze.

Esme’s voice grew harder as she leaned in, delivering her next words with precision. "After all, you sacrificed your own eldest daughter for that position. Isn’t that right?"

The accusation was like a slap to the face. Madam Valhalla’s complexion darkened with rage, but Esme was far from finished. She pressed on, her voice sharp enough to cut.

"And what did you say?" Esme echoed with biting sarcasm. "I’m being excessive?" She gave a humorless laugh. "I came to this party because your daughter begged me to. She wanted her father who can’t forget her eldest daughter to be happy."

Esme’s gaze flicked over the crowd, landing back on the Valhallas, who looked increasingly cornered.