CHAPTER 171: THE SLAP WITHOUT SOUND

The Rolls-Royce came to a halt at the grand entrance of the Lancaster mansion. The air shifted the moment the car door opened.

Seraphina and Lucien’s heads turned to the door. The housekeeper informed the Lancaster couple in the study room, and Nicholas ended the call, stirring his loathsome gaze toward the door.

Alaric stepped out first, clad in a black suit, cold and untouchable. His presence was enough to silence the murmurs of the mansion staff. But when Aveline followed, the air changed.

A beige suit draped over her shoulders, a black turtleneck cutting sharply against the soft fabric, her steps steady and commanding beside Alaric as they walked in.

She didn’t look like someone’s date, someone’s guest. She looked like power beside him.

If Alaric was the authority, Aveline was defiance in her high heels. Her walk said it aloud, President who?

The Astors hadn’t expected her. And the surprise was clear in their eyes.

Isabella, however, didn’t let it touch her face. She only stood straighter beside Edward. Not for Alaric. But for Aveline. In her heart, she wished the woman had arrived under warmer circumstances, to a better welcome than this.

But this was the battlefield they were dealt.

Aveline caught sight of Nicholas. The images of Damien meeting him flashed in her mind, the night she had wandered away from her bedroom into Damien’s office before her regression and had heard them talking about the downfall of Alaric Lancaster.

’Him.’ Her chest tightened. Nicholas was the one who had joined hands with Damien to bankrupt Alaric.

She instinctively turned toward Alaric, an urge to warn him that the threat to NexGuard might still be alive.

Alaric sensed the faint falter in her step, the quick glance she cast his way. Their eyes met for a brief second, he knew she had something to tell him. But before she could speak, Isabella’s warm voice filled the air.

"Ms. Laurent, what a pleasant surprise." Her tone was soft, welcoming.

Alaric had assured Aveline that Isabella was not an enemy. So Aveline returned a serene smile. "Chairwoman De’Conti, forgive me for arriving without notice."

"We’re happy you came. You are most welcome, please, be at ease," Isabella replied, her composure practiced, though her gaze was gentle.

Ever vigilant, Aveline didn’t miss that change from Isabella.

Alaric dipped his head at Edward in greeting, then quietly slipped Aveline’s overcoat from her shoulders, handing it to an attendant.

"Aveline..." Edward said, his faint smile carrying weight. "I’m sure I may call you that."

"Of course," Aveline answered softly. She already understood the reason for his swift familiarity with her. It was a statement aimed at the Astors, a subtle warning not to overstep with the Lancasters.

"I should be the one apologizing," Edward continued, his sincerity evident. "I failed to navigate the matter smoothly. It has grown nastily out of hand, and for that, I am sorry to be a disappointment."

Aveline knew that Edward loved Alaric and that he was cordial unless you stepped on his nerves. However, she hadn’t expected him to be so down-to-earth. Or maybe it was special treatment because she was with Alaric.

Her lips curved. "You are a gentleman, Chairman Lancaster. But we can’t expect civility and manners from just anyone."

The words landed like a soundless, elegant slap directed at the Astors. Lucien’s face darkened by several shades.

Edward’s brows lifted in faint surprise. He had assumed her to be soft in nature and direct in words. His smile widened with approval. Act as the situation demanded.

Gesturing, he said, "Please, have a seat."

Aveline softly nodded her head and settled gracefully on the couch beside Alaric. She leisurely crossed her legs, her poise unhurried, her eyes gliding over the quiet room before resting on the couple opposite her.

"I would like to know," she began smoothly, "who exactly deserves Alaric’s apology here."

Her gaze lingered on Lucien and Seraphina, her smile sharpening. "After all, due to certain uncouth, uncultured people disrupting my little business, I had to close the shop for a few days. So I followed Alaric here. I only hope I’m not intruding on family time."

Seraphina: "..."

Aveline’s words sank like poison coated in honey. From the woman who once played at calm manipulation to this refined, razor-tongued elegance, Seraphina felt herself staring at a version of Aveline she had gravely underestimated. And even so, she suspected this was only the surface.

Isabella and Edward exchanged a glance, neither shocked by Aveline’s tongue. If anything, their amusement flickered in their eyes. They preferred a woman who was direct to one who hid behind pleasantries.

A soft chuckle beside Aveline broke the tension.

Edward and Isabella looked at Alaric in delight, whereas Nicholas’s blood seethed, and the Astors kept their silence.

"I see you’re in a good mood," Alaric mused, his gaze lingering on Aveline. But he knew she was up to no good.

Aveline gave a delicate shrug. "Occasionally, I do enjoy a bit of drama. Especially the fall of certain entitled ones."

"Aveline Laurent!!" Seraphina’s composure cracked first, her voice sharper than she intended. The moment the name left her lips, she realized too late she had stepped into Aveline’s game, her own control slipping.

Aveline first registered how Lancasters and Lucien Astor reacted to Seraphina’s true nature. Then her eyes narrowed, her tone smooth as glass. "You don’t qualify to speak in front of me, Seraphina Astor. Do you?"

The silence after was deafening. Seraphina gritted her teeth but swallowed her retort.

Nicholas’s jaw tightened as he leaned forward, his eyes boring a hole into Aveline’s head, "Ms. Laurent, if anyone here is acting entitled and spoiled, it’s you."

’That’s it.’ Aveline didn’t flinch because she wanted to confirm his identity. She tilted her head and asked, calm and cutting, "And you?"

The room stiffened. Nicholas’s face flushed in embarrassment. Before he could spit another word, Isabella broke in with a controlled smile, "This is Nicholas Lancaster."

Aveline’s eyes narrowed the moment his name dropped. "Mr. Lancaster," her tone soft but piercing, "You asked me to watch my words toward your wife, should I also ignore your actions against Alaric?"

Nicholas froze. His throat went dry, his eyes widened, and beads of sweat gathered at his temple. No, no, he wasn’t ready to believe that she could be aware of his scheme.

’How did she get to know?’ he thought frantically.

’How much did she know?’

’Why did she sound so confident?’

Alaric’s brows furrowed, reading her sharpness but not the meaning behind her words. Isabella, too, looked at her with confusion.

However, Edward didn’t miss a beat. "What do you mean by that, Aveline?" he asked evenly, his gaze never leaving hers. He knew she wasn’t bluffing.

Before Aveline could open her mouth, Nicholas snapped, his frustration boiling over. "Alaric, control your woman!"

He couldn’t let his father find out about his actions against Alaric to sabotage NexGuard. His father would bury him alive.

Alaric glanced at Edward. Aveline had no idea she had just made Nicholas’s life harder. He finally spared a glance at Nicholas. The corner of his lips curved as a snicker escaped him. "I don’t control her," he said smoothly, his voice cold steel. "Perhaps you should control yours."

The weight of his words landed straight where it should. Seraphina stiffened at how smoothly they were stirring up the situation. Nicholas’s jaw locked, and the silence became heavier.

However, Isabella had enough of half-truths and veiled threats. Her voice rang out, sharper than before, "Alright. That’s enough. Speak like adults and resolve the differences."

Nicholas tried to hold his composure, but his eyes betrayed him. He couldn’t meet Edward’s gaze when Edward’s warnings were ringing in his ears.

Edward had told him countless times not to let his rage and hatred against Alaric turn into sabotage. Yet he had done it anyway.

And now, he wasn’t sure if Aveline Laurent knew everything... or was simply playing the most dangerous bluff of them all.

Nobody spoke. There was pin-drop silence in the living hall of the mansion. Edward and Isabella were growing restless.

Lucien wasn’t quiet all this time because he was scared. He had simply observed. Aveline was proving to be more complex than he had thought. She was sharp and crafty. She knew how to push people into corners.

Seraphina, who could usually glide through any storm with composure, was stumbling when it came to Aveline. That alone said enough.

Edward unhurriedly stood up. He undid his cuffs and folded his sleeves neatly, a picture of calm elegance, before he spoke. "If no one is ready to speak..." His gaze shifted and landed on Nicholas. "I will start with the eldest."

Nicholas stiffened. His jaw twitched. Edward wasn’t violent, but his sharp, relentless, and layered questions were often more brutal than a physical blow.

Lucien could feel the tide leaning against him. He couldn’t allow the pressure to build further. So he stepped in. "Chairman Lancaster," he cut through smoothly. "Let’s not drag this any further. I will call Dahlia and my wife to apologize to Ms. Laurent. Let us end this here."

Edward’s eyes narrowed at Lucien in suspicion. It was clear as day that Lucien was shielding Seraphina and Nicholas. His gaze slid back to Nicholas, a silent promise that he would get back to it later.

For now, he turned to Alaric and Aveline.

But an apology?

Edward doubted the matter could be cleared so neatly. So his eyes shifted to Aveline. "Aveline," his tone softened, though the weight remained, "the Astors have wronged you the most. Please."

The room stilled, and the Astors held their breath to hear her.

Aveline’s voice was calm, yet edged with coldness. "Isn’t this situation far beyond an apology?" Her words cut through the silence, unshakable.

She turned her head, her gaze settling on Seraphina, "Isn’t it, Seraphina Astor?"