CHAPTER 155: WHEN YOU KNOW THE TRUTH, THE NOISE STOPS MATTERING

Ethan’s smirk deepened. "Well," he said, his tone casual but his eyes glinting with amusement, "it’s not every day I see someone turn a trap back on the one who set it. I figured I’d let the show play out."

Anna’s lips twitched, torn between annoyance and reluctant amusement. "You enjoy watching chaos, don’t you?" she said recalling a past incident that appeared just like that. The only difference was Fiona did’n’t asked for his help.

"Only when it’s justified," he replied smoothly. "Besides..." — he leaned in slightly, lowering his voice — "you were impressive. Remind me never to get on your bad side."

Anna rolled her eyes, but the faintest ghost of a smile curved her lips. "Good. You learn fast."

Ethan chuckled softly, straightening. "And here I thought you were the calm, innocent type."

"I am," Anna said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "But sometimes, calm requires precision."

"Precision," Ethan repeated, his voice dropping to a teasing whisper. "That’s one way to describe poetic revenge."

Anna gave a quiet, amused hum and turned to walk away, her steps light but confident. "Then you should start writing poems about me, Ethan."

He laughed under his breath, watching her leave his gaze lingering longer than it should have.

"She’s not just calm," he muttered to himself. "She’s lethal."

And as Anna disappeared around the corner, the smirk faded from his lips, replaced by something more thoughtful because now he knew one thing for sure- Anna Bennett wasn’t a woman you could underestimate.

"She doesn’t need my protection anymore" with that he turned on his heels and walked away.

***

Meanwhile, inside a quaint little book café, Rosiline sat gracefully among a circle of well-dressed women. The air was filled with the soft murmur of conversation, the clinking of teacups, and the faint aroma of roasted coffee beans and old paper.

"It’s lovely to see you here, Rosiline," one of the women said pleasantly, though her tone carried a hint of curiosity. "We didn’t expect you to show up after... everything that’s been happening around your family."

A few heads turned, polite smiles wavering as unspoken interest shimmered in their eyes.

Before Rosiline could respond, a familiar voice cut through — sharp and sweet like honey laced with poison.

Ester.

"She doesn’t seem to be bothered by it," Ester said, leaning back in her chair with a knowing smirk. "After all, she’s used to people talking. Isn’t that right, Rosiline?"

The tension at the table thickened, and several women exchanged uneasy glances.

Rosiline turned her head slowly, her calm, poised demeanor never faltering as her gaze settled on Ester.

Of all the women in the circle, Ester was the one Rosiline least wanted to see — cunning, self-righteous, and delighting in others’ discomfort. That same manipulative streak ran deep through her family; her husband and daughter had mastered the same art of polite cruelty.

If it weren’t for their old social ties through Hugo’s network, Rosiline would have long stopped entertaining her presence.

’Always stirring trouble where there is none,’ she thought, masking her irritation behind a pleasant smile.

"Ester knows me better than I know myself," Rosiline said lightly, setting her teacup down with unshaken grace. "She already said it — after all, rumors were never something that bothered me."

The faint smile she offered was courteous, but her tone carried the kind of quiet sharpness that made Ester’s smirk falter for a split second.

A few women stifled their laughter behind delicate hands, pretending to sip their tea as the atmosphere shifted.

Ester forced a chuckle, though her eyes flashed. "Well, that’s good to hear, Rosiline. It must take a strong heart to stay composed when the press can’t stop talking about one’s family."

"Oh, strength has nothing to do with it," Rosiline replied smoothly, her gaze unwavering. "When you know the truth, the noise stops mattering."

That silenced the table.

Ester’s lips twitched, struggling to form another jab, but Rosiline had already looked away — gracefully reclaiming the conversation with the other women, as if the entire exchange hadn’t happened at all.

Everyone in the room knew there was a silent cold war simmering between the Bennetts and the Stewarts — a quiet feud that had started ever since Daniel sided with the Bennetts, leaving Fredrick Stewart desperate to regain his footing with him.

Yet none of them expected Rosiline Bennett to handle the situation with such unshakable grace — silencing Ester’s mockery not with anger, but with elegance and composure that left no room for retaliation.

"Anyway," the hostess of the circle suddenly interjected, her cheerful tone cutting through the tension that had started to frost around them. "Let’s get back to why we’re gathered here, shall we?"

Ester sneered quietly, looking away, her pride clearly wounded.

Rosiline, on the other hand, sipped her tea calmly, a faint smirk tugging at her lips as she caught sight of Ester’s humiliated expression before turning her attention back to the speaker.

The woman smiled, glancing around the table before continuing, "It’s regarding the charity project we organized a few days ago. You’ll be pleased to know it turned out to be our biggest success yet!"

A light round of applause followed, and the woman’s eyes gleamed as she added warmly, "And for that, we must thank Rosiline. If it weren’t for her connections and reputation, most of the sponsors wouldn’t have even considered us."

All eyes turned toward Rosiline, admiration mixing with curiosity.

"So," the hostess continued, her tone bright and formal, "cheers to the woman who made it happen. And since we’ve decided to expand our reach this year, we’re introducing a small poll to elect the next leader for our social committee."

The words hung in the air like a spark waiting to ignite.

Rosiline’s brows lifted slightly, though her smile never faltered. She knew well enough that behind every polite vote, there was always politics — and behind every smile, a motive.

And one glance at Ester told her exactly who would be trying to sabotage her next.