Chapter 74

Susanna's face darkened with anger. She stood frozen, torn between the urge to slap Marissa and the instinct to cover Evelina's ears so she wouldn't hear such cutting words.

"Evelina, are you okay?" she asked, her voice tight with concern.

Evelina's expression was stiff as she stayed silent.

She hated being compared to Marissa-especially when it came to looks.

"What do you mean by that?" Evelina demanded, her brows knitting together. Her freshly manicured nails dug into her palm hard enough to draw a thin line of blood, but she didn't even flinch. Her gaze stayed fixed on Marissa.

Marissa knew exactly where to hit. After two years of living under the same roof, she was well aware of Evelina's biggest insecurity.

"What I mean is..." Marissa said slowly, each word deliberate, "not only will men not like you, you'll have to pay them to pretend they do."

Evelina froze, her disbelief almost visible. "Are you saying I'm ugly?" she asked, her voice trembling with restrained anger.

She had always thought Marissa had a sense of dignity-that Marissa wouldn't mock another woman's looks.

Clearly,she had been wrong.

Marissa arched a brow, her tone cool and dismissive."If that's how you choose to take it, I won't stop you."

"Take the card and leave!" Evelina snapped, her composure breaking. She bent down, grabbed the bank card from the floor, and held it out. She didn't care why Marissa was there anymore-she just wanted her gone. "Don't give it to her!" Susanna intercepted, snatching the card from Evelina's hand. "I'll handle this myself,"she said sharply, heading toward the front desk.There was no way she'd let Marissa linger here any longer.

"Apologize to me!" Evelina demanded, her voice rising. She wasn't someone who could let an insult go unanswered.

Marissa looked at her, lips curving into a faint,mocking smile. "Do you really think you deserve that?"

Evelina realized that Marissa was a different person.She grew more forceful and would not put up with any insults.

Evelina wasn't used to this side of Marissa. The calm,sharp-edged confidence unsettled her.

She preferred the old Marissa, the one who kept her head down, distant but harmless. This new version,with her cold tone and unshakable stare, made her uneasy. Evelina sneered, taking two steps forward. She raised her hand to slap Marissa. "What good is your pretty face? Bryson still doesn't want you! You are-"

Before she could finish, a sharp crack cut through the air.

"Did you just hit me?" Evelina stared at Marissa in disbelief, her voice shaking with rage. "How dare you!"

Marissa flexed her fingers, still feeling the sting of the slap.

She could never hit Susanna-no matter how harsh she was, Susanna had raised her for twenty years.

But Evelina? She meant nothing to her. Just an irritation Marissa had put up with for too long.

"Do I need your permission to hit you?" Marissa asked evenly. "I did it because I wanted to."

"Mom! Look at her!" Evelina burst into tears, turning to Susanna for help. "Marissa!" Susanna's voice was sharp. "How dare you raise your hand against Evelina!"

Marissa tilted her head slightly. "Your bodyguards can't come in here, can they?" she said, a faint smile on her lips. "Tell me, is the Fletcher family only worth two hundred thousand?"

Susanna froze. "What do you mean by that?" she demanded. "What do you mean by that? What are you planning,Marissa?"

Her anger gave way to unease. For a moment, she forgot Evelina was crying beside her.

"Mom! She hit me! Are you just going to let her get away with that?" Evelina wailed, checking her reflection on her phone. A red mark stood out on her cheek. "I want to hit her back!"

Susanna hesitated, too slow to act.

Marissa moved first. She cauight Evelina's wrist and twisted it, her movement quick and firm.

"Ah!" Evelina cried out, collapsing to the floor. "Evelina!" Susanna reached for her but stumbled,falling beside her in shock.

"Evelina! Susanna!".

Phil's voice echoed down the hall. He rushed over and helped them up.

"How did you both fall?" Phil asked, his voice tight with concern as he looked at his wife and daughter.His gaze lingered on Evelina's scratched, bleeding palm, and his chest tightened.

Seeing him, Evelina's tears flowed even harder.The sting in her hand hurt more than her cheek, and she cried, voice trembling, "Dad, she slapped me for no reason-and even tried to hit Mom!"

Phil's frown deepened.

Marissa stood a few steps away, arms crossed,watching them with a calm,detached expression.

When Phil looked at her, he froze, Something about her face made his heart skip.B

the corridor lights, Marissa looked strikingly familiar

-somuchlikesomeone hehad onceknown