Chapter 217 - Determined Heartbreak

In the lavish confines of her London hotel suite, where the scent of fresh lilies mingled with the faint aroma of her expensive perfume, Mirabel Vexley paced furiously across the plush carpet. The Thames outside her window sparkled mockingly under the late afternoon sun, but her world had darkened into a storm of rage. Her smooth brown skin flushed with anger, and her immaculately styled hair, usually a symbol of her unyielding control, now had a stray strand falling across her forehead like a crack in her armor. How could that girl—Eliana, that insignificant speck from her discarded past—speak to her with such audacity? The words echoed in her mind like poison: "I'm Mrs. Vexley now... This is just the beginning of your problems, Mother dearest." Mother? The term twisted in her gut, a vague unease she couldn't place, fueling her fury until her hands shook, clutching the phone as if she could crush it.