I Quit Being a Stepmother (Cypress Gem) novel Chapter 354

Chapter 354

No one knew what had happened at the Ravelle residence yesterday.

+25 BONUS

The Sniders wouldn’t mention it, the Ravelles wouldn’t either, and Carter was still in the hospital receiving IV fluids and resting

Seeing Rhea enter, Evelyn quickly called out, “Rhea, come try this! These pastries are amazing. It’s a new release. Liora said they were flown in from overseas this morning. They aren’t even available in Dalea yet.”

The new pastries hadn’t officially launched, so Liora didn’t have many, but she had set aside a third just for her friends to try.

Maeve, who had spent a lot of time with Rhea over the past few years, noticed something was off–especially with Rhea holding a glass of red wine before eating.

Sitting there in a bodycon dress, Kate exuded elegance and grace. With the lingering aroma of tea around her, she looked like a fairy who had stepped right out of the pages of a book. She asked, “Rhea, would you like some tea?”

Rhea glanced at her. Her eyes were hidden behind sunglasses. For a moment, she felt as if she had never really known Kate.

She felt that if Kate liked George, she could have competed fairly. There was no need for underhanded tricks. And if Kate was going to play dirty, she should at least do it with some skill. Rhea thought what Kate had done was simply pathetic.

“Tea is boring,” Rhea said, stepping two paces closer. “Maybe some wine?”

Kate blinked, offering a gentle smile. “I don’t really like wine. But if you want to, I’ll join you later.”

“You don’t like wine? Then what do you like?” Rhea stopped at the tea table.

By now, their other friends could sense the tension in the air.

Kate’s gaze flickered.

Just as she was about to speak, Rhea said, “You like making pathetic moves to drive a wedge between people? Or maybe you like contacting Carter and telling him I can’t get over him?”

Kate’s gaze darkened. “Rh—”

Without warning, Rhea splashed red wine onto Kate’s face. The liquid dripped down her cheeks.

Evelyn gasped and covered her mouth, and Carolyn’s eyes went wide in shock.

Maeve froze for a moment but didn’t react further.

Valerie, however, didn’t look surprised at all. Perhaps she had seen this coming long ago.

Kate was drenched.

Nadia Hunt, the Pearson family’s maid, who came over with a cup of warm water, stared in disbelief. “Ms. Pearson! What happened?”

It didn’t cross her mind that Rhea was behind it. She rushed to help Kate clean up.

Kate suddenly smiled. “It’s okay. I spilled it myself.”

Spilled? Onto her face?

Rhea set down the glass. “This drink is for you and for the 20 years of friendship we’ve shared. We’re done.”

Nadia panicked. “Ms. Ravelle, y–you splashed wine on Ms. Pearson?”

Rhea took a tissue. “Yes. Any problem?”

12

Chapter 354

+25 BONUS

Nadia spun and left.

Kate cleaned her face, calm as ever, without a trace of embarrassment.

Their other friends had already pieced together most of the story from Rhea’s words..

Except for Valerie, the other three couldn’t understand why Kate would even go to see Carter. Didn’t she realize what a terrible man he was?

“Kate!”

Evie and Connor rushed over. Seeing Kate in such a state, they immediately had someone lead Kate to change her clothes.

And so, Kate got up and left.

Evie turned to Rhea, who had already taken a seat. “Rhea, what’s going on between you and Kate? You two have been friends for years. Why did you splash wine on her?”

Connor, equally displeased, tried to keep his tone in check. “This isn’t the behavior of a young lady.”

The couple had long harbored misgivings about Rhea dating George.

After all, they had recently had a promising talk with the Sniders. With a little more effort, George and Kate could easily be engaged and set up for a happy marriage.

However, Rhea had intervened. Although they hadn’t said anything, they were actually irritated.

Now that Kate was being bullied by her again, it was impossible for them as parents to conceal their disapproval.

“Rhea, I know you like your freedom, but you can’t go around doing whatever you want. This is just… Kate’s your best friend. You can’t treat her like this just because of her gentle nature,” Evie scolded.