Chapter 545

The sharp sound of shattering glass pierced the air.

Harrison's fingers curled into fists so tight that her manicured nails drew blood from her palms.

Her almond-shaped eyes, usually so clear, now burned crimson with a volatile mix of emotions - shock, fury, grief, and an unbearable ache that threatened to consume her. It felt as though her heart had been torn from her chest, the pain so visceral she could barely breathe.

She'd long suspected Benjamin's death wasn't accidental, but hearing the brutal truth spoken aloud was like being crushed beneath an avalanche. The weight was unbearable.

The Whitmore family - the very people who had raised Benjamin - were his murderers.

His wife. His brothers. His sister-in-law. And Margaret. Though adopted, Benjamin had always considered Margaret his true mother.

When Margaret had entered the room that fateful day, Benjamin had stopped resisting.

It was Margaret who had personally forced the poison between his lips.

What unimaginable torment must he have endured in those final moments?

He'd called for Harrison repeatedly until his last breath...

Tears welled in Harrison's bloodshot eyes. She couldn't bear to imagine her father's final thoughts. She'd never gotten to say goodbye.

Her delicate hands trembled violently as fat tears splashed onto the marble floor.

Victoria watched Harrison's anguish with perverse satisfaction. This was the daughter of that woman - the one Theodore had sacrificed everything to protect. Seeing Harrison's pain, her helplessness - it filled Victoria with dark triumph.

A cruel smile twisted Victoria's lips. "Harrison, I'm telling you all this now because what could you possibly do about it?"

Harrison stumbled back, only to be steadied by Rosalind's firm grip.

Rosalind's voice trembled with concern. "Are you alright?"

Harrison shook her head mutely.

Rosalind turned blazing eyes on Victoria. "You monsters! Karma will destroy you!"

Victoria scoffed. "Karma? We've prospered all these years! The Whitmores thrive while Harrison here was abandoned in some backwater village. Isabella took her place as the girl who saved Nathaniel. Now she's the heiress to the Lancaster fortune. Where's this so-called karma? Just fairy tales for fools!"

Rosalind fell silent, stunned by such calculated cruelty.

Harrison wiped her tears with deliberate slowness. When she opened her eyes again, they glittered with icy resolve. A mocking smile curved her lips.

"Your reckoning is coming... The hour simply hasn't struck yet. Every one of you who murdered my father will pay."

Isabella stepped forward, arrogance dripping from every pore. "Enough! With my father's protection, what could you possibly do to us?"

Before Harrison could respond, a deep voice cut through the tension. "Isabella, what's happening here?"

Harrison turned to see Henry Lancaster approaching.

A phalanx of black-suited bodyguards parted as Henry strode forward in his cashmere overcoat, his butler trailing respectfully behind. The appearance of the world's wealthiest man caused an immediate stir; shoppers froze mid-step to gawk.

Isabella instantly transformed, rushing to link arms with her father, her face alight with practiced adoration. "Daddy! What are you doing here?"

Henry's expression softened with paternal affection. "Just checking on my precious girl."

Isabella beamed. "I'm perfect, Daddy. Don't worry about me."

Nearby sales associates whispered excitedly. "Is that Henry Lancaster? The billionaire?"

"My God, he's even more handsome in person!"

The starstruck staff practically swooned, their admiration palpable.

At just over forty, Henry Lancaster was in his prime - wealth, power, and influence at their zenith. To the young women present, he represented the ultimate fantasy - sophisticated, powerful, and devastatingly attractive.