"What does Phoenix Golding have to do with this? Why would she try to harm Lana? Frederick, are you sure you’re not mistaken?" Phoebe Thorne asked, her questions tumbling out one after another. She just couldn’t wrap her head around it.

But Phoebe Huxley immediately perked up. She slapped her thigh hard and said excitedly, "That bitch is vicious as hell. She’d even go after my little girl! I’m telling you, she’s a mad dog, just biting anyone she sees."

"That’s enough out of you. Let Frederick talk," Felix Thorne couldn’t help but say.

’First it’s ’bitch,’ then it’s ’mad dog.’ Hearing it was making him anxious. Can’t she speak like a normal person?’

"What, feeling sorry for your old flame? Hmph. You’d better watch out. That mad dog might just turn on you one of these days!" Phoebe Huxley retorted, her gaze mocking.

’Men were all the same damn way—always wanting what was in the pot even while eating from their own bowl. Phoebe Huxley wouldn’t have been this furious even if Felix Thorne had been fooling around with other women. But Phoenix Golding? That was a different story. She and that damn bitch were sworn enemies.’

"You..."

Felix Thorne’s face darkened as he glared at Phoebe Huxley. She was getting more and more carried away.

"That’s enough. Frederick, you continue," Byron Thorne intervened. Sullenly, Felix Thorne turned his head away.

Frederick Thorne looked at his older brother, his expression complex. He had finally made up his mind. "Felix," he said, "I’ve kept this a secret for over twenty years. I have to tell you today. Otherwise, that venomous woman will harm our family again."

"What is it? Just say it already! Stop leaving me in suspense!"

Felix Thorne’s heart sank. He had a bad feeling about this.

Frederick Thorne’s expression grew dark and conflicted. Finally, he spoke. "Lana, Phoenix Golding, and I were all classmates. We got along fine back then. But one day, Phoenix Golding wrote me a letter asking me to go to the bookstore in the county town. I said no. She asked me out a few more times after that, and her words became more and more forward, but I never gave her the time of day." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Felix Thorne’s expression was ugly, his eyes terrifyingly dark. No one else dared to make a sound. The room felt like it was filled with gas; the slightest spark would set it off, and nobody dared to be the one to light it.

’Even Phoebe Huxley, who was secretly thrilled, didn’t dare to say a word. She just hugged her daughter and gloated inwardly. ’I knew it! I knew that damn bitch was a total slut! To think she tried to seduce my brother-in-law. So shameless! How could Frederick ever fall for a hussy like her? Lana is better than that slut in every single way. Only a blind man like my husband would treat that tramp like a treasure.’’

Frederick Thorne continued, "After high school, I got a job at the distillery, and Lana started teaching at the middle school. Phoenix Golding came looking for me at the distillery a few times, but I ignored her. She got furious and left me with a threat, saying she’d make me regret it for the rest of my life!"

Glancing at Felix Thorne’s grim face, Frederick continued, "At the time, I didn’t understand what she meant. But I figured it out soon enough. That woman actually went and seduced you, Felix. I was so torn up back then. I didn’t know how to stop it, and I didn’t dare tell you."

Felix Thorne’s face was as black as ink, and the pressure in the room dropped. Anyone who knew him could tell he had reached his breaking point. His killing intent was practically unsheathed. Whoever dared to provoke him now would definitely not end up well.

"Why didn’t you tell me back then?" Felix Thorne demanded, his voice low and heavy.

"I warned you several times! I told you Phoenix Golding wasn’t a good match for you, but you just said I was biased against her. What else was I supposed to say?" Frederick Thorne sounded aggrieved. "Back then, you were completely bewitched by that venomous woman. Nothing could pull you away. What was I supposed to do?"

Felix Thorne retorted sullenly, "You couldn’t have just explained the whole story?"