Chapter 149 - Rampage Of A Madwoman

Jacob watched the whole thing in thunderstruck silence, lost for words and frozen still.

The Minerva family was at the banquet hall, engaging in conversations and socializing with the other guests. The Middleton family had joined them at one point. 

His parents' relationship with his fiancee's uncle and aunt still seems to be as smooth and seamless as it has always been despite everything that has happened. Even with all the controversies and scandals that surround them, they are still treating them as equals. While that may say a lot about their closeness at first glance, in reality, they stay the way they are because they are too deeply involved with each other. If one turns their back on the other, then they'll end up busting everything they've worked together on.

The Minerva family and the Middleton family are one and the same.

They are partners in crime, always playing their dirty little games.

"…If it wasn't for those friends of yours, you wouldn't have gone this far! You're just a foolish little leech who's hungry for attention! We shouldn't have taken in a scumbag like you…!" 

"…Besides, you already lost since the very beginning. The whole family is on my side all along, including Uncle Cyrus and Aunt Grace. We stole everything from you, and now, you're left with nothing…"

"…We have a flock of killers on our plate - assassins from underground organizations, and even illegal traders…!"

"…I'm sure you'd love your new home so much you'd never leave it. Now that I'll be the next head of the Middleton family, I can make use of a useless scrap like you however I want to…"

To think that the heiress of the Middleton family herself would bust them all out – it would not only mark the end of their corrupted reign, but it would also make them a laughingstock among all the elites of high society.

Jacob found it hard to believe. Yet, for some reason, a part of him had seen this coming – had known that Bianca was capable of going this far. 

She had not been mentally and emotionally stable for the past few days. She was always on her own, always on the edge. She was trying so hard not to show it, but he could see through her the whole time.

'I should've done something earlier. I should've already taken action. I should've stopped her before she turned like this.'

Now, Jacob regrets getting too caught up in his role as the future head – his roles as an obedient son to his parents, and as a compliant fiance to his fiancee's family.

Discreetly, he takes his leave while everyone else is still focused on the TV screens. The confrontation between Winter and Bianca continues to roll, and at this point, the banquet hall is thrown into an uproar.

He takes a seat on a lounge set near the glass windows – alone, he drowns in his sea of thoughts. Looking out to the ocean, he envies how calm and tranquil its waves are, unlike what's happening in his head at that moment.

Only when Jacob heard a commotion that stood out from the rest did he snap out of it.

"Hey, wait! What do you think you're doing?! Do you know who I am?!" 

"I beg you pardon, Mr. Middleton, but it's because we know who you are that we're taking you away."     

"Let go of me, you imbeciles! We'll file a lawsuit against you! How dare you do this?!"

"We've been ordered to get you, Mrs. Middleton. For now, please, cooperate with us."

Cyrus and Grace are being escorted out of the banquet hall against their will.

For once, Jacob found his parents doing nothing in their defense. Then again, after what everyone just saw, defending them would only make the situation worse. Bianca had really messed up big time. This would definitely land a huge blow to their image and reputation.

'Though those are probably the least they should worry about at this point…' he contemplated, sighing again, while he pinched the bridge of his nose.

'This will surely go to court. It was a trap. The video would serve as a strong piece of evidence against the Middleton's, and considering that the Lexington's were into this as well, the backlash against our families would be worse than the one we had from Schwartz's criminal case.'

Jacob had to be rational if he wanted to lessen the consequences as much as possible. He mustn't let his emotions take over him just like what Bianca ended up doing.

"Bianca… You stupid idiot…" he hissed underneath his breath, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

"I told you to stay put, you crazy bitch. Now, you've ruined all of my plans and messed up the situation even more-" 

Then, he cut himself off.

Recalling how Bianca went on a rampage made him realize something crucial. Jacob stood up from his seat then, starting to panic as an appalling possibility made itself known to him – while Winter may have succeeded recording their confrontation, there's no telling what she'd do to her right after she revealed all of that.

Bianca is still most likely enraged even after she's been exposed, and Jacob has a feeling that this whole ploy against her will only fuel her fury to an even more dangerous degree.

'This is bad. I have to stop her.'

---

"Now, then, let's see each other at court, Bianca."

Sparing one final look at Bianca, Winter turns around and walks away.

She is locked in her place as she makes her way to the door – her eyes bulging wide in aghast shock, her mouth hung open in immense disbelief. The hidden camera is still on, capturing her petrified look in all its ghastly glory. From that moment on, all she can hear is the sound of her retreating footsteps that seem too poised and even unlike the erratic beating of her heart inside her chest.

'There's no way to run. No way to escape anymore,' or so what the situation is telling Bianca.

But then, she still has the voices in her head. They will stay even when everyone else leaves. 

Now, they're telling her something – telling her to do something. She can't back down just like this. Not even this can make her quit. If she is just going to fall, she will not let herself fall on her own. She will drag someone down with her. No matter what it takes, she will not suffer by herself.

Her gaze fell on Winter who was just about to step out of the room – then, on the flower vase on the lamp table at the side of the bed. With that, Bianca made her move.

"Where do you think you're going, you scum?! We're not done yet!"

Winter was caught off guard when she heard Bianca cackling out loud from behind her.

She hastily swerved back around, then - only to find that she was already surging in her direction in what seemed to be the speed of lightning. By that point, she was no longer inside the room, but she failed to take a look at the surroundings outside as she was suddenly met by a rapidly approaching peril. There was something that had been raised above her, and in a quick motion, that something was smashed against her head.

Winter screeched, shell-shocked, but still managed to avoid catching all the impact. She darted away from Bianca as fast as she could – the action sending her staggering sideward and dropping on the floor with a loud thud. 

"Ha! Fool! You're too slow!"

A stream of blood spills from the side of her head.

That and the sound of a glass shattering into pieces had helped Winter realize that she tried to knock her out with something from inside the room – probably, the flower vase. She winced in pain, having taken quite a hit. When she looked up again, she found Bianca already towering over her.     

Her wild, bloodshot gaze and crazed, warped grin spoke of only one thing – to kill her right then and there. One of her hands is bleeding, wounded by the sharp shards of glass from the vase, but even then, her grip around the broken container remains firm and tight.

"B-Bianca?!" Winter cried out, appalled to see Bianca acting like a murderous madwoman.

"You think I'll let you go just like that?! Joke's on you, Winter! If I'm going down, then you're going down, too!"

It seemed that Marcellus had underestimated her – not only did Bianca start showing her true colors after being provoked, but she also abandoned logic and reason. She knew quite well that they're still being recorded, and yet, she still went ahead and did this. Now, Winter finds herself coming face-to-face with a life-threatening kind of danger.

'Run! I've got to run!' she thought at once, standing back up again and evading yet another detrimental hit from the broken flower vase. 

Even though Winter felt extremely lightheaded, blood running down the side of her face, she struggled to get away from Bianca.