Honey, You're a Billionaire? novel Chapter 542

A thud echoed as Anastasia fell to her knees.

"Ha ha ha!" Harriette was utterly pleased. She couldn't believe Anastasia had actually knelt before her.

She hadn't forgotten the humiliation of that day when the video was released in Regalia when her shame was displayed for all to see—mocked, ridiculed, and scorned.

At the time, she thought Rose was behind it. But later, she discovered it wasn't Rose. It was Anastasia. As such, she thought that merely asking Anastasia to kneel was far from enough.

Harriette's gaze darkened. "Go on."

Anastasia froze for a moment. "Go on? Is kneeling not enough? What more does she want?" she thought.

Realizing what Harriette was implying, she slowly lifted her head and met the woman's cold gaze. Then, realization struck her—kneeling wasn't sufficient. She wanted Anatasia to bow down and grovel.

"Why? Are you unwilling? It seems like your plea isn't sincere enough then." Harriette scoffed, observing the anger and struggle on Anastasia's face. She knew that, in the end, Anastasia would do as she wished.

Sure enough, after a moment of bitter hesitation, Anastasia lowered her head further until her forehead struck the floor with a heavy thud.

Harriette watched, her satisfaction growing with each passing second.

"Ha ha ha!" Her raspy laughter echoed in the room eerily.

She stepped forward, her toes nearly touching Anastasia's bowed head. "Anastasia, oh Anastasia, I bet you never imagined I'd bring you to your knees, did you?"

At that moment, she was no longer Harriette, but rather Kelly. Even back in Regalia, when she had deceived Oliver to become a member of the Young family, she had never imagined crushing Anastasia beneath her feet. But now, she had succeeded.

With her triumph reverberating through her every step, Harriette turned around and made her exit.

Left alone, Anastasia remained sprawled on the ground, Harriette's words echoing relentlessly in her mind.

"I bet you never imagined I'd bring you to your knees, did you?"

Harriette had always been the one to keep her downtrodden, even during their childhood. The Harriette she knew would never utter such words.

Anastasia's mind swirled with confusion and disbelief as she pushed herself up to her knees, her eyes settling on the vacant space where Harriette had just stood.

A nagging doubt gnawed at her. "Harriette wouldn't speak like that. But since she did, what could it mean?" she pondered.

A flurry of thoughts raced through her mind, one in particular rising above the rest. It was a thought so shocking she could hardly believe it.

"Maybe... maybe "Harriette" isn't Harriette," Anastasia whispered, her voice trembling with the weight of the revelation.

"But if that isn't Harriette, then who is she? And what does she want?" she mused.

Anastasia bit her lip, determination replacing her earlier fear. She had humiliated herself, kneeling and prostrating before this woman, and now, she had to find out the truth. She needed to know who this imposter was.

Her first instinct was to go to Miles, but she quickly dismissed the idea. She knew all too well how deeply Miles cared for Harriette. He would never believe her.

With Miles out of the question, there was only one other person who might be willing to listen. A certain figure appeared in her mind, and she made her decision.

…

On the road from Regalia to Aurora Crest, Jonathan found Ezra and then doubled back, wasting precious time. His usually composed expression was now tinged with urgency.

"Don't worry, Mr. Finch. Mr. Miles is with Mrs. Finch at Aurora Crest—nothing will go wrong." Sensing Jonathan's agitation, Leonard tried to reassure him.

Miles instinctively spun around to find Harriette sprawled on the ground, her face contorted in pain. Worry flooded his face as he rushed to her side.

"How can you be so careless? I told you I could carry you the whole way, but you insisted..." But upon witnessing her pain-stricken face, he couldn't bear to chastise her further.

Instead, he gently helped her up. Once she steadied herself, he crouched before her, insisting, "Let me carry you the rest of the way."

Harriette gazed at Miles, reminded of how he had carried her from the beginning of their descent. When a passerby had given her a walking stick on the mountain trail, she had felt compelled to show her concern for Miles and was determined to use it instead of burdening him further.

As such, she decided to walk for a while, relying on the walking stick. She could have continued for a bit longer, but seeing how Miles' attention diverted to Rose upon letting her down, she couldn't allow that to happen. So, she stumbled strategically.

As expected, Miles immediately rushed to her side, leaving Rose behind.

A surge of satisfaction swelled within Harriette, though she maintained an innocent expression. "I just slipped. I didn't mean to… I just didn't want you to get too tired, Miles," she said, feigning meekness.

"Tired? I don't ever get tired when it comes to taking care of you, Etta," Miles reassured her with a gentle smile, glancing back at her. "Now, come on!"

Harriette paused, keeping up the facade, before finally relenting and allowing Miles to carry her once more. As she settled onto his back, a glint of triumph briefly sparkled in her eyes. "You're always so good to me, Miles."

"Of course. You're my sister. Who else would I take care of if not you? You and Rosie…" Miles trailed off, reminded of Rose's unusual expression earlier. Guilt washed over him.

He turned his gaze to where Rose had been standing, but to his surprise, she was no longer there. Frowning, he quickly scanned the area.

Although the base of Aurora Crest had become busier, with more people present than before, he soon spotted her amidst the crowd.

"Rosie…" he called out, determined to uncover the reason behind her strange behavior.

However, just as he was about to approach her, the scene unfolding before him made his blood run cold.