Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom novel Chapter 462

But in this life, Claire had a family who truly loved her—and she had the security footage to prove her innocence.

The Celestial Aerie was the only seven-star hotel in Northcrest City, owned by someone with serious power and influence. There was no way the Linwoods could have pulled off erasing any footage from a place like that—not with their limited connections.

This time, for once, the upper hand was hers.

With a mocking smile, Claire taunted, “My parents and my brother adore me. So tell me, what do you think will happen to the Linwood family when they find out you tried to frame me?”

Vanessa looked anxious, but stubborn pride kept her from backing down. “Your family’s just a bunch of nouveau riche. We Linwoods aren’t scared of you.”

Claire’s smile only grew sharper. “Maybe you don’t even know my full name yet. I’m Claire Tempest. As in, the Tempest family—one of the four founding families of Northcrest City.”

Ethan and Vanessa both stared at her in shock, their disbelief plain as day.

Claire had no desire to waste another second on them. She needed to find her mom—if her mother came back with water and found her missing, she’d be worried sick.

Just as Claire turned to leave, she heard footsteps approaching.

They drew closer, finally stopping right beside her.

She turned—and met the striking gaze of Sean, his eyes shining like stars. He reached out and gently took her hand.

Claire felt a little awkward. “Sean… did you, um, hear everything we just said?”

Sean nodded lightly. “Claire, just letting them off the hook like that isn’t enough. They tried to set you up—they ought to pay for it.”

With that, he took Claire’s hand, leading her up the stairway step by step.

Ethan and Vanessa met Sean’s calm, icy stare, their knees starting to tremble before he’d even said a word.

He was only ten years old, but the pressure he exuded was suffocating. There was a chilling edge in his eyes—far beyond his years.

Standing on the landing, facing Ethan and Vanessa, Sean suddenly spoke:

Claire stared at Sean, stunned.

She didn’t feel afraid, nor did she think he’d been cruel. All she felt was a deep, sincere admiration for his courage to fight back.

If only, in her past life, she’d had the strength to protect herself the way Sean did—would the Linwoods ever have been able to hurt her?

Suddenly, Claire threw her arms around Sean, hugging him tightly.

“Thank you, Sean.”

Sean stiffened a little in surprise—he’d always been so aloof, not used to anyone getting this close. But instead of pushing her away, he realized he actually liked it.

Just then, more footsteps echoed in the stairwell.

Claire released Sean and looked down the stairs—just in time to spot her mother, Adah.