Chapter 181

"Henry, what's this maid doing on the floor?" Vincent Laurent feigned shock, his eyes flickering with panic as he looked at his brother.

Henry Laurent gave a concise account of the incident.

"What? A lowly servant dared to poison Hugo?" Vincent's voice rose sharply in manufactured rage.

Slap! A resounding blow landed on the maid's face.

Evelyn Roland inhaled sharply. The maid's left cheek swelled instantly, a trickle of blood seeping from her lip.

"Hugo is my beloved nephew! How dare you harm him? I'll kill you for this!" Vincent's face twisted with fury as he lunged to drag the maid away.

Evelyn exchanged a glance with Sebastian Valdemar.

Sebastian moved like lightning, seizing Vincent's wrist.

"What are you doing?" Vincent yelped in pain.

The exaggerated reaction only confirmed Evelyn's suspicions.

"Before beating her, shouldn't we find out who's really behind this?" Evelyn stepped forward, her tone deceptively light.

"Who do you think you are? This is Laurent family business!" Vincent snarled.

Henry snapped, "Vincent! Mind your manners with our guest." He turned to Evelyn. "Miss Roland makes a valid point."

Sebastian released his grip, wiping his palm with visible disgust.

Vincent's eyes flashed with venom as he shot the maid a warning glare.

Evelyn caught every microexpression.

"Why so agitated, Mr. Laurent?" Her lips curved in a knowing smile.

"Would you stay calm if your nephew were poisoned?" Vincent ground out.

Evelyn ignored him, her gaze locking onto the trembling maid.

Henry understood. "Name your employer," he commanded, "or I'll hand you over to Miss Roland."

The maid shook violently, her teeth drawing blood from her lip.

"It...it was Mr. Vincent Laurent..." she finally sobbed. "He wanted the young master dead...to claim the vineyard inheritance..."

The air turned to ice.

"Vincent!" Henry's eyes burned crimson, like an enraged lion.

Cornered, Vincent suddenly grabbed a silver fork from the dining table and lunged at Evelyn. "You bitch! Die!"

The tines flashed toward Evelyn's heart—

Sebastian caught the fork's handle mid-air, his gaze glacial. "You're dead."

Vincent threw a punch at Sebastian's face while sweeping his leg.

Sebastian took the hit and flipped Vincent over his shoulder, slamming him onto the floor.

Vincent scrambled up and charged at Evelyn again.

In the chaos, Evelyn stumbled backward, knocking over a side table.