The unexpected retaliation left everyone stunned.

Not only Victoria and her entourage, but even Samantha and her son Sebastian were caught off guard.

No one had anticipated that Amy would fight back so fiercely. They'd all assumed she would swallow the insult and walk away.

Setting down her coffee cup, Amy allowed a small, dangerous smile to curve her lips.

"You ruined my competition dress with coffee, so I returned the favor with juice. Seems fair to me, Ms. Langley. If you can't bear to change, then wear it as it is."

With that, she turned to leave.

But before she could take a step, a strong hand clamped around her wrist. Alexander's voice, cold as winter steel, cut through the air.

"Amy." His tone was sharp enough to draw blood. "Victoria already apologized. It was an accident. Was this necessary?"

Amy wrenched her arm free, her gaze glacial. "Intentional or not, she destroyed my dress for the competition. Now she won't have hers either."

"Adults face consequences for their actions. Not every 'sorry' deserves forgiveness."

Her eyes gleamed like dark jewels, unyielding.

"I'm not her mother. I don't owe her mercy. If you don't want her hurt, keep her away from me."

"Otherwise, I can't promise what I'll do next."

Without another word, she walked away.

Nathan was seething, ready to charge after her, but Alexander stopped him with a single look.

Nathan's face twisted with fury. "This is insane! Victoria barely spilled any coffee, and Amy drenched her in juice!"

"Now Victoria's entire outfit is ruined! Her hair, her makeup—everything needs to be redone!"

Victoria stood frozen, sticky juice dripping down her designer gown. It wasn't something she could simply wipe off—she'd need a full shower and restyling.

Her meticulously crafted look, which had taken hours to perfect, was now destroyed.

The competition was minutes away. Even if they called the stylist back, there was no time to recreate anything presentable.

Alexander could delay the event slightly, but asking for more than thirty minutes would be impossible—no one would agree to wait that long.

Nathan's rage spiraled into wild accusations. "She planned this! Amy wants Victoria to miss her performance so she can claim foul play and get her disqualified! That's exactly what she's doing!"

Victoria trembled with barely contained fury. Her dress was worth ten times Amy's! And her hair and makeup? Hours of painstaking effort, gone in an instant.

Her nails dug into her palms as she swore revenge.

In another dressing room, Samantha laughed in delight. "Perfect! If she'd just changed her dress, she wouldn't be in this mess. Now she has nothing!"

Sebastian studied Amy with concern. "Aren't you worried about provoking them? Alexander won't take this lightly."

Amy's expression remained icy. "I'm still his wife and Liam's mother. He has too much at stake to retaliate openly."

Samantha frowned. "Celeste, he's treating you horribly. After years of marriage and giving him a son, he expects you to walk away with nothing?"

Sebastian leaned back, smirking. "Do you really think Alexander will let her walk away, even empty-handed?"

Samantha turned to him. "You mean...?"