The Fake Heiress Turns Out to Be a True Tycoon!-Chapter 422: This is a Provocation

Ava Zimmerman’s words left even Chase Jennings momentarily stunned.

His first reaction was to think Ava was joking.

Hadn’t he just stood up for her?

And yet, she turned around and told him to apologize to Scarlett Jennings?

Apologize? No way.

He...

Chase froze slightly, a sudden feeling creeping up inside him—it felt like he’d done something wrong.

Thinking back carefully, Scarlett’s tone just now didn’t really seem like she was deliberately mocking Ava.

Maybe he had been too sensitive.

Maybe he... should apologize to her.

"You’re right..."

Chase muttered to himself as if coming to a realization. He then turned his head, stiff-faced and somewhat awkwardly, and spoke to Scarlett,

"I’m sorry."

As soon as Chase uttered those three words, Adam Jennings, standing to the side, was the one truly shocked.

Is this really his cousin—the prideful, stubborn, sharp-tongued Chase?

After all, he had targeted Scarlett plenty in the past, particularly over Azura Loomis.

Even later, when he’d realized Azura’s true nature, he still refused to concede to Scarlett, the one who had released him from the doll, even preferring to give up 1% of the group’s shares rather than lower himself to apologize.

But now, with just one sentence from Ava Zimmerman, he apologized?

Ava must’ve bewitched Chase, right?

Adam, who had been in school just like Scarlett, met Ava for the first time that day but had already heard Lucas Jennings mention her—he said she was ugly.

Not only ugly, but from a poor family, only a high school graduate, with a below-average job.

She was a textbook case of someone lacking both looks and background.

Adam couldn’t believe Chase would suddenly develop an interest in a girl with such terrible qualities.

Of course, it had to be some kind of spell.

He glanced at Scarlett, his expression grave.

He wasn’t sure if Scarlett could break the spell...

She probably could, though.

But in that case, Chase might lose that additional 1% of shares again.

As his brother, Adam knew he should act concerned.

Yet, somehow—perhaps due to Scarlett’s presence—he felt like she could handle this bizarre situation.

So rather than worrying, he found himself anticipating Chase’s expression once he snapped out of it...

Hmm, it would definitely be entertaining.

Lost in his musings, Adam failed to notice Scarlett’s reaction. Surprisingly, instead of looking relieved after being apologized to, Scarlett furrowed her brows and wore a slightly solemn expression.

She was certain.

Chase apologizing was a direct result of Ava Zimmerman’s Power of Word Spirit.

But just now, she hadn’t detected any trace of spiritual energy on Ava.

Once again.

It was just like the strange incident with System Energy—not logical, not traceable.

Ava’s actions puzzled Scarlett. It didn’t seem like she was defending her idol.

Rather, it felt like a deliberate display of her capabilities in front of Scarlett, the Master—brazenly, utterly confident Scarlett wouldn’t uncover her anomaly.

Heh.

This was a provocation.

Scarlett arrived at this conclusion, her gaze cooling as she looked at Ava.

Well then.

Ava, meeting Scarlett’s eyes, instinctively lowered her head slightly.

As her gaze dropped, a flicker of confusion crossed Ava’s expression.

She had made Chase apologize to Scarlett—why did Scarlett seem unhappy about it?

Why was she looking at her like that?

Bewildered, Ava couldn’t understand, but Alicia Sharp seized the chance to mediate, ushering everyone inside while discreetly blocking the camera from the earlier live stream, her gaze carrying a subtle warning.

Scarlett rarely agreed to attend her birthday party—Alicia didn’t want her to have a bad experience.

Streaming was fine, but if anyone kept trailing after her guests for footage, they shouldn’t blame Alicia for kicking them out without mercy.

Knowing the circles they moved in, Phaedra York recognized Alicia’s temperament. Catching her explicit warning look, Phaedra shrugged nonchalantly before cheerfully waving at her live-stream viewers and promptly shutting it down.

Phaedra liked streaming but wasn’t a professional streamer.

He felt no obligation to provide his audience with a full-party walkthrough.

He streamed merely to showcase his life’s highlights—to give the clueless folks online a glimpse into the real lives of elite heirs, basking in admiration and envy.

In short, he did it purely because he wanted to.

What Phaedra didn’t realize was that this brief broadcast recording, featuring Scarlett’s cameo, would soon surface online and rocket her "little witch" persona to the trending lists.

Scarlett, for her part, remained blissfully unaware.

She was here tonight solely for Ava Zimmerman. After briefly greeting Alicia, she prepared to seek her out.

But as she turned, she encountered an unexpected guest.

A guest she didn’t even recognize.

Though she didn’t know him, it was clear he knew her.

"Scarlett Jennings!"

Nicholas Woods appeared out of nowhere, blocking her path. His gaze, fixed on Scarlett, brimmed with subtle hostility and contempt.

"Was it you? Was it you who sent Azura away?!"

Nicholas Woods was the senior from Sea University who believed Azura Loomis’s claims—that the Jennings Family had driven her to desperation—and had even offered her a place to stay temporarily.

Since he had some family connections, he was acquainted with Alicia and had been invited to the party tonight.

What he hadn’t expected was to cross paths with Scarlett here.

Nicholas had heard from Azura that Scarlett was the person responsible for driving her away from the Jennings Family—the root cause of her misfortunes. Scarlett, consumed by jealousy over Azura being raised by the family in her stead, had fanned tensions until the Jennings ostracized her completely.

Nicholas might have felt sympathy for Azura, but not enough to confront the Jennings for her sake.

He knew his limits and understood the Jennings Family wasn’t one to provoke lightly.

He had simply resolved to support Azura behind the scenes—nothing more.

But Azura had disappeared last week.

Both she and her cousin were nowhere to be found.

Her final message said she was planning to ask Chase Jennings to intercede and make Scarlett leave her alone.

After that, Azura vanished completely.

Nicholas had considered going to the Jennings residence to demand answers but ultimately reined in that impulse.

He wanted to help Azura but couldn’t afford to stir up trouble for his own family.

Setting aside the Jennings wasn’t the same as running into Scarlett unexpectedly.

Upon hearing Nicholas mention Azura Loomis, Scarlett quickly deduced he was one of the naïve pawns Azura had strung along. To her, he wasn’t worth considering further.

"I don’t know you, nor do I owe you any explanations. If you want to find Azura Loomis, try the police station," Scarlett replied curtly and moved to step past him.

However, Nicholas wasn’t having it. He blocked her path again.

"You’re not going anywhere! Did you do it? Did you make Azura disappear?!"

He launched another accusation, and when Scarlett made to leave, he reached out, attempting to grab her arm.