The shocked silence following my confession was almost comical. A dozen faces gawked at me, their expressions ranging from disbelief to morbid fascination.
"You... you just admitted it?" Hazel was the first to break the silence, her voice tinged with disappointment. Clearly, she'd been robbed of the pleasure of exposing me herself.
I kept my chin up, refusing to shrink under their scrutiny. "Yes. I'm the illegitimate daughter of Cameron Johnson and Ivy Ollie. Not exactly breaking news."
My hand remained in Nathaniel's under the table. I couldn't bring myself to look at him, afraid of what I might see in his eyes. Had I just destroyed whatever tentative alliance we'd formed?
Hazel recovered quickly, her lips curling into a sneer. "Well, isn't that brave of you? Admitting what everyone already knew." She leaned forward, her voice dripping with venom. "Your mother was nothing but a house servant who opened her legs for her boss. And now look at you—just as shameless as she was."
