Chapter 27
“She’s suffering?” Ivy’s laughter grew louder, ringing through the grand foyer as she flung out a hand to gesture at the sprawling mansion before them. “Oh, yes, she must be in such agony–living in this luxurious house, claiming my bedroom as her own, helping herself to my jewelry, tossing all my clothes, parading around as Miss Windsor, basking in the spotlight. Poor thing, she must laugh herself to sleep every night from all that pain, right?”
“Ivy!” Adkins thundered, unable to contain his rage at his eldest daughter’s words. “You’re being utterly unreasonable! Today, you are leaving this house–believe whatever you want, but from now on, we only recognize Emma as our daughter!”
Ivy’s laughter broke off. Her eyes flared with a raw, bloodshot anger, and she felt a fire roar in her chest.
“You’re all fools–every last one of you!” she spat. “The people who kidnapped me all those years ago? It was Emma who reached out to them. How else would they have known exactly where we’d be? She played you all for idiots, and you still treat her like a treasure–while your real daughter you treat like a viper!”
At last, Ivy let loose the secret she’d buried for years. The anguish inside her crashed like a tidal wave, threatening to drown her.
“That’s not true! It’s not!” Emma cried, desperate to defend herself. She turned to their parents, sobbing and pleading, “Mom, she’s slandering me, I swear I never… You’ve both always been so good to me, and Ivy too. How could I ever do something like that? I didn’t–I didn’t!”
Emma’s sobs grew ragged, tears streaming down her face. Rosetta wrapped her arms around her youngest, murmuring comfort.
“I know, sweetheart, I know you wouldn’t. She’s just confused, talking nonsense. No one’s going to believe her…”
“Ivy, you’re jealous of how we treat Emma, so you make up these lies,” Baillie cut in, staunchly defending their little sister. “You just want us to throw her out so you can be the only daughter left.”
Ivy let out a cold snort and turned away.
It took a few moments for the blaze of anger in her chest to subside. Only then did she turn back, her voice steady.
“The traffickers themselves told me, right as they were moving me. They said someone had contacted them–told them to get rid of the older sister, the farther away the better, so she’d never come back. Didn’t matter if she died. They’d seen plenty of siblings who didn’t get along, but never one so vicious as to set up her own sister.”
“That’s impossible, Mom!” Emma shook her head, her eyes swollen from crying. “I only ever went to school and came home. I was with Ivy every day–when would I have had a chance to talk to traffickers?”
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Chapter 27
Rosetta’s heart broke for her. She hugged Emma tighter, repeating, “I know you wouldn’t, honey. She’s lost her mind–just ignore her…”
“Ivy, you don’t need to slander Emma to keep your place in this house,” Adkins said, his tone suddenly shifting as a flicker of guilt crossed his face. “If you really want to stay, fine. But from now on, you’ll do as you’re told–no more arguments. If you behave, we’re willing to let you stay.” Ivy blinked in surprise, glancing at Emma.
Sure enough, Emma’s sobbing faltered, her expression shifting in a flash of shock. But she quickly recomposed herself, careful not to let her parents notice.
Baillie, on the other hand, made no effort to hide his displeasure. “Dad, why are you changing your mind again? Lauren said if Ivy stays, she’s done with me.”
Adkins sighed. “Then go and make it up to Lauren again. Ivy doesn’t have much time left anyway–your wedding can wait. Or maybe we’ll buy you a house of your own, and you can move out after you’re married.”
He spoke of his own daughter’s looming death as if he were discussing the weather–calm, detached, utterly unmoved.
Baillie’s jaw clenched. He shot a glare upstairs. “And you still say we treat you badly? I’m being forced to put my entire future on hold just to make room for you!”
Ivy just smiled, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “This is my home. I have every right to be here. Not kicking me out isn’t some kind of favor–it’s the bare minimum.”
Her mind was razor–sharp. She refused to let them manipulate her.
Adkins’s face turned crimson with anger. He immediately regretted backing down.
“But still,” Ivy continued, “thanks, Dad. At least your conscience woke up for once. Honestly, if you’d really thrown me out today, I was going to livestream the whole thing–invite the media, make the Windsors a trending topic. Who knows? Maybe I’d have gone viral, made some money on the side.”
She dusted off her clothes and let out a deliberate, drawn–out sigh. “What a shame–there goes my get–rich–quick scheme. Bit of a letdown, really.”
The Windsors were speechless.
Unbothered, Ivy headed downstairs toward the housekeeper’s room, which Edna had already opened for her. She called over her shoulder, “Come on, help me move my things.”
‘No way–move them yourself!” Baillie snapped, nearly bursting a blood vessel.
Ivy stood in the doorway. “Funny, you didn’t mind tossing my things out earlier. Why so squeamish now?”
Baillie’s mouth opened and closed, but he had no reply.
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In the end, Adkins ordered the driver–now wearing gloves and a mask–to haul all Ivy’s belongings back downstairs and into the housekeeper’s room.
Emma had thought victory was hers today. She never expected her father’s sudden change of heart at the last moment.
She seethed with resentment–but dared not let it show. If her parents suspected anything, she could be the one thrown out next.
So instead, she quietly wept, looking every bit the picture of innocent misery.
Rosetta, seeing her youngest finally start to calm down, gently soothed her. “Emma, just ignore her from now on. No matter what happens, you’ll always be with us. Just try to put up with it for
now.”
Emma sniffled and nodded. “It’s all right, Mom. Dad’s right, after all. Ivy doesn’t have much time left–she’s family, and throwing her out would be too cruel. Besides, with her personality, if she really was out on the street, she’d just drag your names through the mud.”
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