Chapter 40 House of Secrets
\-Lilith-
For some odd reason, dinner tonight felt… satisfying.
Not because the food was any good—though it wasn’t terrible—but because seeing Grandmother’s usual composure cracked by just a few words had a certain… delicious effect.
And Colin’s uncle… gosh. Up close, he was dangerously handsome. Not just “pretty face” handsome, there was something about the way he carried himself, the calm in his posture… it made my chest tighten before I even realized it.
Shaking my head, I tried to focus as I walked into my mother’s bedroom. She was lying on her bed, a hand pressed on her forehead, giving the literal image of a tired woman in a medieval painting.
“They just left.” I announced to her.
“Good.” She exhaled, sitting upright, like all the weariness had just flown outside the window.
She pointed to a glass of water on the table, gesturing for me to bring it to her. I watched her drink like she hadn’t choked on the same thing moments ago.
Her expression remained unreadable as she dropped the glass—her upset from dinner barely concealed.
I hesitated, thinking about bringing up something else to ease her mind, even though my own thoughts screamed that it wasn’t the right time.
“So… Mother, I was thinking about the talk—the trip with Colin…” My voice trailed off as she let out an exasperated sigh.
“Read the room, Lilith… I’m exhausted. That girl is clearly like her mother… subtle and sharp at the same time.”
Of course. How could I forget that once Celeste entered our orbit, everything—everyone—revolved around her.
“What about her mother?” I asked, willing to indulge in the nonsense. “Why is everything about her a secret?”
That suddenly piqued her interest.
“There’s no secret,” she sighed. “She was merely a thorn in the flesh to your grandmother…to this family.”
“Then what?”
“Then nothing.” She shrugged. “Nature took its course, and she died in an accident, a terrible one.” She added flatly.
How could she be like this? At the table she had choked on water at the slight mention of death, but was dismissive of the cops, and even now, she sounded like she couldn’t care less.
My eyes narrowed. “You seem to know a lot about her.”
“Oh, I do.” She spat.
Clearly, there was a shit ton of unresolved conflict between them.
“Pretty, dainty and delicate thing,” she continued, gritting her teeth. “I knew your father first. Specially recommended by Reginald Blackwell himself, and everything was going great. Until one summer…she swooped in and changed the course of things!”
My mother’s eyes burned with disdain and menace. She hated that woman.
She continued. “One moment, he was on vacation, and the next a fucking introduction. I was devastated when I heard he had married her—”
“So you killed her?” My intrusive thoughts gave way.
Her eyes flashed.
“Didn’t you just hear me, she had an accident—”
“That you planned.” I retorted. It was only right to finish what I had started.
Our eyes locked in a fierce staring battle, and tension filled the room.
She sat up further, and my heart missed a beat.
“What exactly are you implying?” She said, cold. Crude.
Yes, Lilith… What are you doing? Accusing your mother of murder. My mind screamed, but my mouth just wouldn’t shut up.
“Isn’t it simple? You had her killed so you could come into this family…” The thoughts flowed through like water. “You also killed the courier because his sick joke about her being alive unsettles you, doesn’t it.”
She scoffed, brows arching in annoyance. “That’s your fucking theory? That I’d stoop so low to shoot a mere courier over a joke? Make it make sense to me, Lilith.” Her brows knitted.
She was right, it didn’t make much sense to shoot a man over something so minute.
Still, a part of me couldn’t shake off the thought that she was involved in that woman’s death.
“He probably knew what you did back then—”
“Oh, please,” she rolled her eyes, “do the math… Brad’s been working for me for what, five years?”
“So you admit you did something all before the five years—”
“This damn child,” she muttered. “Is it that time of the month again? Because you’re getting on my last nerves right now.”
“When have I not,” I murmured.
She was about to say something else when the maid burst in, frantic.
“For fuck sake, when did knocking before entering become rocket science?!” she snapped.
The maid was apologetic. “I’m sorry, but it’s Madam. She’s collapsed.”
I stared in disbelief as she let out a bored sigh and lazily got up. “Is her death day here already?” she murmured as she waddled down the stairs like the world was waiting for her.
I followed her, my pulse quickening as I tried to keep pace… I couldn’t rush past her—that would be a sign of betrayal.
My mind was a jumble of frustration and disbelief, because how could I be her daughter? How was it that we were cut from the same robe, but she was cold and twisted?
Downstairs, Grandmother was being helped into the armchair, tablet still in hand, her chest heaving as she finally spoke. “There…there was an accident. Celeste was in an accident,” she loudly said before breaking into a sob.
Mother sighed, barely hiding her frustration.
“I’ll go get Father,” I murmured, hurrying back up the stairs. It was my escape from the chaos.
My father wasn’t in his study, so I marched to his bedroom instead. In a house this massive, he could have been anywhere, but the slightly ajar door stopped me cold.
Inside, he was on a call, and his voice cut sharp through the room. I peered in, trying not to make a sound.
“Have your fucking men lost their minds?!” He spat, pacing the room, back and forth.
“My daughter was in that vehicle! You said a bullet…one bullet was enough to do the job! So why—why would you tamper with the brakes?!”
Shock froze me in place.
A lump formed in my throat. Shivers crawled down my spine, and the chill of fear gripped my chest.
H-he was behind this?
Before I could react, a firm push from behind sent me stumbling into the bedroom. The door slammed shut with a deafening thud, and Mother’s voice cut through the air like a blade.
What the fuck?
“Darling… I think it’s time we talked about Lilith and Colin’s trip.”