Chapter 42 Lilith's Awakening
\-Lilith-
My heart raced as the line trilled for the third time with no response.
I was in my mother’s room, using the phone she’d confiscated, the same one seized last night, to call Celeste. To warn her. To fix something before it was too late.
She finally answered.
But before I could speak, her voice cut through the line, sharp and furious.
“Why are you calling me? Haven’t you done enough—”
“No—listen to me, Celeste. Please, hear me out—”
“No. You listen to me, I’m sick and tired—”
“I have to tell you something. It’s about the accident—”
“And what do you think you’re doing?” Mother’s voice sliced through the room.
My heart sank.
Trembling, I immediately hung up.
Last night, after I got caught, my father didn’t say a word to me. Instead, they locked in my bedroom and took my phone.
I shouldn’t even have had this chance. Her heels clicked sharply against the floor as she walked toward me, each step cold with rage.
“Who were you on the phone with?” She demanded, towering over me. I didn’t realize how tall she was until now.
“Nobody,” I murmured, my heart racing dangerously fast.
She didn’t respond.
She simply reached for my hand and ripped the phone from my grasp. Somehow, she knew my password. The screen lit up as she unlocked it with ease.
My chest tightened. I hadn’t recovered from the previous night.
She scrolled till she found the call logs.
A cold smirk.
Then, without warning, she hurled my phone across the room.
A cold shiver ran down my spine as I watched it smash against the wall, hard and loud.
My eyes widened in shock. What the fuck?! I mentally screamed.
I couldn’t even dare protest. I was too scared.
“Have you lost fucking mind?!” She snapped, eyes wide with fury. “What the hell did you think was going to happen? That she’d believe you, or perhaps swoop in and save you, huh?”
I instinctively stepped backward, retreating till I hit the edge of her vanity table.
I had never seen her like this.
She suddenly paused in her track, letting out an exasperated sigh as she threw one hand on her waist and the other on her forehead.
My heart pounded, my pulse ringing in my ears. My legs felt like jelly.
“Sit.” Her voice was flat.
I obeyed, lowering myself onto the vanity stool. She stayed standing, arms crossed, looking at me like I was nothing more than an inconvenience. The silence pressed down, heavier than a blanket.
What’s wrong with this family? I thought, tears choking me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
Why? I didn’t know. This woman just had that effect on me.
She sighed. “As if that changes anything.”
“Listen carefully,” she continued, finally sitting across from me. “Your father did something in the past he isn’t proud of. That doesn’t make him a bad man.”
“But, last night,” I started, my voice shaking, “I heard him… he targeted them—”
“Him,” she interrupted sharply. “Not them. Just him. Lucien.”
She said it like it was obvious.
How could she be unbothered by this situation?
“Many years ago,” she continued, calm as ever, “before you were born, your father had a brother. Edward. He was troubled. He thought his own family was his enemy.” She shrugged lightly, like it meant nothing.
How come I never heard of him? I wondered.
“You’ve never heard of him because your grandmother made sure of it. That’s also why I never speak of my sister. If I did, she’d never look at me the same way again.”
She paused, letting the words settle.
“One night at the old vacation home, your father found Edward with a gun. He was trying to kill himself. Your father, being the hero he always was, stepped in to stop him.”
Her voice stayed cold, distant, like she had rehearsed her lines, over and over again.
“It was dangerous. A loaded gun. Two brothers, emotions running high. In the struggle to wrestle the gun away, your father accidentally pulled the trigger.”
I gasped.
She met my eyes steadily.
“That night, Lucien’s mother saw and misunderstood the situation. She was working for the family back then.”
My heart thudded as realization suddenly dawned on me.
“S—So… Dad,” I paused, swallowed, “Killed her?”
“No. She ran away.” She said flatly, almost trivial. “Now, Lucien is looking for her. Your uncle’s death was ruled a suicide… If she comes back to tell everyone what she thinks she saw, the case might be opened again.”
“Then…how come she hasn’t come back all these years?”
“Because she’s trying to protect Lucien. In essence, your father didn’t mean any harm,” her lips curled into a cruel smile. “It was just a…reminder.”
My throat went dry. I wanted to scream, to demand answers, but the words stuck, mixed with fear and disbelief.
“Y-You’re saying… all of this… was meant to scare her from coming back?” I managed to say, my voice barely audible.
She didn’t flinch. She just nodded, expression unreadable.
I sank lower on the stool, my hands gripping the edges like they could hold me upright.
So Dad…this entire family… nothing is as it seems.
“I… I don’t know what to say,” I admitted, my heart pounding. “It’s… it’s too much.”
She approached me, lifting my chin to meet her gaze.
“Then don’t say anything. Listen. Understand. Work with me, not against me. That’s how you survive here.”
I blinked, confused.
She smirked. “You think I haven’t noticed? The way that old wretch looks at you, treats you like the spare grandchild… She’s always been like that. From the day we set foot in this house… She’s harbored this…quiet hate for you.”
She turned, striding toward the window, footsteps echoing louder than the next.
“She even made sure she had James do a paternity test. She never trusted me.” She sneered, staring outside. “I still remember the look of defeat on her face. That moment lives rent-free in my head.”
She abruptly turned.
“My point is, I see you try to prove yourself, every day… Yet, her world revolves around Celeste, and she doesn’t see you… But the thing is, we’re so alike, willing to go to the ends of the earth to get what we want…even if we’d have to kiss a pig.”
My brows furrowed, “H‑How—”
“Oh, come on,” she said lightly. “You’re not exactly subtle.” She smirked as she returned to her seat. “I saw your journal.”
I scoffed internally. She probably knows the exact number of panties I own.
“I had to know what you knew,” she went on calmly, “especially after you followed me.”
I swallowed hard. Shame burned hot in my chest, mixing with fear. My pulse still pounded, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak. I just stared at her, exposed.
“I know about Colin,” she continued. “How much he disgusts you. Yet you stay.”
She was right, in the end, I was with Colin so I could prove myself to Grandmother.
Her eyes flicked over me.
“Aren’t you tired of being overlooked, dear?” She shrugged. “Because I am… I want her gone too. Just think…what if Celeste had died last night? You could have been the heir to this empire this morning.”
My heart skipped.
That statement made something shift inside of me.
Power. Recognition. Everything I’d ever wanted, all within reach.
Her voice lowered, low and smooth. “Join me, Lilith, and we could control everything together. No more being invisible. No more being ignored.”
I bit my lip, excitement and fear swelled inside me, but the fear was small.
The thought of finally stepping out of Celeste’s shadow made my chest burn with anticipation.
She smiled faintly, like she’d read me perfectly.
“Think carefully. You can stay unnoticed forever… or you can step up and take your rightful place.”
My heart raced close to explosion. I closed my eyes and imagined it: myself, sharp suit, seated at the head of the table, everyone listening when I spoke, finally seen!
The thought felt more alive than an orgasm.
Yes!
Yes, I would.
A small smile curved on my lips. Soon, everything would be mine.