Chapter 114 Chapter 114
Chapter 114 Chapter 114
It’s the next morning, and Scott texted me just after dawn.
“I’m on my jet. Wheels up. I’ll be home in a couple of hours.”
I stared at the message longer than necessary, my thumb hovering over the screen before I typed back a simple... Okay. My chest felt tight, not relief, not dread exactly, but the heavy middle ground where both lived together.
I got out of bed quietly. Ace was gone when I woke up, which was a blessing I hadn’t asked for but accepted anyway. The house felt strange in the morning. It was too quiet, like everyone had suddenly disappeared, leaving me alone in the house.
I showered, dressed, and tied my hair back, trying to look like someone who had control over her life.
Scott was coming home. And that meant the house needed to be ready. That meant everyone needed to be ready.
I headed toward the back of the house where the staff usually gathered in the mornings, planning to let Mary know Scott would be arriving soon so preparations could start.
I didn’t even get that far.
I slowed when I heard voices. All were women’s voices... familiar ones. Their laughter followed. They sounded sharp and careless. I stopped just before the corner, instinct pulling me back into the shadow of the hallway.
Mary’s voice was unmistakable.
“…I’m telling you, she doesn’t even know what she’s doing,” Mary said, laughing. “She’s absolutely clueless... It’s pitiful.”
Another woman snorted. “She’s a child playing wife... like, what is wrong with you? I think all this is because she grew up without a dad. That girl clearly needs a father figure in her life, and she’s using Scott for that while getting the perks of fucking him.”
“Exactly,” Mary replied. “Look at where she comes from. That family? Please. Bad blood all around. And don’t even get me started on her awful excuse of a mother.”
“That woman is like a cockroach that just won’t die,” another added.
“Gold diggers... all of them,” another said. “The mother is the biggest gold digger ever... and her daughter?”
One of them chuckled. “The fruit really doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
They laughed again.
My stomach dropped.
“I swear,” another voice chimed in, “ever since she stepped into this house, it’s been drama after drama. Fights, scandals, people storming out. The peace left with when Scott decided he needed to marry that girl to settle a debt.”
“That’s what happens when you bring someone like her in,” Mary said. “She doesn’t know how to handle a man like Scott.”
I pressed my hand against the wall, my pulse roaring in my ears.
“She’s not fit to be his wife,” someone else added. “Half the time, she looks lost. The other half, like she’s about to cry. She’s a fucking miserable child... enjoying the wealth and luxury of being a Wendell. I hate her... a lot. She doesn’t know what she’s doing at all.”
Mary laughed louder. “That’s because she is lost. She doesn’t know how to take care of him. Doesn’t know how to please him. Doesn’t know what a man like that needs.”
There was a pause, then a different kind of laughter. It was lower, conspiratorial.
“Have you seen him lately?” one of the women said. “That man ages like fine wine.”
“Those shoulders,” another sighed. “And his hands—”
“I swear,” someone added, “if I had just one night—”
“Oka,y now, you ladies better be careful,” Mary snapped suddenly, her tone sharp. “Keep your fantasies to yourselves.”
The chatter stilled.
“You all know I loved him from day one,” Mary continued, her voice colder now. “Before she ever came into the picture. Before any of this mess.”
There was an awkward beat.
“We know,” one of the women said quickly. “We’re sorry. We didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Yes,” another added. “We respect you, Mary. You’ve been here the longest. We’d never cross that line.”
Mary huffed. “Good. Because none of you know him like I do. I see him every day. I know what he likes. I know how he thinks. I know how to take care of him.”
I felt sick.
“He deserves better than this chaos,” Mary went on. “Better than a girl who doesn’t even know herself.”
“By the way, Mary, you’ve been acting big sister with her ever since she got here,” another chimed in. “How do you feel knowing she’s the last person he sees before he sleeps and the first person he kisses when he wakes up?”
“Awful,” Mary answered quickly. “Oh, my goodness, you can’t even imagine how hard it is whenever I have to act like I actually give a shit about her.”
My vision blurred, anger burning behind my eyes. I’d heard enough.
I turned away silently, my heart pounding, every step away from them feeling heavier than the last. Their laughter followed me in my head even after the voices faded.
I didn’t realize how tight my fists were until my nails bit into my palms.
I just wanted air. Space. Distance from all of it.
I turned toward the kitchen and walked straight into my mother.
“Watch where you’re going,” Claire snapped.
“I’m sorry,” I started automatically, the word barely out before her hand shoved into my shoulder.
I stumbled back, and something in me snapped. So, I shoved her right back.
She slammed hard into the wall behind her, the sound loud enough to echo. She gasped, more in shock than pain.
“You’re trying to kill my baby!” she screamed.
I laughed. A sharp, broken sound. “Kill your baby? You’ve got to be kidding me, mother.”
She stared at me, wide-eyed.
“You pushed me,” she accused. “I know you’re jealous I’m going to take my rightful place in this house, so you pushed me. You want me to lose it.”
My blood boiled.
“It wouldn’t be new for you,” I yelled back. “Isn’t that how you killed Elsie?”
The name hung in the air like a gunshot.
Claire froze.
Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.
“That’s how you did it, isn’t it?” I continued, my voice shaking with rage. “You pushed her. You took her balance. You killed her and ruined everyone’s life, and you’re standing here acting like a victim.”
I was so pleased with myself because for the first time in my life, Claire had nothing to say.
I brushed past her, my shoulder clipping hers on purpose this time.
She didn’t follow. She didn’t speak.
I walked away, my heart hammering.