Chapter 14
Elise's POV
The sound of the door closing was like a lock snapping shut, sealing off all the air in the room.
I stood there, motionless.
The lingering echo of Benjamin's parting words—"Uncle will come visit you again next time"—still reverbeated in my ears.
Something churned in my stomach, something I couldn't quite name—not fear, I'd grown accustomed to fear long ago. It was something deeper, something dirtier, like someone had shoved a fistful of sand down my throat.
I walked toward the bathroom.
My steps were unsteady, my mind foggy and distant, as if submerged beneath a layer of water.
I turned on the hot water, and the sound of it filling the tub echoed through the cramped space, accompanied by the low hum of metal pipes.
I stripped off my clothes without looking at the mirror.
I never looked at mirrors.
At least not when I was about to bathe.
When the hot water rose past my chest, I sank my entire body beneath the surface, leaving only my nose and above exposed.
The warm water enveloped me like a thin shell, separating me from the filthy world outside.
But I knew that water couldn't wash away those things.
They weren't on my skin. They were in my bones.
I closed my eyes and rested my head against the edge of the tub, staring up at the dust-covered ceiling light.
From thirteen to now—nine years.
Nine years of enduring.
Enduring Benjamin's gaze, enduring his "accidental" touches, enduring Margaret's willful blindness, enduring Anna's increasingly blatant jealousy and malice.
I used to think that endurance was my only way out.
Because I had no money, no connections, nothing to rely on. Liam paid my tuition, but Liam didn't care how I was living at my aunt and uncle's house. He didn't even know what this house was really like.
But now, things were different.
I slowly let the water drain through my fingers, my mind methodically sorting through the situation.
The tattoo shop was still there. Though Anna had leaked it to Miller, Miller had disappeared, and the school wouldn't be digging up old dirt anytime soon.
As for Victor, though he'd given me an ultimatum, he hadn't truly cut ties with me. His warning that "my patience isn't infinite"—that was less of a threat and more of him waiting for me.
And Liam...
Liam was bringing other women home, but he hadn't broken up with me yet. The Sterling family's arranged marriage hadn't been finalized. As long as Isabella hadn't officially entered the picture for a day, I still had time.
I laid out these threads in my mind, like sketching an outline on skin before a tattoo.
So far, at least, the plan was proceeding smoothly.
But Benjamin's words today reminded me—the matter of the inheritance wouldn't simply go away.
He'd swallowed the money my parents left behind, all of it, for nine years. That money should have been enough to cover my entire university tuition and even leave me with seed capital to start a business.
But now, that money had been transformed into Anna's private school fees, Margaret's designer handbags, and Benjamin's car maintenance bills.
He would never return it to me willingly.
And he certainly wouldn't let me easily access the documents that could prove the money was mine—the trust papers, bank statements, lawyer's letters.
Those things had either been destroyed or locked away somewhere I'd never find them.
I opened my eyes and looked at my reflection on the water's surface.
Blurred, distorted, like an unfinished painting.
It didn't matter.
I told myself.
At least now I had the tattoo shop, my own source of income. At least I was no longer that thirteen-year-old girl with absolutely no way out.
Some things couldn't be rushed.
But they wouldn't have to wait much longer either.
---
Anna's POV:
"Mom, she hit me! Did you see that? She slapped me!"
I sat on the living room sofa, clutching my still-burning cheek, tears streaming down my face.
Margaret sat beside me, pressing a damp towel to my face. Benjamin leaned against the kitchen doorway smoking, the gray-blue smoke curling above his head before slowly dissipating.
"Stop crying." Margaret said softly. "What good does crying do?"
"But she—"
"Enough."
Benjamin stubbed out his cigarette and walked over, sitting down across from me.
He glanced at me, his gaze containing neither comfort nor reproach.
Only a cold, unsettling scrutiny that I knew all too well.
"Anna, when you fought with Elise, did you win?"
I froze.
"She slapped you, you called her a bunch of nasty names. And then what? Did she run away? Did she apologize?"
I opened my mouth but couldn't produce any words.
"Nothing happened." Benjamin said. "You accomplished nothing except making yourself angrier."
"But she—"
"She what?" Benjamin cut me off. "She's being kept by a man? She relies on men? What's the point of saying those things? Will she feel ashamed after hearing them? Will she leave Liam? Will she get out of our house?"
I was silenced by his questions.
Because the answer was clear—no.
I knew better than anyone what kind of person Elise was. Since childhood, she'd been able to put on an obedient, innocent act in front of everyone. You could curse her, humiliate her, hit her, and she would never cry in front of you.
She would only look at you with those eyes as calm as stagnant water, making you feel like a clown.
Benjamin leaned back into the sofa and crossed his legs.
"Anna, Margaret and I are strict with you not to make things difficult for you."
"We just hope you can be more accomplished than her."
He paused, his gaze settling on my face.
"Elise is a girl whose parents are dead, who lives under someone else's roof, who has nothing—but she's smart enough. She knows how to use whatever little she has to get what she wants."
"Liam has money, so she latched onto Liam."
"She succeeded, so now she has tuition, a place to live, status. And you? You're here fighting with her—even if you win the argument, so what?"
Margaret picked up where he left off. "Your father's right. Fighting with Elise only makes you look petty. She's five years older than you—what are you even competing with her for?"
"Then what should I do?" I finally couldn't help but ask.
Benjamin and Margaret exchanged a glance.
Then Benjamin smiled.
When he smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes bunched together, making him look less frightening than usual.
"Anna, think about this—if Liam were single right now, do you think you'd have a chance?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," Benjamin said slowly, "instead of sitting here arguing with Elise about who's right and who's wrong, why not think about how to take Liam for yourself?"
I blinked.
"Who is Liam? The legitimate grandson of the Sterling family. I don't need to tell you how much money they have. Right now Elise is living off him, but his parents don't accept her at all—how long do you think this relationship can last?"
Benjamin looked at me, his eyes containing something I'd never seen before.
Something like excitement.
"Liam will break up with Elise sooner or later. When that happens, if there's a suitable person by his side—someone with good family background, good looks, appropriate age—do you think the Sterling family would consider her?"
My brain began racing.
"Liam is dating that Isabella woman now, but that's just a family arrangement—Liam himself has no real interest in her." Benjamin continued. "If you can show him something different from Elise—for example, that you're not after his money, that you genuinely care about him—what do you think would happen?"
"If Liam falls in love with you, forget about the inheritance issues—you could buy whatever you want, go wherever you want. Would you still need to fight with Elise at home?"
My heartbeat quickened.
Benjamin was right.
Instead of tearing into Elise here, I should solve the problem at its source.
Liam was the key.
Once I had Liam, Elise would be nothing.
"But..." I hesitated. "Liam is with Elise now. How am I supposed to get close to him?"
"Don't rush." Margaret said. "Starting today, stop fighting with Elise. Be polite to her, act like nothing happened."
"And then?"
"Then, find opportunities to get close to Liam." Benjamin said. "When he comes to pick up Elise, be home. When Elise isn't around, contact him yourself. You don't need to do anything excessive—just let him notice you."
"Let him feel that you're different from Elise."
Benjamin stood up, walked over to me, and patted my head.
"Remember, Anna. You're our daughter. You're better than her."
I looked up at Benjamin and nodded firmly.
He was right.
I was Margaret and Benjamin's daughter. I had a proper family. I had normal parents.
While Elise was just an orphan living in our house.
I was better than her.
I stood up from the sofa and walked back to my room.
After closing the door, I leaned against it and looked down at my hands.
The spot on my face where she'd hit me still throbbed with dull pain.
But I wasn't angry anymore.
Because I had a better idea now.
I wouldn't fight with Elise anymore.
I would follow her instead.
I would find out where she went every day, who she met, what she did.
If she was really doing something behind Liam's back that she shouldn't be doing—
Then I would have leverage.
Liam wouldn't want a woman who had betrayed him.
When that time came, Elise wouldn't just lose a relationship.
She would lose everything.
And I would pick up all the things she'd dropped.