Chapter 51 The Favourite
The house felt… off the moment I stepped in.
Not quiet. Not loud.
Just wrong.
Voices drifted from the living room, soft but tense, like something important was already happening before I even walked through the door.
Kylen slowed behind me. “You don’t have to do this right now,” he said quietly.
I didn’t turn back.
“Yes, I do.”
Because for the first time, I wasn’t guessing anymore.
I had questions.
And I was done waiting.
I stepped further into the house, my heart picking up as the voices became clearer.
“…you always exaggerate,” Lilibeth’s voice carried lightly.
That made my jaw tighten instantly.
Then another voice answered.
Older.
Sharp.
Familiar in a way that made my chest stiffen.
“I don’t exaggerate. I observe.”
I froze.
No way.
I stepped into the living room slowly…
And there she was.
My grandmother.
Sitting comfortably like she owned the space, her posture straight, her eyes sharp as they lifted and landed directly on me.
And just like that…
Everything shifted.
“Well,” she said, her lips curving slightly. “Look who finally decided to come home.”
Something about her tone made my stomach twist.
“Grandma,” I said slowly.
She didn’t get up.
Didn’t soften.
She simply looked at me.
Like she was measuring something.
Lilibeth sat beside her, far too comfortable, far too relaxed.
Her arm was casually resting along the couch behind my grandmother, like they were… close.
Too close.
“Lenora,” Lilibeth said sweetly, like nothing had ever happened. “You’re back.”
I ignored her.
My focus stayed on my grandmother.
“You didn’t say you were coming,” I said.
“I don’t need to announce myself in my own family,” she replied calmly.
The words weren’t harsh.
But the tone was.
My chest tightened slightly.
“Of course,” I said.
Her gaze flicked briefly to Kylen behind me, then back to me.
“You’ve been busy,” she added.
It didn’t sound like a question.
“I could say the same for you,” I replied.
A faint smile touched her lips.
“Oh, I always am.”
The tension in the room thickened.
I finally glanced at Lilibeth, who was watching everything like it was entertainment.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Lilibeth tilted her head slightly.
“Grandma just came to visit,” she said lightly. “Isn’t that normal?”
No.
Nothing about this felt normal.
My eyes moved back to my grandmother.
“Why now?” I asked.
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
“Timing matters,” she said.
That answer did nothing to calm me.
“If this is about me,” I said carefully, “then I think I deserve to know what’s going on.”
A pause.
Then she leaned back slightly, studying me again.
“You always were impatient,” she said.
My jaw tightened.
“And you always avoided answers,” I shot back.
That made Lilibeth shift slightly, like she wasn’t expecting me to push back like that.
But my grandmother…
She didn’t look surprised.
If anything…
She looked impressed.
“Careful,” she said quietly. “That tone won’t get you very far.”
“Neither will silence,” I replied.
The room went still.
Kylen didn’t move.
Adrian, who had just stepped inside behind us, stayed quiet, observing.
But Lilibeth…
She smiled.
And I didn’t like that.
“You’ve changed,” my grandmother said slowly.
I let out a soft breath.
“Or maybe I’m just not pretending anymore.”
Her eyes held mine for a long moment.
Long enough to make my chest tighten again.
Then she spoke.
“You’ve been digging into things you don’t understand,” she said.
My heart skipped.
So she knew.
Of course she knew.
“And you’ve been hiding things I deserve to know,” I replied.
Lilibeth shifted closer to her, her expression softening slightly as she leaned in.
“You shouldn’t push her like this,” Lilibeth said gently. “She just got here.”
My eyes snapped to her.
And that was it.
That was the moment everything clicked.
The way she spoke.
The way she leaned in.
The way my grandmother didn’t pull away.
They were close.
Closer than they should be.
A cold feeling settled in my chest.
“You like her,” I said suddenly.
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Silence fell instantly.
Lilibeth blinked.
My grandmother didn’t.
“Excuse me?” she said calmly.
I stepped forward slightly, my gaze steady.
“You trust her,” I corrected. “You listen to her. You don’t look at her the way you look at me.”
The truth hung in the air, sharp and uncomfortable.
Lilibeth shifted again, but this time…
She didn’t deny it.
My grandmother studied me carefully.
Then, slowly…
She spoke.
“Lilibeth knows how to behave,” she said.
The words hit harder than anything else.
My chest tightened painfully.
“And I don’t?” I asked quietly.
She didn’t soften.
Didn’t hesitate.
“No,” she said.
Silence.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
Something inside me cracked.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just… quietly.
Because suddenly, this wasn’t just about secrets anymore.
It was about how I had always been seen.
Less.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay steady.
“You came here for a reason,” I said. “So stop pretending this is just a visit.”
Her gaze didn’t waver.
“You’re right,” she said.
Finally.
My heart pounded.
“Then say it.”
A pause.
Then—
“You need to stop digging,” she said.
The room went still again.
My chest tightened.
“And if I don’t?” I asked.
Her expression didn’t change.
“Then things will get… complicated for you,” she replied.
A chill ran down my spine.
That wasn’t concern.
That was a warning.
And suddenly…
I understood something very clearly.
This wasn’t just about my father anymore.
My grandmother was part of it too.
And Lilibeth?
She wasn’t just watching.
She was involved.
I let out a slow breath, my heart still racing.
“Too late,” I said quietly.
Because whatever they were trying to hide…
I was already in it.