Diana froze up, not even bothering to turn around to see who it was.
The old Diana would've known right away—it was Clara Williams, her half-sis.
Even though they were half-sisters, Clara was just a few years younger than Diana.
Diana's mom had just kicked the bucket when her dad, Nathan Williams, brought Clara and her mom back into the picture.
Watching Clara strut around, Diana sneered, "Get outta my way. If you know what's good for you, scram."
Clara was taken aback. 'Usually, Diana's a pushover. What's with the attitude today?' she thought.
"Diana, I'm just worried about you. It's getting dark, and I don't want you out there alone," Clara offered.
She then noticed Nolan coming over and tried to keep her cool, still playing the sweet and innocent card.
To an outsider, it might look like the two sisters were tight.
But Diana knew Clara's game. The old Diana, desperate for Charles's approval, had turned to Clara for help. But Clara played her like a fiddle, making Charles hate her more every day.
Now, with a new soul, Diana couldn't care less about playing nice with Clara.
She said, "Oh really? If you're so worried, why don't you call a driver for me?"
The Percy Mansion was in some fancy area, far from the city. Since Clara wanted to play the good Samaritan, Diana decided to let her go all the way.
Clara didn't see that coming and struggled to keep her smile.
Nolan, watching the scene, frowned. "Ms. Spencer, it's time to go. Mr. Percy will be back soon."
Diana dropped her suitcase and rolled her eyes dramatically. "Nolan, you think I don't wanna leave? Deal with Miss Williams first."
Clara's eyes welled up, looking like she was about to cry. "Diana, I heard Charles divorced you today, so I dropped everything to come see you! You..."
Diana, even more annoyed, shoved Clara aside. "Cut the act. If you're such a good pretender, why not try your luck in acting? You're blocking me."
With that, Diana grabbed her suitcase and headed out.
Nolan was a bit taken aback but stepped in to block Clara, making sure Diana could leave without a hitch.
Clara's hair was now a mess, losing her initial composure.
Clara yelled, "How dare you push me! Diana, get back here! And you, Nolan! Mr. Percy sent me to oversee her departure. The divorce agreement says Diana can't take anything with her. Have you checked her suitcase? Aren't you worried about losing something?"
Nolan was reminded by Clara's words. "Ms. Spencer, as per Mr. Percy's directive, could you please open your suitcase for inspection?" he asked.
Diana froze again, feeling even more ticked off. "You watched me pack. What could I possibly take? Besides, with Mr. Percy's personality, would he give me anything valuable?"
Nolan stayed quiet. Diana's room was tiny, with nothing worth taking.
But Clara was here on Charles's orders.
Clara said, "Diana, don't make it hard for Nolan. I'll check it myself. If something goes missing, it'll be a big deal."
Diana frowned. "It's just my clothes in there."
Clara didn't buy it. Diana was merely a pawn, marrying Charles solely because her mother had rescued Juniper Johnson, Charles's grandmother.
When Juniper was alive, she shielded Diana from everything, making it hard for Clara to act.
Luckily, Diana wasn't smart and always listened to Clara, making Charles hate her more and more.
Now that they were finally divorced, Clara's chance had come!
Clara's eyes lit up with excitement. "If there's nothing in there, why are you scared of me checking?"
Clara grabbed the suitcase, but when she opened it, she found only a few women's clothes, feeling a bit deflated.
But Clara kept digging through Diana's stuff for over ten minutes, desperate to find something that Diana might've swiped from the Percy Family.
Watching Clara go through her things, Diana smirked down at her. "Need a couple of bloodhounds to assist you? I don't even want this junk. Take your sweet time."
Still feeling sore and too tired to argue, Diana glanced at Nolan, who was just standing there. "Nolan, you wanna search me too?"
Nolan stiffened and replied, "No, Ms. Spencer, please leave quickly."
Charles was about to show up, and if he saw Diana still there, even Nolan would be in hot water. But, as the saying goes," Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is." Just as Diana reached the door, she bumped into Charles. Her fear of being choked came rushing back.
Diana's scalp tingled. She couldn't face him, so she kept her head down, trying to slip out unnoticed.
But her timid act only ticked Charles off more.
Nolan saw Charles coming and felt a bad vibe. "Mr. Percy," he greeted.
Clara, seeing Charles, stopped her search, stood up straight, and fixed her hair. "Mr. Percy."
Charles's eyes were dark, his voice laced with anger. "Diana, did you forget what I said? Nolan, do you not get my orders?"
With Charles's two questions, everyone went silent.
Diana had no choice but to spill the truth, "Didn't you send Clara to watch me 'cause you thought I'd steal something from the Percy Family? Everything's still here. I didn't take anything. Can I go now?"
Clara didn't expect Diana to be so blunt and stepped forward to explain, tears welling up, looking all pitiful. "Diana, how can you say that? I came on Mr. Percy's orders. You refused the check and delayed everything."
"I didn't! Nolan, tell him!" Diana shot back instinctively, but Nolan knew better. Charles hated Diana so much that anyone who defended her would be toast.
Clara kept going, "Diana, you not only ignore Mr. Percy's orders but also blame me and Nolan. You were always lying as a child, and now you dare to..."
Charles, reminded by Clara, thought of all the dumb things Diana did during their marriage, and his anger flared. "Diana, I hate fools. If you don't want to live, I'll end you myself."
Suddenly, Charles reached out to grab Diana's throat again. She tried to dodge, but he was too quick.
Charles squeezed her cheeks so hard it felt like her jaw would snap.
Diana struggled to speak but couldn't get a word out. She didn't want to die at Charles's hands.
Desperate, Diana bit down hard on Charles's hand.
Feeling the pain, Charles threw her aside.
Diana felt like her sore body was falling apart from the impact.
Seeing Charles about to strike again, Diana stopped him. "Fine, kill me. I'll haunt you as a ghost. I'll be watching you every night."
Charles laughed angrily, like he heard a joke. "Killing you is as easy as squashing a bug. You think I'll be scared of you after you're dead?"
"Of course, you're not scared. But what about Juniper? What if she finds out you killed her savior's daughter?" Diana retorted.
Charles's voice turned icy. "Diana, who gave you the right to push my buttons over and over?"
Seeing that this tactic didn't work, Diana shrank back. Why did the original Diana like this psycho?
Nolan, more level-headed than Charles, quickly said, "Mr. Percy, a lot of people on the board are watching us. If Ms. Spencer dies, they'll jump at the chance to cause trouble and mess up our plans. You need to think this through!"
Charles didn't stop, pinning Diana against the wall.
The familiar suffocating feeling overwhelmed her. Diana tried to pry his hand off her neck, but she was too weak. It was unbearable.