Chapter 40
In the bedroom.
Victor had just stepped out of the shower. Seeing Beatrice’s shapely figure, he eagerly pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her tok, full waist.
“Beatrice, it’s been too long… “Victor murmured, kissing her for a moment before realizing she wasn’t responding Instead, he tasted the calliness of
tears.
“Why are you crying?” he asked, pulling back slightly.
Beatrice’s eyes were red–rimmed as she sobbed quietly. “Victor, I… I won’t be able to take care of you anymore.”
Victor chuckled, “What are you talking about? Don’t be ridiculous.” But then he saw the genuine sadness in her eyes, the look of utter despair, and his own desire cooled instantly. He held her gently, his voice softening with concern. “You’re Mrs. White, my wife forever. If you don’t take care of me, who will?”
“But… but Walter… “Beatrice’s voice broke between sobs, tears streaming down her face. “Walter wants to announce Annabel as the heir… on my birthday…” She couldn’t keep up the pretense of the kind, generous stepmother anymore. “You know Annabel has never liked me. Once she’s the heir, where will Lillian and I fit in this house? There’ll be no place for us!”
Hearing this, Victor nearly jumped. “Has he lost his mind? Why would he let Annabel inherit? Lillian is leagues better than her in every way! What on earth is Dad thinking?”
“No way!” Victor declared, storming towards the door. “I need to go talk some sense into Dad right now!”
Beatrice quickly grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Victor, Annabel is his granddaughter. It’s her right to inherit the White legacy, I suppose… L… I’m just scared I won’t be able to be with you anymore…” She added, her voice dropping to a fearful whisper, “I heard… Lillian heard Annabel say she plans to kick Lillian and me out of the house!”
Victor was furious, wanting nothing more than to march downstairs and slap some sense into Annabel. “That ungrateful brat! How dare she!*
But Beatrice just kept crying, clinging to him, refusing to let him go confront Walter.
Helpless, Victor sighed and tried to soothe her. “Don’t worry,” he promised. “I swear I will never let her kick you and Lillian out of this house.”
Despite his assurances, Beatrice had terrible nightmares after falling asleep. She dreamed of her deceased son, and she dreamed of being thrown out of the White mansion by Annabel, that bitch. She saw herself and Lillian wandering the streets, destitute, eventually dying alone and miserable.
The nightmares felt so real that Beatrice couldn’t eat or sleep properly for days.
As her birthday party drew closer, the anxiety became unbearable. Finally, she broke down and called Sutton dared.
“Sutton, I need your help… ” she began.
Sutton cut her off. “Actually, I need Victor’s help with something. We had a deal finalized for our company project, but the bank suddenly pulled our funding. I’ve scraped together some of it, but I’m still short.” ‘He wasn’t just short ‘a bit‘; he was short a lot.‘
Beatrice frowned, her own problems overriding his.“The old man is planning to name Annabel the White family heir.”
Sutton paused. “So soon?”
“Why else do you think I’m calling you?” Beatrice sounded desperate. “If Lillian gets the inheritance, your funding problem—all our problems–will be solved!”
Sutton was silent for a long moment. Then, he said slowly, deliberately, “Then it’s time… we give the old bastard that medicine…”
The poison had been prepared long ago, hidden away in a place so secret no one would ever find it.
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Chapter 40
Now, it was finally time for it to see the light of day.
Beatrice had a loyal servant she’d cultivated for years. She gave the order: switch Walter’s current medication. Replace the life saving pills with the TAN
ones.
On the day of the birthday party, Annabel slept in until she woke naturally.
The villa was already bustling with guests. Looking down from her window, she could see Victor and Beatrice greeting the arrivals together.
As for Lillian, she wore a charming smile, surrounded by a crowd of boys and girls her own age. Just then, their eyes met.
Annabel snapped the curtains shut. What a way to ruin the morning.
Lillian froze for a second.
“Lillian, what’s wrong?” one of Lillian’s friends asked, noticing her expression shift. Following her gaze to the window where the curtain still swayed, she guessed, “Is that your sister’s room?”
Lillian gave a silent nod.
Someone piped up with biting sarcasm, “Some sister! How could Lillian have such a shameless sister? The Whites only keep her around out of pity. Otherwise, she’d have been kicked out long ago!”
“Yeah, I heard her mom got thrown out, right?”
These malicious speculations delighted Lillian inwardly, but she put on a troubled expression, her delicate makeup making her look particularly pitiful.
“Guys, she’s still my sister. Please don’t talk like that.”
A boy said sympathetically, “Lillian, you’re just too kind.”
A girl wouldn’t let it go. “Why are you defending someone like her, Lillian? Who even knows if she’s really a White? She could be some bastard her mom had with god knows who!”
Just as the words left her mouth, a sharp, icy voice cut in, “Who did you just call a bastard?”
The girl who had spoken froze when she saw Annabel suddenly appear. Flustered, she stammered, “I… I wasn’t talking… talking about you. Why are you assuming?”
The boys, however, were captivated by Annabel’s stunning beauty. They had thought Lillian was pretty, but her sister was several times more beautiful! She could easily be the ‘it‘ girl at their school.
Lillian noticed the shift in the boys‘ gazes. She stepped slightly forward, subtly blocking Annabel, and smiled. “Annabel, you were just upstairs. I didn’t expect you down so quickly. Are you here to meet your friends?”
Annabel completely ignored Lillian, her eyes fixed on the girl who had called her a “bastard.” “Say again who you called a bastard.”
The girl felt a chill run down her spine under Annabel’s stare and didn’t dare repeat herself, just stammering, “I… I… ”
Lillian stepped in to smooth things over. “Annabel, we were just chatting. Hannah didn’t mean you.”
The girl, Hannah Watson nodded frantically, relieved.
Annabel shot Lillian a cold glance before turning and walking away without another word.
Once Annabel was out of earshot, Hannah Watson finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Lillian, your bas–sister is terrifying. Does she bully you all the time?”
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11:54 Mon, 2 Jun
Chapter 40
Seeing that Annabel’s departure had also taken the attention of the boys she’d invited, Lillian clenched her fists in frustration. She let out to if holding back tears and hurt.
She dabbed lightly at the corner of her eye. “She’s practically an elder to me. I can’t really refuse whatever she wants to do.
Hannah felt sorry for her and turned on the boys. “You guys are unbelievable, ditching Lillian the second you see a pretty faces Don’t you know hesabat specialty is wrapping men around her finger? She’s engaged, for crying out loud! You want to be just another one of her conqueste
The boys‘ expressions changed, and they quickly started complimenting Lillian again on her makeup and how elegant her dress was
Annabel had already blended into the crowd. Few people recognized her as the eldest Miss White, and the handful who did quickly looked away. They probably figured Lillian was the favored one now, while Annabel was just the isolated, unloved daughter,
She picked up a glass of spritzer. Just as she took a sip, she saw Lillian approaching with her entourage in tow.
“Miss Annabel White,” Hannah Watson called out, emboldened by the crowd, “today is Beatrice’s birthday, the matriarch of the White family. Aren’t you being a bit cheap, a bit disrespectful, not even bringing a gift?”
With so many people around, Hannah wasn’t scared anymore. She met Annabel’s gaze and continued, “Lillian is going to play the piano for Mrs. White later. What about you? You must have prepared a performance too, right?”
Her words drew curious and somewhat amused glances from the surrounding guests. Everyone knew the eldest Miss White was talentless and timid, nothing compared to Lillian, who had won international piano competitions. Annabel performing would just be asking for humiliation.
A smirk played on Lillian’s lips, hidden behind a mask of understanding. “Annabel, if you don’t want to…”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.