Chapter 39 Belongings
I wasn't in any rush for Sabrina's response. After hitting send, I casually set my phone aside and went about my business.
The apartment wasn't big. Even from a distance, I could still hear the constant notification pings. Just from that alone, I could sense Sabrina's desperation.
She was frantic. I was the complete opposite. Turns out playing someone like a fiddle feels pretty damn satisfying. I couldn't help marveling at it.
When Sabrina used to lord over me with that arrogant attitude, did she ever imagine there'd come a day when she'd be at my mercy?
I took my sweet time before finally picking up my phone to check. Before I could even savor Sabrina's meltdown, a call came through.
I raised an eyebrow and answered. She sounded desperate on the other end, taking deep breaths to steady herself.
"Sabrina, weren't you acting all high and mighty just a minute ago?" I spoke first.
Even through the screen, I could imagine her face flushing red right now. Honestly? Hilarious.
She forced down her anger. "Catherine, what the hell do you want?"
"Guess."
"You—!"
I let out a cold laugh, unmoved. In my past life, that had been Sabrina's favorite line whenever she messed with me.
'Guess who the brothers will believe—you or me?'
'Guess what I'm going to do next?'
'Guess if they'll agree to your request?'
'Guess who they love more—you or me, the outsider?'
'Guess...'
For a while there, just hearing those two words was enough to trigger me. Sabrina not only didn't back off—she doubled down. After driving me crazy, she'd run crying to our brothers.
I'd suffered countless injustices because of that. Getting yelled at or hit was just daily routine. Now I finally had the chance to throw those same words back at Sabrina.
Wonder how it felt on her end?
Sabrina's breathing grew ragged. "Catherine, you're getting revenge on me, aren't you?"
A suppressed sob came through the phone. "I was wrong, okay? I was wrong! I just want to survive. I haven't even bothered you lately. Why can't you just let me go?"
Hearing her apologize made my heart clench hard. In two lifetimes, this was the first time I'd heard Sabrina apologize under the weight of my resistance.
Silent tears rolled down my face. I wiped them away carelessly with the back of my hand. My heart felt hard as stone. This was what I deserved to hear.
Only then did it dawn on me—endlessly tolerating abuse doesn't earn anyone's respect. You have to be strong, fight back. Only then will your opponent fear you.
"Let you go?" I laughed coldly. "Sabrina, should I say you're too naive?"
"You stole everything from me. To treat your illness, do you have any idea how much I've suffered?"
My voice trembled with suppressed rage. Sabrina went quiet for a moment. She seemed to realize our relationship could only end with one of us destroyed.
She took a deep breath. "Catherine, are you declaring war on me?"
"Not at all. The war between us started a long time ago." Maybe it traced all the way back to my previous life. Two lifetimes of resentment combined had given me the resolve to leave the Rosewood family.
Things had come to this point. Sabrina understood the emotional card wouldn't work on me anymore. She switched tactics, asking about the photo. "Where did you get that picture?"
"Took it myself."
Sabrina gasped. "You were at the ball last night?"
I smiled, neither confirming nor denying. Did she really think I'd tell her? If she went to sell other stuff next time and had her guard up, how would I watch the show?
I wanted to slowly watch Sabrina get consumed by her own greed. She was spiraling, panicking. She also worried I had other evidence. After all, she'd stayed at that ball for quite a while last night.
Denying the person in the photo was her no longer made any sense.
"Just tell me straight—what will it take for you to delete the photo?"
I didn't state my terms right away. Thinking it over, from taking the photo last night to sending it to Sabrina after Nicholas's reminder, I hadn't actually planned to trade it for anything.
But since Sabrina brought it up, why should I be polite? My brain spun rapidly. Considering how desperately Sabrina needed money lately, she'd do anything. Mom and Dad's valuable items should be gone by now.
So... what about everything else?
Sabrina's anxiety built as she impatiently pressed again. Finally I spoke. "I want my parents' belongings. Whether I keep quiet about this depends on how much sincerity you can show."
"Their belongings?" Sabrina asked in disbelief.
I confirmed the demand. To Sabrina, this was basically free. I heard her exhale heavily with relief. I found it amusing.
Did Sabrina think I'd ask for money? Living a second life had taught me there were many things more important than cash.
"Fine. I agree."
"Looking forward to good news."
I ended the call with Sabrina. Only then did I exit the call screen to check the messages she'd sent. The frantic attempts to stop me at first. Then when I wouldn't respond, desperate pleas.
Maybe a single photo couldn't shake Sabrina's position in my brothers' hearts. But human instinct is to doubt. Once the seed of suspicion is planted, it's hard to root out completely.
Sabrina could manipulate them so well precisely because she understood human nature. After reading through everything, I flopped back onto my bed.
The hatred in my heart had inexplicably softened quite a bit. Not that I didn't hate her—more like I'd found peace. When I was little, Sabrina had been this unbeatable monster in my eyes.
Looking at it now? Not so tough after all.
---
Melissa complained to me about the Rosewood family's latest drama. She video called me, her pretty face all scrunched up.
I teased her. "What terrible thing did the Rosewood family do now?"
The second I brought it up, she perked right up. "You're probably sick of watching videos, right? I got assigned to kitchen duty today and witnessed the whole thing. Let me act it out for you."
"Can't wait."
The story picked up after Sabrina had pulled an all-nighter, then spent more energy battling wits with me. She'd finally woken up after sleeping nearly a full day.
She came downstairs bleary-eyed to find Michael throwing a fit while Jason tried to calm him down. According to Melissa, Jason was totally enjoying the drama.
Poor fool. Sabrina just hadn't gotten around to stealing his photography work yet. Eventually even his precious camera equipment and tripods probably wouldn't escape her clutches.
We snarked about it for a bit before Melissa continued with the play-by-play.
The moment Sabrina heard Michael mention finding the painting thief, her brain snapped to full alertness. She rushed over to Michael and Jason in two quick strides.
"Mike, Jason, what are you guys talking about? Did I just hear something about a thief? Did we get robbed or something?"
She played dumb expertly.