Chapter 53

Chapter 53
I rushed out of the room and stomped towards Marco's room, my anger boiling over. I couldn't believe he had called me again, after everything that had happened. I was still reeling from the argument with Xavier, and now Marco was adding to my stress.

I burst through the front door, slamming it behind me. "Marco, what do you want?" I yelled, my voice echoing through the hallway.

Marco looked up from his phone, a smirk on his face. "Hey, Lilith. What's up?"

I glared at him, my hands on my hips. "What do you want, Marco? You always call me, always text me. Can't you just leave me alone?"

Marco shrugged. "I just wanted to check in. See how you're doing and how you're performing your tasks."

I laughed, a bitter sound. "You don't care about how I'm doing. You only care about yourself."

Marco's expression turned defensive. "That's not true, Lilith. Well yeah, all I want is the money and properties."

I shook my head, my anger and frustration spilling over. "Please respect my boundaries. I already agree to do whatever you want."

Marco stood up, his eyes flashing with anger. "Fine, Lilith. If that's how you feel, then maybe I should just leave you alone. Remember you have just few days left."

I nodded, my heart besting in my chest. "Yes, maybe you should let me be and stop disturbing me."

Marco's expression turned cold, his eyes narrowing. "So, what's the progress on getting Xavier to sign them all?" he asked, his voice dripping with entitlement.

I sighed, feeling a sense of frustration. "Marco, I'm taking it slow, okay? Xavier has a lot of things on his mind right now. I can't just rush him into forgiving you."

Marco's face darkened, his anger palpable. "What do you mean he has a lot on his mind? I'm the one who's been wronged here! I'm the one who deserves to be the CEO not that mad man!"

I shook my head, trying to reason with him. "Marco! Don't you dare call my man a mad man. You can't just expect him to sign them over to me overnight."

Marco's voice rose, his words becoming more aggressive. "So you're taking his side? You're just going to ignore me?"

I stood my ground, despite Marco's intimidation. "Yes, I'm taking my husband's side, Marco and if you can't be patient maybe we can't work togther."

Marco's face twisted in anger, his eyes blazing with fury. "You're useless, Lilith. You're not helping me at all." He turned and stormed out of the room, leaving me feeling shaken and uneasy.

I stepped out of Marco's room, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. But as I entered the hallway, I was met with a judgmental gaze from one of the maids. She was standing there, her eyes fixed on me with a disapproving stare.

I felt a wave of disgust wash over me as I realized what she must be thinking. She probably thought I was two-timing both brothers, playing them against each other. The thought made my skin crawl.

I quickly looked away, not wanting to engage with her. But I could feel her eyes still on me, boring into my skin. I knew that look, that judgmental stare. It was the same look I had seen on the faces of so many others in this household.

I felt a surge of anger and frustration. Why did everyone assume the worst about me? Why did they think I was capable of such deceit and manipulation?

I took a deep breath and tried to shake off the feeling of disgust. I knew I hadn't done anything wrong. I was just trying to help both brothers, to mediate their conflict. But it seemed like no matter what I did, I was always going to be judged and criticized.

I walked away from the maid, trying to ignore her disapproving gaze. But I could feel her eyes still on me, watching me, judging me. And I knew that this was far from over.

I pulled out my phone and tried to call Xavier, but the call wouldn't go through. I tried again, but it went straight to voicemail. I felt a sense of unease growing inside me. Why wasn't he answering my calls?

I tried to shake off the feeling and decided to call my father instead. But when I tried to reach him, the same thing happened. The call wouldn't go through, and his voicemail picked up immediately.

I felt a surge of panic now. What was going on? Why couldn't I reach either of them? I tried calling Xavier again, but it was no use. I was starting to get really worried.

I decided to try and reach them through other means. I sent Xavier a text message, hoping he would respond. But as I waited for a reply, my mind started racing with worst-case scenarios. What if something had happened to them? What if they were in danger?

I tried to push the thoughts away, telling myself I was being paranoid. But the not knowing was killing me. I had to find out what was going on. I decided to take matters into my own hands and head to Xavier's house. Maybe I could find some answers there.

I was about to call my mother, but then I hesitated. Things hadn't been good between us lately, and I didn't know if I was ready to talk to her yet. I changed my mind and decided to head to my father's house instead. Maybe he could provide some answers or just be a listening ear.

As I was about to leave, my mother-in-law appeared out of nowhere and blocked my path. "Lilith, where do you think you're going?" she asked, her tone firm but concerned.

"I was going to go see my father," I replied, trying to sidestep her.

"I don't think that's a good idea," she said, her eyes narrowing. "I need you to do something important for me right now."

I sighed, feeling frustrated. "But I need to talk to him. I need to know what's going on."

"So? I can't send you on an errand?"

My mother-in-law feigned a smile and said, "Lilith,I have some things that need to be delivered to my friends, and I was wondering if you could do it for me."

I raised an eyebrow, curious. "Why aren't you using a delivery service?" I asked, thinking it was a strange request.

My mother-in-law's expression changed in an instant. Her face turned red with anger, and her voice rose to a near-shout. "How dare you question me! You think you're so smart, don't you? Well, let me tell you, Lilith, you've become very disrespectful. I know you've always been proud, but now it's worse and you're just like all the others, always questioning and doubting."

I took a step back, shocked by her outburst. "I was just asking a question," I said defensively.

But she wouldn't let up. "You're always questioning me, always doubting my judgment. You think you know better than me? I'm your mother-in-law, for goodness' sake! You should show some respect!"

I felt my own anger rising, but I tried to keep calm. "I'm sorry if I offended you," I said, trying to placate her.

But she just shook her head and turned away. "I don't even want to look at you right now. Just go deliver those things for me, and don't bother me with your questions again."

"I'm sorry, but I really need to go see my father," I said firmly. "It's important."

My mother-in-law turned to me, a sly smile spreading across her face. "Oh, I don't think so," she said, her voice dripping with malice. "You're going to do what I asked you to do first. You're going to deliver those things to my friends."

"I can do it later," I protested. "But I really need to see my father now."

She chuckled and shook her head. "I don't think so, dear. You're going to do what I say, or you're not going anywhere." And with that, she walked over to the door and locked it, pulling out the key and holding it up tantalizingly. "I'll only open the door if you agree to do what I asked you to do."

I felt a surge of anger and frustration. How could she be so manipulative and controlling? I tried to reason with her, but she just shook her head and repeated her demand.

"Fine," I spat out finally, fed up with her games. "I'll do it. But only because I have to, not because I want to."

She smiled triumphantly and handed me the packages. "Good girl," she said condescendingly. "I knew you'd see it my way."

I stormed out of the house, the packages clutched in my hand, my heart seething with frustration and anger. How could my mother-in-law be so manipulative and controlling? I couldn't believe I was being forced to do her errands like some kind of servant.

As I walked out and my driver took the packages from me then opened the door for me to get in, my mind raced with thoughts of rebellion. Why was I letting her treat me like this? Why was I allowing her to control my every move? I felt like a prisoner in my own life.

I arrived at the first house and delivered the package with a forced smile. The recipient, a friend of my mother-in-law's, chatted me up, oblivious to my simmering anger. I made small talk, all the while seething inside. She was so annoying.

As I continued on my delivery route, my anger only grew. I felt like I was being treated like a child, forced to do chores without any say in the matter. I wondered if my husband was aware of how his mother was treating me. Did he know she was manipulating me like this?

By the time I finished delivering all the packages, I was fuming. I couldn't wait to get back home and confront my mother-in-law about her behavior. How could she do this to me? Didn't she know I was an adult, capable of making my own decisions? I couldn't go to my father's house anymore as I assumed Xavier would have gotten home.

As my driver drove me back homd, I steeled myself for the confrontation ahead. I was not going to let her get away with this. I was going to stand up for myself, no matter what.

I stormed into the house, my anger and frustration still simmering just below the surface. I was ready to confront my mother-in-law and give her a piece of my mind. But as I entered the living room, I was surprised to see Xavier sitting on the couch, looking at me with a concerned expression.

"Hey, where have you been?" he asked, getting up from the couch. "I've been trying to reach you."

I ignored him and continued walking towards my mother-in-law's room. I was not in the mood to talk to him right now. I had more important things to attend to.

Xavier followed me, his footsteps behind me. "Babe, what's going on? You're clearly upset. Did something happen?"

I didn't respond. I just kept walking until I reached my mother-in-law's room. I pushed open the door and found her sitting on her bed, a smug look on her face.

"It's done," I said, my voice cold and detached. "I delivered all your packages."

She looked up at me, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "Oh, good. Thank you, dear."

I didn't bother responding. I just turned around and walked out of the room, leaving her and her smugness behind. Xavier was still standing in the hallway, looking at me with concern.

"Babe, please talk to me. Aren't we over this?" he said, his voice soft and gentle. "What's going on?"

But I just shook my head and walked away. I needed some time to cool off before I could talk to anyone.

"Xavier, wait for me," I said, my voice low and urgent. "I need to talk to your mother about something."

Xavier nodded and sat back down on the couch, his eyes fixed on me with concern. I walked back to my mother-in-law's room, my heart racing with anticipation. I was going to give her a piece of my mind for manipulating me earlier.

As I reached her door, I hesitated for a moment, my hand on the doorknob. I could hear muffled voices inside, and my curiosity got the better of me. I pressed my ear against the door to listen.

"...and then we can take all of Xavier's properties," my mother-in-law was saying. "He's so trusting, it's almost too easy."

Marco's voice responded, his tone gleeful. "And what about Lilith? She's starting to get suspicious."

My mother-in-law's laughter sent chills down my spine. "Oh, don't worry about her. We'll discard her once we're done with Xavier. She's just a pawn in our game."

My blood ran cold as I listened to their plotting. They were going to take everything from Xavier and get rid of me? I felt a wave of nausea wash over me as I realized the extent of their deceit.

I pulled back from the door, my mind racing with what to do next. I knew I had to protect Xavier, but I also knew I had to be careful. My mother-in-law and Marco were ruthless, and I didn't want to become their next victim.