Chapter 269 The True Bloodline

Chapter 269 The True Bloodline

The next day, Alice had no memory of when she'd fallen asleep.

She only remembered him pushing her to the edge, over and over, until she was begging him to stop, those desperate words spilling from her lips as if he couldn't get enough.

After that, everything went black.

Alice opened her eyes and instinctively reached beside her. The other side of the bed was empty, the sheets cold to the touch.

She pushed herself up, wincing at the soreness between her thighs. She cursed under her breath and swore that if there was a next time, she'd never be stupid enough to let Michael stay over again.

Alice glanced at the clock. Nearly 10 AM.

Her meeting was at 11. Ignoring her body's protests, she scrambled out of bed and started getting dressed.

She moved too fast. Her legs buckled and she nearly went down, catching herself at the last second.

Alice opened the door to find Sidney at the dining table, working his way through breakfast.

He looked up and shook his head like some disapproving older brother, drawing out his words in that half-joking, half-serious way of his.

"Jesus, Alice, not to overstep, but you need to take better care of yourself. You and Michael were going at it for four or five hours yesterday. Keep this up and your body's going to give out."

Alice felt heat rise to her face. She gritted her teeth, her voice tight, "Sidney, knock it off."

Sidney remembered all too clearly catching Michael sneaking out of Alice's bedroom early this morning.

The bastard had looked downright smug, deliberately adjusting his collar to show off several obvious hickeys, like some kind of trophy.

That punchable expression still pissed Sidney off just thinking about it.

"Hey, the truth hurts. But as your cousin, I'm telling you, some guys, once they get a taste, they can't control themselves."

"I know," Alice snapped, already making up her mind to keep her distance from Michael for the next few days.

"Where is Michael, anyway?"

Alice looked around but didn't see him anywhere.

Sidney knew perfectly well that Michael had left early because something came up at his company. Before leaving, he'd specifically asked Sidney to explain things to Alice.

But Sidney had been team Alice from day one.

In his eyes, some guy he couldn't stand had taken advantage of her, so there was no way in hell he was going to cover for him.

"No idea. Maybe that's just how some guys are. They get what they want, then they're out the door."

He spread his hands and let out an exaggerated sigh, his eyes full of mock sympathy. "Not trying to be a downer, but men are unreliable. Especially the smooth-talking ones with ulterior motives."

"Sidney, you're really laying it on thick today. What's your problem with him?" Alice wasn't stupid. She could tell every word out of his mouth today dripped with contempt for Michael.

Since he was caught, Sidney didn't bother pretending. "Nothing much. That guy puts on this whole wounded puppy act to trick his way into your room. I can't stand him. Plus, we were supposed to go check on Stella in the basement today, but the second he showed up, he was all over you."

"Fine. I'll stay at your place for the next couple days and won't contact him. Happy?"

In Alice's heart, compared to Michael, she trusted Sidney more. The fact that he'd always had her back, plus their blood relation, was enough to tip the scales in his favor.

Sidney's mood clearly improved, his tone softening. "That's more like it. Stella's still locked in the basement. Want to go take a look?"

"How did things go yesterday?" Alice asked, remembering the previous night's events.

Sidney patted his chest. "You can trust me to handle things. Stella just couldn't take it and passed out. Don't know if she's come around yet."

"I've got some time. I'll go down with you."

Alice dabbed her mouth with a napkin, and in the next second, her expression went ice cold.

She didn't believe for a second that Stella had actually fainted.

With Stella's personality, there was no way she'd be scared into unconsciousness that easily. Alice was more inclined to believe the woman was faking it, trying to dodge punishment, probably still banking on Robert bringing the Reyes family to her rescue.

"Alright, let's go."

Sidney led Alice down to the basement.

In the basement, Samara was tied to a chair with thick rope, while Stella lay on a bare wooden cot nearby.

She had her head down, seemingly lost in thought.

Hearing the lock turn, she looked up, her eyes dull, her voice flat. "Never thought that after all the effort I put into choosing a family for Stella, she'd grow up to be even worse than you."

"Stella's just like you. Selfish to the core."

As Alice spoke, she walked over to Stella's side. Seeing Stella's eyelashes flutter slightly, she knew immediately the girl was faking.

Alice turned to Sidney. "Get me some water."

Sidney didn't ask questions. He grabbed a large basin and filled it from a nearby bucket.

Alice took the basin and held it above Stella's head.

Seeing this, Samara immediately lunged forward to shield Stella, the iron chains scraping across the floor with a harsh metallic screech.

"What are you doing? My daughter's still unconscious!"

Stella, protected beneath her, didn't dare move.

She had to hold on. Yesterday when she was captured, her father had promised he'd get help from the Reyes family, that he'd come back for her.

So she couldn't blow her cover.

Sidney yanked Samara back. "We've been talking plenty loud and your daughter hasn't even twitched. We're just checking if she's still breathing."

Alice tilted her wrist and the entire basin of ice water came crashing down on Stella's head.

In an instant, it felt like Stella had been plunged into a frozen lake.

Her teeth chattered and she was forced awake, though she still tried to act like she'd just been startled out of sleep.

"Alice, what do you want? Let me go! I don't even know this woman!"

Alice kicked her aside and pointed at Samara, who was being restrained by Sidney. "I'll give you a chance. Since this woman was behind the attempt on my life, if you slap her ten times, I'll let you go first."

Stella's eyes showed almost no hesitation, just a flicker of excitement and calculation. "Really?"

"Of course. What would I gain from lying to you?"

Alice stepped back, clearing space.

Sidney shoved Samara down, forcing her to her knees.

Samara clenched her jaw, her expression barely controlled. "Stella, I'm your mother! You can't do this!"

Stella hunched her shoulders, putting on a show of being forced into this, but her voice rang out self-righteous and clear.

"I don't recognize you as my mother. Besides, you're the one who decided to try to kill Alice. Now that she's figured it all out, a few slaps are a small price to pay for what you did."

Samara never expected those words. She froze in place.

Crack.

A vicious slap landed across her face, shattering her last shred of hope.

Her hair came loose, a vivid red handprint blooming on her cheek. The light in her eyes dimmed, her lips trembling. "I'm your mother. If it weren't for me, how could you have survived this long?"

Stella bit her lip. "Didn't you always say I'm your biological daughter? Then just endure a little more for my sake."