Chapter 3

Like a rotten apple spoiling the bunch, Delilah had taken this crooked path to a whole new level.

She'd been carrying on with Casper behind closed doors for ages, but due to the vast difference in their social standing, she couldn't waltz through the Stratton family's front door. So, she used me as her stepping stone.

During my frequent bouts of mental instability, she'd show up dripping in diamonds, tossing a divorce agreement and a wad of cash at my feet like she was throwing scraps to a beggar.

"Oh, sis, I've been so kind as to plead your case and even left you some money for cremation. You should be thanking me."

I stared at her coldly. That smug look on her face - she was the spitting image of her mother.

We'd been too naive, forgetting that some people are rotten to the core.

I couldn't die like this. If I was gone, my mother would have no one to rely on. "I want to see Casper!"

"Hee hee hee, I really don't understand why you're clinging to life. Don't you know? Your mother, our dear Mrs. Gevano, passed away long ago."

Her face was twisted, her words sharp, laced with a mix of pity and mockery.

I jerked my head up, my hand shooting out to grip her throat. "What the hell are you saying?"

My eyes were bulging, almost bleeding with rage.The servants swarmed in to pull me away. Without a word, the housekeeper slapped me across the face. My hair was a mess, and half my cheek swelled up.

She wasn't satisfied and slapped me hard again.

"You think those good-for-nothing uncles of yours can still protect your mother now that your grandfather's gone?" She grabbed my hair, forcing me to look at her.

Did she think I was blind to my father's little games? As soon as my grandfather passed away, he couldn't wait to bring Vivienne into the house, quickly seizing control.

But I never imagined he could be so heartless and disloyal to my mother.

Back then, he was just a penniless college student. It was my mother who fell for him at first sight.

My mother threatened to starve herself, leaving my grandfather no choice but to let his precious daughter marry him.

She nurtured him carefully, giving him connections and resources. That's how he became the CEO of the Gevano family business.

After I married Casper, the messages from my dad came like death warrants. He wasn't concerned about my well-being, just pressuring me to humble myself and secure benefits for him.

In the end, as the Gevano family grew stronger, he brought his mistress home and his daughter became Mrs. Stratton.

What about me? What about my mother?We've become nothing more than stepping stones for that couple's social climb.