Chapter 16

Shelly's PoV

Zara pulled me away from the crowd and led me down the hall. "Let's wait outside," she said. "Sir Damien will find your brother and bring him over." She looked down. "It's going to be a long day. I'm sorry."

I sighed. "It's not your fault. I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn't have brought Toren. This is all a mistake. I should've done the same as the other unrecognized grandchildren and just stayed away. At least our lives wouldn't be in danger."

"Hey, it's okay," Zara said, hugging me. "You and Toren are strong. You can get through this. And, I'll be there for you. I promise. Damien will too."

"Damien didn't even speak up for me," I said, sighing. "He doesn't care about us. He's just using us. I'm stupid for believing him. I should've known better."

"That's not true," Zara said, shaking her head. "He's just trying to be careful."

"Careful? Felt like he was just using us to taunt the rest." I turned away, my body trembling. "You're all the same. Just liars and snakes."

"Not all of us. We're not the same. We care about you and Toren. We want to protect you. Please, believe me." She looked into my eyes.

I wanted to believe her, but how could I after what just happened? They were all the same. All the rich were the same. Using those poorer than them to achieve their own goals. I was a fool to trust any of them. I was a fool to believe Damien cared about me and Toren. He probably just wanted us to be his pawns, his tools. Well, no more. I was done being used.

"Sounds like a big ruckus inside," Frederick said as he came in, a cigarette in his mouth. He looked at me, then at Zara. "What's wrong? Why are you out here? Who are you?"

"I'm Shelly," I said, tears welling in my eyes. "And, I'm one of the bastards."

"Bastard?" he said, raising an eyebrow. He looked me up and down and gasped. "You look a bit like my nana."

"Your nana?" I said, wiping my eyes.

He nodded. "Yeah. You look a bit like her in her younger days. She was a beauty, my nana. I guess that's why my father liked her so much. That bastard couldn't keep it in his pants. Mom kicked her out when she found out."

I frowned, imagining that crazy old bat kicking my grandma out. "She's a cruel woman."

"She's a bitch," he said, shrugging. "Always has been, always will be."

"Sir, she's your mother," Zara said, frowning.

He huffed. "She might be my mother by blood, but she's not my mother. I grew up without her. I was raised by my nannies and the help. She was too busy spending my father's money. I couldn't even call her mom in public. Always Lady Veyron. That bitch is a gold digger."

Zara sighed. "Sir..."

"What?" He scoffed. It's true. While I don't mean to excuse my lousy old man, I understand why he felt he slept with other women. It probably wasn't just for the sex, but because he needed someone to love him. Not that he knew how to love either.

"Still, that crazy old bat just cared about his money and the title of Lady Veyron de Luthaine, nothing else. Yet you saw how she cried. That's the problem with this family. Too much focus on appearances. Not enough on the people around them. Too busy scheming for power, and not caring who they hurt. And that includes most of my siblings and their children. That's why I left this place and joined the military. Now that was a real family. Brothers in arms, and all that. I even found myself a wife, a nurse. A good woman. Unlike that old bat in there."

He took another drag of his cigarette, then continued. "I heard a few of them talking about you two. The bastards that were brought in. That's what they're calling you. That's why you're crying, isn't it?"

"Yeah," I said, sniffling. "My mom was your half-sister. And, I just found out. I was only brought here because of my inheritance. Everyone is trying to hurt us, or use us."

"Sounds about right," he said, nodding. "Well, you don't need to be afraid of me. I don't care about the money or title. I have plenty of my own. I'm just here to pay my respects." He dropped the cigar and stomped on it. "I'm going to head to the cemetery. I don't care to hear what else is in that will. It doesn't concern me. I just want to see my dad one last time and say my farewell. See you, kids. And, good luck. You're gonna need it."

I watched him walk away, feeling a little better. The stuff he said just now differed from what he said inside. Was it an act? The time part probably was, but the rest felt like a rant at the hypocrisy."

Zara sighed. "That's Sir Frederick. He's a tough man, but a good one." She patted my shoulder. "I'm sorry about what happened. I'm sure the rest of the family will come around eventually."

I sighed and went outside, watching my uncle as he walked away. "Do you really think so?"

She rubbed the back of her head. "Well, maybe not all. But some such as Sir Alexander might."

Him? Well, compared to the rest of the family, he was nice. Compared being the key word. The guy was still a bit of a snob. But that didn't matter right now. It was possible we wouldn't even stay here...