“Do you know how much they hate women with scheming hearts like yours? So many others tried to worm their way in before. Guess what happened to them?”
She paused, her eyes flashing with jealousy.
“But I’ll admit, you do have a pretty face.”
She eyed the bracelet on my wrist, her gaze lighting up before she ripped it away.
The Browns had come from the mountains to the city, nearly homeless until Richard pitied them and gave Martha work, even funding Chloe’s college education. Chloe had been clever and gradually earned a bit of favor from Richard and Ethan.
But greed has no end. The two of them grew more and more ambitious, spending money on luxury and even coveting the role of mistress of the house. Chloe began to act as if she were the true heiress.
At her coming-of-age, she secretly took my sports car from the garage to show off and ended up injuring a child in an accident.
She and Martha knelt before Richard and Ethan, sobbing and begging for mercy. Chloe even slapped herself in tears, pleading for help.
Feeling sorry for them, I convinced Richard to let them keep their jobs at the mansion. Little did I know, I had welcomed wolves into our home.
“That’s mine—it’s all Mom left me…” I cried.
“Mom? The mistress of this mansion died ten years ago. Don’t you dare lie!” Martha shouted.
They summoned others to hold me down, kicking me in the face until blood filled my mouth and teeth shattered.
“This little slut is good-looking, but did you really think you could become the mistress?”
“Look at that vixen’s face!”
Chloe grabbed my hair and smashed my head against the incubation chamber.
Cracks spread across the glass. With a shattering crash, it broke, and blood streaked my face.
My blood dripped onto the white snake’s body.
In the next instant, the snake opened its eyes.
It looked at my battered form with shock and sorrow, then darted forward, hissing at Martha and Chloe.
Through my haze, I thought I saw that gentle figure from memory—Grace—standing in front of me, shielding me from harm.
“A snake? Where did this come from!”
“Ugh, disgusting! I hate snakes the most.”
“Not only stealing, but now bringing snakes into the master’s house?”
“Relax, Mom, it’s not poisonous.”
But the snake had been dormant for too long; its body was weak. Chloe seemed to notice and grabbed a stool, smashing it down hard on the snake.