Fiona grasped Liza's hand hard as they stepped out of the mansion, the aftershocks of the confrontation with Marie still lingering in her thoughts. She felt the tension in the air, heavy with conflict unresolved, but she suppressed it, concentrating on her daughter.When they got into the car, Fiona caught Liza staring silently out of the window, her face etched with doubt. Fiona's heart went out to her. The war to belong in the Billion family was about to start, and the stakes were now greater than ever. But here and now, all that concerned her was Liza's safety, her well-being.Fiona gently squeezed her daughter's hand. "Sweetie, Mommy won't let anyone hurt you. I'm here for you. Always."Liza gazed back at her, her eyes brimming with gratitude and fear. "But what if they. what if they make us go away? What if I can't live with you?Fiona's heart tightened, but she smiled gently, pushing a wandering strand of hair out of the way on Liza's face. "You don't have to be afraid about tha
Fiona sensed the rising anger inside of her, but she contained it. Eventually, the truth would be revealed. She had to keep her wits about her, for Liza's sake.She looked at her daughter, her face relaxing. "Liza, I know this is not true. I know you didn't hurt her." She kissed the forehead, comforting her with the heat of her kiss. "We'll get to the bottom of this, I promise.""Marie, this is the way you taught your daughter to frame other individuals?" Fiona spat.Fiona's voice sliced through the tension like a knife, biting and with anger. She towered above, her chest rising and falling under the heavy words, her gaze fixed on Marie's figure, who had just entered the room. The delicate composure Marie had carried with her before was now superseded by an icy calculating gaze, as if she had been waiting for this showdown.Marie's lips twisted into a tiny, familiar smile. "Framing?" she asked, her eyebrow rising in pretended innocence. "I'm just imparting to my daughter the value of
Candy strolled along the mansion's lengthy corridor, each small step she took sounding softly on the polished floor. Her thoughts tangled, refought, the incident earlier replaying itself over and over in her head. Liza's expression, bewildered, hurt—yet Candy had caught something else there, something behind the eyes. Vulnerability. The one thing she could use to her advantage.She couldn't wait to share the news with her mother. Her lips curved into a sneering smile as she approached Marie's study. Candy had always been able to spin things around, make herself the center of attention. But today, she'd done her job well. Liza had been so easy to manipulate.She walked in and saw that Marie was sitting at her desk, her back to the door, scribbling on a piece of paper. When Marie heard Candy's approach, she swung around, a narrowing of eyes before her eyes softened. "Darling, what did you do?" Marie's voice was icy, but there was a glint of concern beneath that. "Did you do what we dis
Fiona hugged Liza tight, wrapping her arms around her daughter as the gravity of the moment weighed down on her. Every fiber in her being shouted to protect her from the viciousness in Candy's gaze, but she was aware that defending Liza was no longer sufficient. No longer was she content with the fragile moments of kindness that she could provide her child. This was warfare. Warfare for her family, for their destiny.While Liza held onto her, Fiona's eyes never left Candy. The little girl had not moved yet, her eyes sparkling with defiance and cruelty, as if relishing the commotion she had just caused. Her smirk was still plastered, her eyes knotting Fiona's stomach."Think I'll let you win?" Fiona spoke quietly, but with a cold sharpness in her voice. She rose to her feet slowly, never once removing her gaze from Candy. "I've lost enough already, and I'm not going to lose my daughter to the likes of you."Candy leaned forward, the unsettling naivety on her face only serving to make h
The morning sun streamed through the large windows of the mansion, sending long shadows over the marble floors. It was early, the quiet murmur of servants filtering through the corridors the only noise disturbing the silence. Fiona was already awake in her room, getting Liza ready for school. She'd decided to ship her daughter off to a safe, comfortable setting, where at least she would have some quiet from the chaos of the Billion estate.Liza was all but ready, her hair braided neatly, her backpack on the bed, but something about today left Fiona feeling anxious. She couldn't avoid the sense that something was poised to destroy the tenuous peace they'd been able to create in the midst of all the chaos.As they left her room, heading down the corridors toward the front door, Fiona’s nerves began to settle into a tight coil. She knew the mansion well its corridors, its cold, imposing walls but it never felt quite like home. Not anymore.And then, as they turned a corner, Fiona froze.
Candy took a step forward, lips pressed as if she had been carrying the weight of too big a question on her small shoulders. "Mommy…" Her voice trembled a little. "What if they don't leave?"Marie blinked, taken aback for a moment by the accuracy of her daughter's perception. Candy was young, but she was not blind. She could sense tension, she could sense when her mother's voice cracked with contempt when she used Fiona's name, when her manner grew tighter and harsher when Fiona was spoken of.Marie knelt on the floor, holding Candy's face in her hands. She gazed into her daughter's wide, uncertain eyes and used a voice that was steel honed to a point on velvet. "Then I'll make sure they do, honey. They don't belong here. This house, this family is ours. Yours. And I'm not going to let anyone take it from us."Candy bit her lip, glancing at her bear. "But. Charles likes them. Charles is kind to Liza. What if he wants them to stay?"A flare of anger burned hot in Marie’s chest, but she