“Ma'am? Are you there?” The nurse's voice felt like a long beeping in her head.“Ma'am?” the nurse said again.“Yes, I'm here. Please, what is the address of your hospital?”“It's No. 8…” the nurse rambled as Alice wrote it down in her notepad.“I'll be right there soon,” she hurriedly said, ending the call.She called Travis back, her heart beating loudly.“Travis, my dad, he…” Tears began to blind her vision.“What happened? Relax.”“My dad. He had a stroke. He's in the hospital now.”“I'll meet you there. What's the name of the hospital?”She told him, still crying.“Be on your way to the hospital. I'll meet you there. Stop crying. He's going to be okay.”“Don't you have a meeting now?” Alice asked, hiccuping.“This is obviously more important. I'll meet you in the hospital.”“Thank you, Travis.”“No need to thank me. This is what I'm meant to do.”Alice hurriedly pulled on some clothes, rushing out of the house.“Spring Break Hospital, please,” she said to the driver, hurriedly sh
Octavia whitened as the words Alice resounded in her head. She had to be bluffing.“What did you say, Alice? Perhaps I didn't hear you correctly.”“I said you are not my father's daughter therefore we are not sisters. Stop calling me that. It is an insult to be your sister.”“Are you taking medications you're not supposed to take? Are you hallucinating now living in this big house? What are you talking about?” Octavia stuttered.“Octavia, please.” Alice said, putting a hand up to stop her from talking.She threw an envelope to her and with shaky hands Octavia opened the file.“Dan Willis and Octavia Willis. No match detected.” The document read.How did she even get this? What is she even thinking? Octavia thought, internally panicking.“This could be fake and altered. I'm your sister. You're my sister.”“Octavia. You know it's not fake. You know my father is not your father and you know who your father is so spare me the drama hm?”“Alice, I don't know—”“Octavia leave my house right
“Octavia, where are you going to?” her mother asked as she saw her changing out of her hospital gown to something else.“I’m going to see my dear sister. Ask her a few questions and catch up, you know, just typical sister stuff,” she said, pulling her shirt over her head.“Octavia, wait. Alice is different somehow. It's like she's smarter now, and she knows something we don't,” Victoria said, remembering the events of a few days ago.“You're overestimating her. The only thing I'm sure she did is the pictures she leaked of me and Grant, and I'm surely going to ask her some tough questions about that.”“I told her they were deep fakes. I think she believed me. I don't think you should go, Octavia.”“Mom, please! You're overreacting. I'm going now. I'll see you later,” she said, putting her shades on.She left the house, ordering a Ryde to Travis's estate.“Please, I'm here to see Alice. She's my sister,” she said into the intercom.“Hold on.”Octavia waited, shielding herself from the s
“Look at what you've caused,” she whispered harshly.“I didn't do anything. You were the one reading smut in the school library,” he whispered back.“It's a library and that's what it's for. Whatever I read is none of your business either,” she said, walking away.“Tell Alice you saw me and don't forget what I told you to tell her.”“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”“Remember. You promised you wouldn't forget.”“I don't promise you shit. I'll tell her. Now get off my back and stop bothering with whatever I'm reading.”“Okay,” he said, raising up his hands in defeat. “Remember you said you won't forget.”“Darling, I'm home,” Alice said in a sing-song voice. “How was your day?” she asked him, rushing to give him a big hug. “It was okay. I filed some files and did some research and all. You know, work stuff.” “You're back home early,” Alice said suspiciously. “Oh, it was a very free day. Nothing on my schedule today.” *“Elliot, clear my schedule for the day today.” “Sir?” “I said cle
“You have to come and take care of this right now,” Victoria shouted into the phone.“What do you mean it's too soon? You can't right now?” she said.The other caller said some things, further agitating her.“Your daughter is in a very serious problem. Her reputation has gone down the drain. People are sending out threats. They're digging up past things.”“There's something you can do, and that thing is to figure out a way to clear her slate, because there's nothing more I can do. I have nothing else to do.”There was silence on her end as she listened to what the other caller had to say.“Please. I'll do anything after. Anything. Just help me get rid of those people immediately, please.”“Thank you.” And the line went dead.“Who were you talking to?” Alice said from the doorway.“Oh, Alice,” she said, startled. “I didn't notice you there. When did you get in?” she asked.“But more importantly, how much of the conversation did you listen to?” she thought.“Not too long ago. I heard yo
“She's not my father's daughter?” Alice said.“Yes. They are not related in any way at all. It was 0.00,” Travis said.“Then my theory must be right.”“What theory?”“I think that Victoria killed my mother,” she said suddenly.“You think what?”“I know it sounds crazy, but I think she killed her. Made it seem like it was an accident so she would marry my father and be in control of everything. The Rea I showed you—I think it has some chemical properties that can kill someone. She's trying to kill my father, and she's trying to get rid of me too,” she said in a rush.“Hm. You'll have to be really careful now. You'll need a guard and more evidence to actually back your claim to send her to prison.”“You believe me?” Alice said, her eyes shining.“Of course I believe you. Your stepmother is actually a terrible person. She really doesn't have to do much for me to notice or remember that.”“You're the best hubby ever,” she said, hugging him.“So how was your day?” he asked her, shifting he