CHAPTER 18: History repeating

CHAPTER 18: History repeating

The air in the living room in the Maxwell estate was thick and heavy with tension. Veronica paced in front of the fireplace, her stilettos clicking against the marble floor, and her expression twisted in fury.

She had been in a foul ugly mood since she returned from Edward's house. It was not the first time that she had had a fight with the billionaire mogul, but it was the first time that it was about a woman.

Sarah.

Despite his growing lack of interest in her, Edward never cheated on her or gave her cause to believe that he was, but her innate paranoia and insecurity always led her to nag him.

Sometimes, she wondered why he still had not finally broken up with her.

Estelle sat calmly on the burgundy velvet sofa, sipping from a crystal glass of wine. She had been watching her daughter's tantrums for the past hour with growing annoyance.

Her heavily jewelled fingers adorned with gleaming rings glinted under the golden chandelier as she raised the glass to her lips again.

“I can’t believe him!” Veronica fumed, spinning to face her mother. “He threw me out of his house like I was some worthless nobody!”

Estelle's brows drew together, and she quickly dumped the glass on the table.

She had been silently waiting for her daughter to tell her what the problem was, and now they finally come to the crux of the matter.

“And what exactly happened, darling?” She asked anxiously.

Veronica’s nostrils flared. “Because of her, of course!” she snapped.

Her rage exploded into a thousand pieces of shrapnel, puncturing everything in her immediate surroundings.

A line appeared in between Estelle's brows, and despite the suspicion gnawing in her gut, she narrowed her eyes.

“Who?:

“Sarah. That bitch. Ever since she came back, Edward’s been different. Distant. Cold. He used to tolerate me, but now it’s like he's even getting tired of tolerating me!”

Estelle sprang up from the couch, with a sense of urgency, and agitation.

“Then it seems we have a problem?”

Veronica let out a frustrated laugh, running her manicured hands through her hair. “A problem? No, Mom. I am going to solve this problem once and for all,” she asserted.

Estelle’s eyes darted around in confusion, before it returned to Veronica. She stepped closer to stand in front of her. “What are you talking about? What are you going to do?”

“I'm personally going to kill her!” She howled.

Personally, Estelle hated Sarah to the point that she wanted her out of the way, but that was too dangerous.

She shook her head. “No. You can't do that. That's too dangerous. You might get into a lot of trouble.”

Veronica shrieked in a shrill voice, and gripped the back of the couch in frustration, her nails digging into the smooth velvet.

“I knew this would happen the moment I saw her again in that office. She’s back, acting all high and mighty, like she’s above us now.”

Veronica’s eyes burned with intense resentment. “I bet she thinks she can take Edward away from me, now that she's changed.”

Estelle’s eyes hardened, and her lips pursed into a thin line. “That would never happen. Sarah would never take anything from you. She would never take Edward from you.”

Estelle burned with anger. She would never allow her husband's bastard child–the daughter of her husband's mistress to beat her daughter. History would never repeat itself.

Edward was the wealthiest man in the country, and the most eligible bachelor, and her daughter was the only woman who deserved to be with him.

She knew that Edward was not interested in her daughter anymore. Truth was that he didn't need to be taken—he had long since been slipping away.

He had never spoken about the marriage which had been his condition for investing. But after Sarah left, he had never brought up the issue again.

“Why has he not proposed yet?”

“I have no idea.”

Veronica had thought that he would have asked her to marry him immediately after Sarah had left, but it never happened till now.

“Do you think there is anything between them?”

Veronica whipped around, her face contorted in rage. “No! I won’t let that happen. Edward is mine.”

Estelle turned around to face her, tearing her gaze from the crackling fireplace. “Of course, he is. But we need to do something fast.”

Veronica faltered for a moment, but then her fists clenched. “I'll never let her ruin my relationship with Edward. Once she's out of the picture, then things will go back to normal.”

Estelle nodded approvingly. “Now, that’s the daughter I raised.”

She stepped closer to her, her voice dropping a few octaves lower, to a conspiratorial whisper. “You have to act fast, sweetheart. Edward may not know the truth about Sarah now, but if she tells him–”

Veronica’s stomach clenched. “No,” she whispered.

“If she tells him the truth,” Estelle continued, pressing her point home. “Everything we built–everything we have achieved will come crashing down. Do you think Edward will forgive you—me, if he learns that we lied to him? That we manipulated him into choosing you, and believing that Sarah was the guilty party.”

The ruthless business tycoon had a cold and formidable aura, but his anger, and wrath was scary. He could destroy them with barely a snap of his finger.

A moment of tense heavy silence stretched in the room, as mother and daughter pondered on the same thought.

Veronica felt a cold wave of panic wash over her, at the thought of him learning the truth.

Edward was many things; ruthless, powerful, and arrogant, but one thing he wasn’t— was a fool. She knew that he had started to have doubts. If he discovered the truth that she and her mother had lied to him, and fooled him—he wouldn’t just leave her. He would destroy them.

She shook her head fiercely. “That can’t happen. It won’t happen.”

Estelle nodded in agreement. “Then you must do something very fast to get rid of her.”

Veronica lifted her chin, her green eyes gleaming with determination. “I’ll ruin her.” Her voice was ice-cold, filled with venom. “I’ll destroy Sarah before she gets the chance to take Edward from me. I will destroy her so much that she would regret ever returning to this country.”

Estelle smiled. “Now, that’s my girl. What is your plan?”

Veronica looked at her mother, and smirked evilly. “I'll let her have her moment for now, but my darling sister would not see what I have for her coming.”

Estelle's phone buzzed on the couch and she picked it up to check the caller, and immediately, blood drained from her face.