Chapter 5: Cold Revenge

Shantal had been dumped by Ullysis twice now.

Of course, she wasn’t happy about it.

She said little to Weldon before hanging up the phone.

What she didn’t know was, just a second before the call ended, her soon-to-be ex-husband had finally picked up.

Sitting in her car, Shantal frowned, still trying to make sense of everything.

Ullysis had pushed so hard for divorce two days ago… yet now, he was dragging his feet.

Did he regret it?

No. She wasn’t that naïve.

If Ullysis Ray Ford wanted to end things, he would.

Fast. Clean. No hesitation.

Since she couldn’t figure him out, she stopped trying.

Ullysis wasn’t her priority right now.

She had more important things to handle.

Shantal started the car and drove home.

Halfway there, her phone rang.

The sharp, squeaky voice on the other end was familiar.

“Shantal, I’ve got the information you asked for. Should I send it now?”

“Yes. Email it to me. I’m almost home.”

After hanging up, her fingers tightened on the steering wheel.

Her eyes turned cold as ice.

Back at her downtown apartment, Shantal opened her laptop the moment she walked in.

She checked her inbox.

A smile crept across her lips as she read the document.

Just as she expected.

The file was all about her so-called stepsister, Regina.

Shantal’s father, Roger Zellweger, had married into the powerful Harver family.

That’s why Shantal carried her mother’s surname, Harver.

Her mother, Wendy Harver, died when Shantal was only two. They blamed mental illness.

Roger raised her alone for two years… until her grandfather pressured him to remarry.

Enter Susan Todd, and her daughter, Regina.

Everyone thought Regina was just Shantal’s stepsister.

But two years before Roger’s car accident, Shantal had stumbled across an old, yellowed photo in his study.

It showed Roger and Susan.

Roger looked young. Far too young for the timing to add up.

That’s when the doubts began.

Had Roger known Susan long before her mother?

And Regina?

Was she really just a “stepdaughter”… or Roger’s illegitimate child from an affair?

Before Shantal could uncover the truth, Roger died.

But now, with the file in front of her, the truth was crystal clear.

Shantal traced her finger over Regina’s name and smiled coldly.

Since you love pretending to be the helpless one… I’ll make sure you play that role to the end.

Later that day, Shantal visited Stappord Hospital.

“Mrs. Harver, you’re here,” a nurse greeted.

Shantal nodded.

“How’s my uncle today?”

“Mr. Steven Harver’s condition hasn’t changed. But… please talk to him. Familiar voices help.”

“I will.”

Shantal stepped into the ICU.

Her uncle lay silently on the bed, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths.

Two years ago, after retiring from the army, he collapsed.

Since then, trapped in a coma. A silent prisoner in his own body.

Her grandfather once told her…

It was exactly the same way her mother died.

Only now… Shantal wasn’t sure it was coincidence.

The doctors never found a clear cause.

In the end, they blamed it on a recessive genetic disease that ran through the Harver family.

Unfortunately, in her mother and uncle, the gene had become dominant.

The illness slowly destroyed the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for thinking and movement, turning them into empty shells.

For the past two years, Shantal had been secretly developing a drug to repair damaged nerve cells.

If it worked, her uncle might wake up.

It could even help other patients trapped in the same nightmare, no matter the reason.

Shantal stayed a while, speaking softly to Steven, as she always did.

There was no rush to return to the lab today.

First… she had to return to the Zellweger family.

It was time to start her revenge.

Leaving the inpatient building, she was walking toward the parking lot when a familiar voice called out,

“Mrs. Ray Ford?”

Shantal raised her head.

A tall, sharp-featured man approached, dressed in a crisp suit.

Samuel Quartley.

One of Ullysis's trusted subordinates.

Another member of the city’s four major wealthy families.

“Mr. Samuel,” Shantal greeted coolly.

“No need to be so formal. Just call me Samuel,” he replied, easygoing as ever.

But his eyes sparked with curiosity the moment he saw her leaving the hospital.

“Were you here to see your uncle?”

“Yes.”

She paused, then added calmly,

“And Mr. Samuel, I’m no longer Mrs. Ray Ford. The divorce is done. You can call me Mrs. Harver now. Or Shantal. But not that name.”

She didn’t want to hear it.

And Ullysis wouldn’t like it either.

Samuel froze, blinking.

“What? You’re really divorced?”

He’d heard whispers… Ullysis chasing after his ex-girlfriend, Natalie… dumping Shantal in the process.

Shameless, Samuel thought.

His eyes drifted over Shantal.

She wasn’t the dramatic type.

Rarely complained. Rarely made a scene.

Where was Ullysis ever going to find another wife like that?

If it were me… Samuel thought, I wouldn’t let her go.

Shantal’s expression stayed indifferent.

“We’re divorced. Simple as that. Remember that next time.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away, her figure graceful and composed.

Samuel, still in disbelief, took out his phone and snapped a quick photo of her leaving.

By dinnertime, Shantal arrived at the Zellweger family villa.

“Ms. Shantal, you’re back.”

The family, gathered in the living room, looked surprised for a moment,

Then they stood, smiling warmly, their act flawless.

“Shantal’s back? Why didn’t you tell Mom you were coming?”

Susan Todd rushed over, her face full of fake affection as she grabbed Shantal’s hand.

If Shantal hadn’t seen the truth…

She might have believed that false concern.

But now?

Susan’s touch only made her skin crawl.

Shantal gently pulled her hand free, her smile cold.

“This is my house. I come and go as I please. Why?”

She tilted her head, her voice sharp beneath the calm.

“Do I need to check in with you first?”

Susan’s face froze, caught off guard by Shantal’s tone.

For a flicker of a second, her mask slipped.

But Susan had spent years perfecting her act.

She still needed Shantal.

She couldn’t afford to start a fight.

Suppressing her irritation, Susan forced a gentle smile and said nothing.

Shantal watched her silently.

The cracks were starting to show.

And this was only the beginning.

“Shantal, you misunderstood me,” Susan rushed to explain, forcing a sweet smile. “I’m so happy you’re back. If I’d known, I would’ve told the servants to prepare your favorite dishes.”

Shantal didn’t bother responding.

The way Susan shamelessly called herself “Mom” made her stomach turn.

Without a word, she walked down the hallway.

Her gaze landed on the young woman seated on the sofa.

Pale cheeks. Colorless lips.

Regina Zellweger.

The so-called daughter of Roger and Susan.

The living proof of her father’s betrayal.

When Shantal was little, she had pitied Regina, believing her fatherless, treating her kindly.

But the truth had burned that kindness to ash.

Regina wasn’t fatherless.

She was a few months younger than Shantal…

Proof that Roger had been sneaking around with Susan long before her mother died.

Today, Regina wore a snow-white sweater over a light brown knitted dress. Her long black hair draped over thin shoulders, her face delicate and weak, an act, Shantal now knew.

Regina caught Shantal’s stare, her heart twisting with bitterness.

Shantal’s flawless beauty, her calm confidence… everything Regina envied.

They were both Zellwegers. But Shantal, the legal daughter, stood tall, admired by all.

And her?

The illegitimate child. The quiet shame of the family.

Why? Regina seethed silently.

Just because Shantal’s mother had been the first wife?

The weight of jealousy pressed on her chest.

No use pretending now.

Her voice turned cold.

“Why are you staring?”

Shantal’s lips curved into a faint, sharp smile.

“Oh… nothing. Just thought you look even uglier than the last time I saw you.”

Regina’s pale face darkened, anger flashing in her eyes,

But she hid it fast.

Shantal’s insult was so casual, so indifferent… it hurt worse than open hatred.

Roger and Susan’s faces changed.

Fury filled the air.

“Shantal!” Roger snapped, his tone hard. “How can you talk to your poor little sister like that? Show some respect!”

But Shantal stayed calm, no trace of guilt on her face.

She turned her cool eyes to him, voice dripping with quiet mockery.

“Dad, I was just being honest. Did I sound sarcastic?”

She tilted her head, her gaze cutting sharp as glass.

“People always say, ‘A father turns cold toward his daughter after he remarries.’

I never believed it.

But now… I see they were right.”

Her eyes slid to Susan, who was already glaring, lips pressed tight.

Shantal’s smile deepened, her voice soft but laced with disdain.

“Since you married my father… even telling the truth became a crime.”

Susan’s expression cracked for a moment, then she forced herself to look pitiful. Her eyes reddened, voice trembling.

“Shantal, how can you say that? I’ve treated you like my own daughter all these years. I never mistreated you. I gave you everything, ”

Shantal cut her off with a cold laugh.

“You’re right.”

She stepped forward, her eyes cold as ice.

“You gave me everything… except a real family.”

Shantal glanced sideways at Susan, her eyes cold.

“Would you really dare?” she asked softly.

Susan froze, her fake smile faltering.

Of course she wanted to.

Since the day Shantal was born, Susan had been waiting for her to die, the sooner, the better.

But back then, Roger had been loyal to the Harver family. Even after Wendy's death, he protected Shantal fiercely. So even after Susan married into the family, she never dared to touch her.

Shantal had been spoiled by her father and grandfather. She always got her way.

Yet… she'd still accepted Susan as her stepmother. Obeyed her rules. Even… admired her at times.

Susan always thought Shantal was just desperate for a mother’s love after losing Wendy so young.

Even Regina had benefited. Shantal had treated her like a real sister.

But today… something was different.

Shantal’s cold, sharp gaze made Susan’s stomach twist with unease.

Did she find out?

A flicker of panic crossed Susan’s face.

Roger looked equally confused, but neither dared say much with Shantal standing there.

Roger finally broke the silence. His voice gentle, but edged with concern.

“Shantal… what’s wrong with you today? Did your mom upset you? Why are you acting like this?”

In his heart, he didn’t believe for a second that Shantal knew the truth about Regina.

If she had… with her temper… she’d have left long ago.

Susan jumped in quickly, her tone careful, her smile forced.

“Shantal, if I’ve upset you, just tell me. You don’t have to say such hurtful things.”

She turned to Regina, who sat frozen on the couch, pale with anger and shame.

“Your sister’s always been weak… you know that. Your words really hurt her.”

Shantal didn’t even blink. Her voice cool, careless.

“I’m in a bad mood. And when I’m in a bad mood, I vent.”

Her eyes slid to Susan, sharp as glass.

“You two have freeloaded in my house for twelve years. You’ve given nothing in return.”

A cold smile curved her lips.

“So now, I’m collecting the rent.”

Roger’s face darkened instantly.

“Shantal!” he snapped.

“Have I spoiled you so much you’ve forgotten your manners? That’s your stepmother you’re talking to! Show some respect!”

Susan and Regina both exhaled, relieved.

Roger’s scolding was exactly what they hoped for.

Susan lowered her gaze, dabbing fake tears from her eyes, playing the victim to perfection.

“Forget it, Roger,” she whispered, voice trembling just enough.

“Shantal’s just upset… don’t be too hard on her. Let’s just eat.”

Roger’s gaze shifted between his wife’s teary, fragile face… and his cold, distant daughter.

His jaw tightened.

“Enough with the attitude, Shantal,” he scolded, his voice heavy with disappointment.

“Go wash up. We’ll talk about your behavior after dinner.”

Shantal didn’t flinch.

Her eyes remained cold, calm, untouched by his anger.

Inside, she smiled.

Let him think he’s still in control… for now.