Chapter 4 Bait

The next morning, the Houghton and Benton families released a joint announcement that the wedding between the two families had been called off.

Immediately following that bombshell, a second, even more shocking piece of news was dropped.

Samuel and I were engaged. The woman who was supposed to marry Rylan was now marrying his uncle.

The news sent shockwaves through all of Astrael.

Things played out exactly as I expected on Rylan's end. The moment he tried to tell Courtney he wanted to marry Elisa, she tore into him without mercy.

In the end, Rylan's grandfather, Alfie Benton, stepped in to smooth things over. He suggested putting the matter on hold until Elisa gave birth.

However, Alfie made one condition clear. Elisa would only be allowed through the door if she delivered a boy.

The Bentons clearly looked down on her, but the moment Elisa got the news, she treated it like a royal decree and rushed over to gloat in my face.

"Oh, Amy, you never saw this coming, did you? I'm the one who wins in the end! Samuel is a dying man who won't last much longer. Eventually, the entire Benton empire will belong to Rylan, and I'll be the lady of the house. I honestly can't wait to see you begging for scraps at my feet!"

Her eyes flashed with a twisted sense of pleasure.

This was the one thing I could never understand in my previous life.

I stared directly at Elisa and spoke slowly. "Elisa, I treated you well."

If I hadn't pitied her and brought her into our home, she would still be wandering the streets. After taking her in, I had done my duty as an older sister and never mistreated her.

Why did she hate me so much?

"Treated me well? Hahaha! Stop being so hypocritical, Amy!"

Elisa let out a sharp laugh, her face contorting into an ugly mask. "You say you treated me well and brought me home, but those were just scraps of charity. We're both Dad's daughters. The same blood flows through our veins. Why did you grow up in luxury while I was left homeless?

"Why do you get to marry into a prestigious family while I can't even cross the Benton threshold? You've been sitting on your high horse for too long, Amy. It's time you tasted what it feels like to have absolutely nothing! Starting today, I'm taking everything that belongs to you!"

I stared at her in silence for a long moment before a wave of sheer absurdity washed over me.

My past kindness had nurtured a venomous viper.

"I've seen plenty of ingrates, but you really take the crown. Fine, consider it my mistake for casting my pearls before swine. But your biggest mistake was using the entire Houghton family as a pawn in your little game.

"You slept with my fiance. Did you ever stop to think what people outside would say about Grandma and our family?"

Elisa reacted as if she had just heard the funniest joke. She laughed so hard tears practically welled in her eyes. "Grandma? Our family? Hahaha! Who cares about them? The only thing that matters is that I live the high life!"

She was selfish to the core, entirely incapable of understanding that in a prominent family, everyone rose and fell together.

She only cared about satisfying herself and had no regard for the survival of the family.

As I looked at her twisted face, the accumulated hatred, despair, and agony of two lifetimes finally hardened into absolute resolve.

It was time to destroy Elisa.

I clutched my chest, feigning deep shock and distress. "It seems like we want entirely different things out of life. Just get out."

Elisa let out a cold scoff and turned on her heel to leave.

Before she could get too far, I deliberately said to Susan, "Has my angel figurine arrived yet? I kneeled outside the shrine for three days and three nights to get that, and I even had the craftsmen carve it so it shares a slight resemblance to Mrs. Benton Senior. She's bound to love it."

My voice was just loud enough for Elisa to catch every word.

Susan was innocent by nature. The moment she heard me mention the gift in front of Elisa, she quickly clapped a hand over my mouth. "Hey! She hasn't left yet!"

She was terrified Elisa would copy my idea.

I simply smiled. Susan was really innocent. Copying my idea was nothing. Stealing my things was what Elisa did best.

Sure enough, Elisa paused in her tracks at my words. A cunning smirk played on her lips before she slipped away.

"See? She definitely heard you!" Susan said anxiously.

But I only smiled with complete confidence and replied mysteriously, "Did she? Good. I wanted her to hear it."

Elisa truly believed her looks and wits were a match for mine. She had no idea that a nobody raised on the streets could never match the schemes of an heiress raised in a prestigious household.

If I hadn't trusted her so blindly in my previous life, she would have never had the opportunity to ruin me.

"Susan, help me fetch the angel figurine."

Once Elisa was completely gone, I walked over to the desk and lit a red candle.

I let the melting wax drip directly into the eyes, nose, and mouth of the figurine, then quickly used a piece of silk cloth to wipe away any excess wax on the outside.

When I was finished, the angel figurine looked absolutely flawless from the exterior.

"Amy, what are you doing?" Susan asked, looking completely baffled by my actions.

"Nothing."

Just paving the road for Elisa's destruction.

…

The next morning, the Benton family hosted a banquet.

Elisa and I arrived at the Benton residence at the same time.

Earlier, before I left, Susan had frantically shouted, "What do you mean it's gone? How could it just vanish!"

I'd pretended not to notice the upturned corner of Elisa's mouth. Lowering my head, I'd sighed. "I don't know either. I left it right on the desk. Let's just keep looking."

Elisa looked manic with excitement as she recalled how Susan and I had frantically searched for the figurine. Her fingers tightly clutched the mulberry wood box in her hands.

"Oh, Amy, you really are my dear sister. Once again, you've done all the hard work just for me to reap the rewards!"

Seeing how much Courtney liked me, Elisa assumed whatever gift I prepared would automatically win her favor.

She had sneaked into my study the previous night to steal the figurine.

What she didn't realize was that I had earned Courtney's favor through genuine devotion, not a mere figurine.

Besides, Courtney had long been dissatisfied with Elisa. After all, she had thrown the family into chaos. Did Elisa honestly think a gift could make up for that?

If I guessed correctly, Courtney was already seriously considering changing the family heir.

The moment we entered the Benton residence, Elisa couldn't wait to present herself. "Mrs. Benton Senior, I know you are deeply devout, so I specially sought out this angel figurine as a gift for you. I hope you like it."

But Courtney ignored her completely. Smiling, she turned to me and extended her hand. "Come here, sweetie. Sit right next to me. I know you love chicken soup, so I had the kitchen prepare it for you last night!"

She pulled me down beside her, acting as tenderly as if she were my own grandmother.

I smiled warmly. "We really are on the same wavelength. My stomach was just craving exactly that!"

Courtney let out a delighted laugh. From start to finish, she spoke only to me and ignored Elisa.

She even turned to Rylan right in front of Elisa and said, "Rylan, you're the heir to the Benton family. Whether you inherit the family empire or not, your status remains noble. You shouldn't let just any random woman climb into your bed."

The words were a public slap to Elisa's face.

I glanced at Elisa. Sure enough, her face had flushed a deep crimson.

Rylan looked incredibly uncomfortable as he replied, "Grandma, Elisa isn't like that. Look, she knows how deeply devoted you are to your faith, so she prepared an angel figurine as a gift for you. She really put a lot of thought into it… Please, for the sake of the baby she's carrying, just take a look at her gift."

I looked at Courtney, who remained completely unmoved and treated Elisa like she wasn't even there.

Elisa clenched her teeth in hatred, but she quickly forced her face back into a pitiful expression. "Mrs. Benton Senior, I truly prepared this gift out of pure devotion. Please just give me a chance."

"No need!" Courtney's lips tightened into a hard line. "I don't have a granddaughter-in-law like you, and the Benton family will never allow a woman who uses such filthy methods to enter the family!"

"Rylan…" Elisa whimpered, tears streaming down her face.

Rylan looked torn. If my guess was right, Courtney must have given him a severe thrashing over the past few days, so he didn't dare speak up for Elisa any further.

I smirked as I watched the drama unfold.

Elisa seemed angry, but she quickly changed tactics and turned to me with a pitiful expression, trying to guilt-trip me.

"Amy, my dear sister, didn't you say you already forgave me? If you truly have, please plead my case to Mrs. Benton Senior. I only want to show my respect to her. Please, just help me."

Hearing those words made me utterly nauseous.

She wanted to show her respect, so she needed my help? Meaning if I didn't help, I was the one stopping her from being a good granddaughter-in-law?

People always reaped what they sowed. She had done something so disgraceful, and now that nobody liked her, she was trying to drag me down with her.

Now she suddenly remembered we were sisters? Where had that sisterly bond been when she crawled into Rylan's bed?

She was exactly the same toxic parasite across both lifetimes.

But this time, I was going to give her exactly what she asked for.

I turned to Courtney and put on a grand display of magnanimity. "Mrs. Benton Senior, why don't you take a look? Perhaps she really did put her heart into preparing it."

Elisa looked surprised by how easily I'd helped her, but she didn't have time to think about it. She immediately chimed in, weeping softly, "Yes, Mrs. Benton Senior! I went through so much trouble to get this figurine.

"I kneeled outside the shrine for three days and three nights until my knees were bruised. The heavens can bear witness to my devotion!"

I almost laughed.

Kneeling until her knees were bruised? She had literally stolen this from my study last night.

She truly couldn't open her mouth without spinning a web of lies.

Seeing that I had spoken up for Elisa, Courtney looked displeased, but she ultimately relented. "Fine. For Amy's sake, I'll give you a chance. Bring it over."

I made a move to take the box, but Elisa shoved me aside and eagerly handed it to Courtney. "Mrs. Benton Senior, this is a token of my devotion. I hope—"

Courtney looked inside the box, and a flash of pure fury crossed her face. Before Elisa could finish her sentence, Courtney delivered a vicious backhand slap right across her face, sending her crashing hard onto the floor.

"Elisa Houghton, you bitch! How dare you curse me?"

Looking at Elisa's panicked expression, I slowly curled my lips into a smile. A chilling glint appeared in my eyes.

She had taken the bait. The real show was finally about to begin.