LOGINShare
Chapter 9
Latest chapter
Their Precious Girl, Their Disposable Daughter Chapter 10
On the first anniversary of the wedding, the council published its new rules governing the suppression of a wolf.An Alpha could no longer impose a seal as a private household punishment. Emergency restrictions required an independent healer, a written reason, and a review by someone outside the commanding family.A request for medical aid could not be withheld pending a confession.The sentence occupied one line.Ruth read it twice on the staff noticeboard before returning to the kitchens. She was now paid for overseeing deliveries, with the authority to record irregularities directly with the steward's office.She kept a copy of the original broth log at home.Not because she expected anyone to ask again. Because she had once held proof in her hands and been told it did not matter.That afternoon, she took a small bunch of market flowers to Evelyn's grave.Mrs. Ashford was already there.For a moment, Ruth nearly turned back. Then the older woman stood and moved away from the bench.
Their Precious Girl, Their Disposable Daughter Chapter 9
Six months after the wedding, Blackthorn's new leader ordered an audit of the old alliance agreement.The marriage clause occupied less than a page.Evelyn's name had been inserted above a line that originally named Celeste. Beneath it were provisions for succession, residence, and the children expected from the union.There was no record of anyone asking Evelyn what she wanted if the marriage failed.The agreement was dissolved. Trade and border protection were negotiated separately, in meetings attended by people who had not been promised to one another as part of the settlement.Adrian received a copy through the prison administration.He read it at the narrow table in his room, then asked to make an addition to his property declaration. Evelyn's unpaid wages and the savings found in her drawer were already protected. He wanted every wedding gift addressed to her returned to her estate rather than absorbed into his family's holdings.The administrator checked the list.“Her executor
Their Precious Girl, Their Disposable Daughter Chapter 8
Celeste's final hearing took place without either family sitting behind her.She had a representative, a healer, and time to rest when the proceedings became too much. The council had ordered that her medical treatment continue. Her illnesses were real. So were the things she had done.The distinction seemed to bewilder her.For weeks, she had expected someone to choose between believing she was unwell and believing she was responsible. The councillors did neither.They reviewed the stolen wolfsbane, the messages, and her statement that Evelyn had locked the infirmary door.“You understood that she would be punished?” the chair asked.“I thought they would cancel the marriage.”“That wasn't the question.”Celeste stared at the table.“Yes.”Before the hearing, Caleb had requested permission to return a personal item. A guard placed it in front of her now: the small silver earring she had once sent him into the gravel to find.She looked toward him.“You kept it?”He stood at the witnes
Their Precious Girl, Their Disposable Daughter Chapter 7
Her mother found the notebook while looking for a photograph.The council wanted one for the public notice clearing Evelyn's name. There were hundreds of pictures of Celeste in the family archive: birthdays, school performances, summer visits to the lake.There were four of Evelyn.In three, she stood at the edge of a group. In the fourth, taken at the engagement dinner, she was looking down.Mrs. Ashford remembered telling her to lift her chin. She could not remember asking whether she was happy.The notebook lay beneath a stack of seating plans.At first, she thought it contained more preparation for the wedding. The opening pages listed pack names, dietary requirements, and the correct titles for visiting officials.Then the handwriting changed. It became quicker, less careful.Ask about the evening course. Check whether the bus still runs after nine.An address followed, then a list of fees.Evelyn had wanted to study bookkeeping.Her mother turned the page.There were calculations
Their Precious Girl, Their Disposable Daughter Chapter 6
The first witness who contradicted Alpha Ashford was a kitchen maid named Ruth.She stood before the council with both hands clasped around the delivery log. When the clerk offered to take it, she held on for a moment before letting go.“I tried to tell the steward,” she said. “After they searched Miss Evelyn's room.”Her employer sat six feet away, stripped of his ceremonial chain but still wearing the expression that had silenced servants for thirty years.“What did you tell him?” the councillor asked.“That she was with me. She helped carry the broth because my wrist was bad.”“Why wasn't that included in the original investigation?”“The steward said the Alpha had already decided.”Ashford opened his mouth.The councillor looked at him. “You will have an opportunity to respond.”He closed it.Other witnesses followed. The hotel attendant who had fetched towels after the champagne tower fell. The officiant who had seen blood on Evelyn's shoulder. A guest who had started forward and
Their Precious Girl, Their Disposable Daughter Chapter 5
Three days later, the council clerk asked Adrian what title should appear beside Evelyn’s name.He had come to collect a statement. His pen hovered over the form.“Luna of Blackthorn,” Adrian said.The clerk glanced at the unfinished ceremonial register on the desk.“The ceremony wasn’t completed.”Adrian looked at the empty line where his oath should have been recorded.“Evelyn Ashford, then.”It was the first correction of many.The council refused his request to question Celeste himself. He was a witness, the clerk explained, and his conduct at the wedding was also under review.Adrian almost reminded him whom he was speaking to.Instead, he sat down.“What do you need to know?”“Start with the glass.”Across the estate, Caleb was packing his office. He had been suspended pending the inquiry. His replacement stood outside while he emptied the drawers, checking each item against a list.In the bottom drawer, beneath old patrol schedules, he found a folded request for a transfer. Evel
You May Also Like
I Was Not a Nobody
Jojo52.4K viewsMy Alpha's Midnight Secret
Bagel15.4K viewsAlpha's Fake Matebond
Peachy28.3K viewsRefuse To Be One of His Thirty Luna Candidates
Crystal K17.1K viewsToo Late to Claim Me, Uncle Alpha
Sol F52 viewsSorry, Mom. I Can’t Be Your Perfect Daughter
Lyra479 viewsThree Days Before My Death, I Granted Them All Their Wishes
AlphaGo463 viewsFour Fathers’ Treasure Turned Punching Bag
Cocojam239 views
