جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 70

CELESTINE’s POVMrs. Maxwell and I went downstairs and quickly headed over to the dining room only to find a man who looked exactly like Arnold, seated at the head of the table. Only his hair was gray in color and the wrinkles on his forehead were now visible as he frowned, reading a newspaper.Seated on the right side of the table was Cynthia, Arnold’s sister, looking intently at us as we approached the table. ‘‘Come sit beside me, Leina…’’ Mrs. Maxwell said as she took a seat on Mr. Maxwell’s right side.I bit my lip as I obliged, sitting down beside her, with Cynthia opposite mine. Then my eyes shifted to the man who had just emerged from the kitchen, holding a mug.Arnold…He winked at me and my face flushed so much that I glared at him only to earn a snicker from him as he sat next to his sister.‘‘Leina… help yourself to whatever it is you want to eat. Feel free to make yourself at home…’’ Mrs. Maxwell remarked, patting my hand in a gentle manner. ‘‘And if there's something you

CELESTINE’s POV‘‘Did you sleep with Arnold?’’ Leina continued to speak while her fingers remained entangled in my hair and she exerted a stronger pull on it. As a result, I felt another jab of pain in my scalp, which caused me to grimace.My attention was briefly drawn to my father, who appeared to be pretending not to notice anything while he was hugging his wife. Nadia could be seen giggling to herself as she stood hidden behind the door. She appeared to be enjoying watching us as if she was watching a play.My vision immediately became blurry, and I focused all of my might into striking Leina in the stomach with my elbow.‘‘Shit!’’ She let out a loud cry, releasing her grip on my hair, and then she stepped back from me while still standing there holding her stomach.‘‘Leina!’’ Ada's eyes widened, and just as Leina was about to lose her balance and fall over, Victor grabbed hold of her.I straightened up and glared at them as I scoffed. ‘‘You have to be nice to me if you want to fi

CELESTINE’s POV‘‘Your mother is such a silly woman...’’ Mr. Smith let out a hearty laugh. ‘‘She was aware that I had a disability. She absolutely could not bring herself to part with the money. I already told her that everything is good and that it would make me happy if she would use the money that I gave her. It’s my way of helping her---’’‘‘Mr. Smith… what’s your relationship with my mother?’’ I interrupted him since I was interested in finding out more about the man.After staring at me for a short period, he eventually broke into a smile and gestured with his hand toward me. ‘‘Don't think badly about us, Celestine…’’ he said. ‘‘We’re innocent--- I mean… it's just a one-sided love. You should know that your mother has never liked me...’’His confession didn't come as a surprise to me at all. If it weren't for love, a strange man wouldn't send four thousand dollars each year to my mom. And if he doesn’t love my mother, I will consider the man who is standing in front of me to be

CELESTINE’s P O VAfter hearing all that happened years ago from Mr. Smith, I am unable to adequately express how I was feeling. I experienced a wide range of feelings, including anguish… wrath… sympathy, and love. I felt pain, sadness, and love for my mother even more for loving me in spite of all she went through with Victor's hands. And a deep-seated hatred for him. A resentment that will never go away toward my father.Now I understood why Victor despised me so much, to the point that his beatings came dangerously close to taking my life. He didn't have much affection for my mom at all. He didn't love her. And the ache in my heart for her only grew more. My mother gave up much more than her life for me and for Leina… but why did they even treat her like that?For Victor Wheeler… getting married was merely a strategy to get more wealth. He now controlled all of the Stewart family's riches and had only kept Leina around as a means of covering his tracks. What a cruel and callous per

CELESTINE’s POVThe atmosphere at the party for the upper class made me feel like I wanted to throw up. While Julian was talking to me, I maintained my cheerful expression but my thoughts were still focused on carrying out my vengeance.‘‘Which famous person would you like me to try to get an autograph from for you?’’ Julian asked in curiosity who was sitting next to me.‘‘Will they give it to you, though?’’ I asked back as I looked around, searching for Victor and Ada Wheeler.‘‘Of course! I am the almighty Julian!’’ he exclaimed as he lifted his arms, showing me his muscles, and I laughed so hard, and playfully hitting his arm.‘‘Celestine...’’ a voice echoed in my eardrums, jolting me out of my trance and bringing me back to my senses.When I looked up, Arnold was standing directly in front of me, and beside him was the very elegant Leina, who had a sour expression on her face because Arnold appeared to be keeping his distance from her on purpose.Arnold's eyes were dark and appear