Semua Bab The Mistress: Bab 11 - Bab 20

The gathering had started to wind down, the initial buzz of laughter and conversation fading into quieter exchanges and soft music playing in the background. Victoria had found a moment of solace at the edge of the party, observing the mingling guests and nursing her drink. She was lost in thought when she felt a presence beside her.“Mind if I join you?” Zander asked, his voice low and calm, cutting through the haze of her contemplation.Victoria turned to see Daniel’s half-brother, his demeanor noticeably reserved. “Not at all,” she replied, offering a small smile as he leaned against the wall next to her.Zander glanced around the room, then focused back on her. “You seem a bit detached from all the excitement. Everything okay?”His genuine inquiry caught her off guard. “Just… a lot on my mind, I guess,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.“Yeah, I get that,” Zander said, his eyes reflecting a depth of understanding that Victoria hadn’t expected. “Family events can be o

Victoria sat at the small kitchen table, her fingers tracing the rim of her coffee cup. The familiar smell of her mother’s homemade pastries wafted through the air, a comforting reminder of her childhood. Rita moved around the kitchen, humming softly to herself as she prepared breakfast.“Good morning, dear,” she said, her tone brightening as she caught sight of Victoria’s somber expression. “You look tired. Did you not sleep well?”Victoria forced a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Just a lot on my mind, Mom.”Rita frowned, setting a plate of fresh croissants in front of her. “You know, you really should take better care of yourself. Stressing over things that don’t matter will only wear you down.”“What do you mean by that?” Victoria asked, her heart heavy with unspoken truths.“Your family, honey. You need to focus on keeping the home together. Daniel loves you; you just have to remind him of that.”“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Victoria replied, her voice barely above a w

The house was silent, save for the faint hum of the refrigerator and the occasional creak of the floorboards as Victoria moved about the kitchen. The grocery bags were long unpacked, and the dishes she hadn’t needed to wash still sat drying on the counter. The routine was mindless, but her hands kept busy, scrubbing at invisible marks on the countertop as though the action might wipe away the lingering thoughts clawing at her mind.She glanced at the clock above the stove. 11:17 PM. Daniel was already in bed, or at least she assumed so. He hadn’t said anything when he turned off the television and disappeared down the hallway. No “goodnight,” no small acknowledgment that she was still there.Victoria sighed and leaned against the counter, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. The ache in her heart hadn’t dulled; it had only sharpened with the passing hours. She stared out the kitchen window into the dark void of the backyard, the faint outline of the fence barely visible under the

Victoria sat at the edge of her bed that night, the insurance documents spread out before her like a silent accusation. The room was dimly lit, the soft glow of the bedside lamp casting long shadows that danced across the walls. Ethan was already asleep down the hall, and the quiet of the house felt deafening.She took a deep breath, willing herself to think clearly. Panicking wouldn’t help, and confronting Daniel without proof was out of the question. He had always been persuasive, his charm a weapon he wielded with precision. If she accused him now, without evidence, he would likely twist the situation against her—or worse, act on whatever intentions he might have.Her fingers brushed against the papers. “What am I even doing?” she murmured under her breath.Closing her eyes, she let the day’s events replay in her mind. The delivery, the box, the contract… It all felt surreal, like a twisted puzzle she hadn’t asked to solve. She needed answers, but more than that, she needed a plan.

As they wandered deeper into the gallery, Sophie chattered on about the abstract pieces, her voice a steady background hum. Victoria’s mind, however, had started to drift. The gallery felt like a space where she could almost forget about everything—about Daniel, about the nagging questions that had followed her for weeks. The soft murmur of voices, the gentle rustle of footsteps, the cool hum of the air conditioning—all of it brought a calmness she hadn’t felt in a long time.They turned a corner, and there, standing with his back slightly turned, was Zander.Victoria froze.She knew Zander. Of course, she did. He was Daniel’s half-brother, the one Daniel had always spoken about with such thinly veiled contempt. Zander was a ghost in their shared history, a name never mentioned without a sharp edge to it. Daniel had made it clear how little he cared for his half-brother, how much he resented Zander’s very existence. Yet, despite the tension between them, Zander always seemed to exist