All Chapters of ALMS TO LOVE: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

It was still early in the morning, with the sun not yet risen to illuminate the high windows of the Billion mansion. Fiona Generys tidied her blouse at the mirror in the guest bedroom, her features serene but her head whirling. Liza sat on the edge of the bed, her school shoes cradled in her lap, swinging her legs back and forth."You ready, sweetheart?" Fiona asked, patting Liza's dark braid.Liza nodded, still sleepy-eyed. "Do you think Candy will be at breakfast again?"Fiona hesitated, fingers halting. "Maybe," she said lightly. "But recall what we discussed, okay? Be nice. Regardless of what."Liza blinked up at her. "Even if she isn't?"Fiona smiled faintly. "Especially then.They walked out of their room hand in hand and down the long marbled hall toward the dining room. The clinking of silverware and muffled sounds of conversation greeted them before they reached the door and when Fiona walked in, her stomach fell.Marie Drams was already sitting at the head of the long glass

The pale golden light of dawn streamed in through the large windows, casting long shadows across the smooth wood of the dining table. The room, normally alive with the activity of servants and the background murmur of morning talk, was curiously silent. The silver against china scraped lightly as the stillness crept in like a heavy fog, choking and stifling.Fiona slumped at the end of the table, back straight, fingers clenched around her coffee mug. Her thoughts were a storm of befuddlement and terror, attempting to unravel the twisted web she had gotten herself into. Liza was sitting beside her, chatting mindlessly about school and her friends, oblivious to the electric atmosphere between them.At the opposite end of the table, Marie Drams sat with unnerving composure. She drank her coffee daintily, her back straight as a poker, a mask of serenity on her face. But Fiona sensed it the undertow of spite, the quick, silent judgment in Marie's eyes as she took in the room. Her presence

Fiona's stomach knotted at Marie's calculated cruelty, the way she so conveniently could twist truth and warp it into something she no longer knew. Fiona was ready to defend herself with speech, but before she could utter a word, Marie continued, her tone now frozen."She's unpredictable," Marie repeated, never removing her gaze from Fiona's. "One minute, she's beautiful, the next, she's an entirely different individual—controlling, manipulative, dangerous." She inched closer to Liza, as if sharing a secret. "And she doesn't want you to realize that, sweetie. She's going to lie to you, but don't listen."Liza's wide eyes flicked back and forth between the two women, her small forehead furrowed as she tried to comprehend the words. But it was clear that the seed had already been sown. The expression of doubt on Liza's face ached in Fiona's chest. How did things arrive at such a point? How did Marie find it in herself to take even the most innocuous of moments and twist them into someth

Several hours later, as the clock ticked beyond noon, the mansion's front doors creaked open, and the footsteps resonated in the corridors. Fiona remained seated in the grand living room, her heart still beating wildly from the melee with Marie, her mind a maelstrom of doubt. She looked at Liza, who was happily playing with her toys now, albeit with the wariness glimmering in her eyes. The shadow of doubt had been planted, and she had no clue how to uproot it.The ring of the doorbell pierced the quiet, followed by the muted hum of voices. Fiona's heartbeat faltered. She rose to her feet, smoothing her palms against the sides of her dress as she tried to calm her racing heart. At the back of her mind, she recognized that this was no ordinary drop-by. Something was going to change in this household. Something irreversible.Charles and Madam Jamaica Billion came in together, their bodies striking and imposing in the doorway. Charles, ever dressed to the nines, seemed as though he'd just

Charles's voice was a whip crack, cutting and definitive. "I said enough." His voice was all but a breath before his hand flashed out, capturing Fiona's wrist in a hold significantly stronger than she had anticipated.The room became tense, and for a second, time stood still. Fiona felt the warm heat of Marie's glare searing into her back, but she couldn't manage to turn around. Her heart was racing with a combination of anger, frustration, and confusion bursting through her.Charles didn't glance at Marie. He didn't even look at Madam Jamaica. His gaze was fixed only on Fiona, his face strained with anger, his jaw clenched hard. "Let's go," he muttered, his voice low and ominous, though there was something gentler in his touch, an unspoken request for her to come.Not waiting for an answer, he pulled her along, his pace swift and resolute. Fiona didn't struggle, her thoughts still reeling, her mind circling in all directions. She could hear Marie's mocking laughter ringing in the bac