Chapter 2
It was her father’s birthday, a day Thalia had hoped would go differently. Halfway through their drive, she proposed stopping to buy a present. Without warmth or hesitation, Cassian refused. “We don’t have time. Getting a gift isn’t critical right now.”
The car came to a halt right at the entrance to the banquet hall. Cassian got out to park, leaving Thalia with a brief text: “Go inside without me.”
As she stepped into the opulent hall, soothing music greeted her ears. Barely inside, she was accosted by Ophelia, who never missed a chance to confront her. Surrounded by her entourage, Ophelia wasted no time.
Chapter 2
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With a condescending smirk, Ophelia feigned disgust, pinching her nose. “Thalia, how disgraceful of you. Has the Wynn Family fallen so low? You didn’t even bother with a piece of jewelry. You’re humiliating us, the true ladies of high society.”
Her friends snickered, their laughter sharp as knives. “Some eldest daughter of the Wynn Family you are! You can’t even compete with your sister.”
Ophelia’s sneer deepened. “It’s truly pathetic. Isolde was a beloved actress, once the darling of the capital, and yet, here you are- less than the child of a mistress. No wonder your father strayed!”
Thalia couldn’t escape the weight of her mother’s legacy. Isolde, her mother, had been a celebrated actress, an icon who left it all behind for love. When her father,
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entranced by her beauty and talent, pursued her relentlessly she eventually agreed to be his wife and forgave her career to become Thalia’s mother.
But Thalia’s universe crumbled at sixteen when Isolde perished in a car crash.
in those vulnerable years, when Thalia faced false accusations, her father was frequently sighted in questionable company, one being Selene’s mother.
Confronting him then, Thalia had asked, “Why do you do this? How can you betray Mom?”
Coldness had overtaken his face, an icy response she would never forget. “If I owed anything to your mom, I’d have never raised you. I should have ended it when you were born. Without you, maybe she’d still be here.”
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That bitter knife of a sentence continued to sice through her heart. After Isolde’s death, The blamed Thalia, convinced with the others that she was at fault.
Thalia was burdened by an intense, unspoken remorse. If only she hadn’t censuaded her mother to fetch the cake that day, perhaps things would have been different But now, regret was a shadow she couldn’t escape
To Thalia, her mother’s memory was sacred, above reproach. So even though Ophelia’s words were crafted to incite her, Thalia couldn’t restrain herself. Her hand flew out, slapping Ophela hard. “Silence. I won’t let you defame her. Even if I’m no longer part of the Wynn family, I still hold a position on the Board. You have no authority to speak to me this way”
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Chapter 2
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Ophelia’s eyes flared with the sting of humiliation. “You wretched woman, how dare you slap me! My father will make you pay!”
Thalia faced her coolly, a steely smile touching her lips. “I’ll be waiting.”
Just then, a gentle and graceful voice spoke from behind Thalia. “Thalia, what’s happening here?” At the sound of the voice, Thalia froze, a wave of all her suppressed emotions crashing down on her. Her eyes welled with tears as she turned to look.
But that single glance was enough to freeze her blood and send a chill through every part of her being.
