Claraâs voracious scarfing down of instant noodles came to an abrupt halt. After slurping the last forkful, she pushed the bowl aside and grabbed Ivy by the hair, yanking her closer.
âOuch!â
Ivy winced as her scalp was pulled taut.
âThink youâre all that, huh? What are you worth anyway? Asking me if I want money or other things. Do you even have two dimes to rub together? What gives you the right to act so high and mighty?â
Clara despised Ivyâs haughty attitude, especially now that she had her at her mercy.
Ivy squeezed her eyes shut, involuntary tears streaming down her cheeks from the pain.
âLet me go.â
âHahaha! Beg me, then I might consider it!â
âPlease! Clara, just let me go!â
Ivy had no clue when Balfour and his men would discover sheâd been kidnapped. She could only play the penitent in front of Clara, hoping to buy them more time.
âHahaha! To see you, Ivy, reduced to tears and begging me-itâs just too satisfying! I shouldâve done this way, way sooner!â
With a vicious flick of her wrist, Clara released Ivyâs hair, sending her head crashing onto the bed with a thud.
Ivy blinked, momentarily paralyzed.
Clara seemed oblivious as she prowled around the dilapidated room.
âWhat did you do wrong, you ask? As if you havenât made enough mistakes over the years. You know what your biggest mistake was, Ivy? Being born. Your very existence ruined my life!
I shouldâve strangled you in your crib. Without you, that harbinger of doom, my family would have been better off. Even your own mother ended up bedridden because of you. If I were you, Iâd have hanged myself already, not parading around marrying the heir to the Howard family. The shamelessness!â
Ivy thought Clara must have lost her mind. How else could someone have such severe delusions? If cruelty was a virtue, Clara could pass for a saint.
âDo you think I wanted to be born into the Dunhill family? None of this was my choice.â
Ivy gasped out, struggling for breath. Neither Tessa nor Clara had ever considered whether sheâd wanted to be born at all. Given the choice, she would never have chosen this family.
From the moment she entered the Dunhill household, unloved by her father and disliked by her mother, even this so-called sister harbored deep-seated hatred for her. Ivy couldnât fathom how sheâd survived all these years.
Fortunately, she finally found solace in Balfours love.
The thought of Balfour tightened Ivyâs fists. She couldnât give up, even only for his sake.
Clara suddenly started sobbing as if she were the one who had been heartbroken.
âClara, I owe you nothing. My birth mother never cared for me. Hasnât Tessa been good enough to you all these years?â
âWhat good is that? Itâs all an act! Tessaâs just afraid of being labeled the wicked stepmother, so of course, she plays nice.