Chapter 23
While Rupert was typing , he didnât notice Elysia quietly emerging from the bathroom.
Her tattered clothes had been replaced with a plain , long shirt â probably one of the servants â uniforms â covering her from head to toe , except for her face .
But Elysia , in the mirror she was nothing like the dirty , sunken figure heâd seen earlier .
Her skin was smooth and flawless , her features delicate and rehned .
Rupert thoght .
She looks so much like Valerie , so much like her !
For a moment , he couldnât breathe .
The memories of Valerie â the woman who had stood by him through everything , the mother of Elysia- flooded his mind .
The woman he had loved , the one he had failed .
The live â streaming screen now flushed with comments .
[ Thank you , Elysia , for saving me from that a
awful Chanel foundation : ]
[ Whatâs with her clothes ? Is the Drayton family so poor they canât even buy a proper outfit for a child ? Why dress her like a servant â ]
[ Go out and show your dad your face like this .
Donât you think you look a hundred times better than Rowena ? I bet he wonât complain about you
In the scene , Elysia did exactly what the comments suggested .
She moved toward the door , determination in her step .
But just as she was about to exit .
Rowena stepped in her way , blocking the door and shoving her hack into the room .
â Who told you to leave like
ike this ? â R
Rowena demanded , holding up the bottle of foundation in her hand .
But this time .
Elysia wasnât going to back down .
Her face twisted with hurt , and she shouted , â Not You and Althea just slandered me ! I didnât steal any eggs , and 1 didnât insult your
â I need to explain everything to Dad ! And Iâm going to tell him everything youâve done ! *
Rowena sneered , then kicked the door shut , trapping Elysia against the wall : Leaning in close to her car , she whispered coldly , â Youâre so naive .
â Right now , Dadâs favorite is me .
Iâve been with him for ten years .
Why would he believe someone like you ?
â Donât forget that you killed your own mother ! Do you really think Dad will still care about you after that ? â
â No ! I donât believe it
Before Elysia could Enish , Rowena grabbed the foundation and splashed it across her face .
The brown liquid soaked into her already plain clothes ruining them further .
â Ugh , disgusting .
â Rowena said , wrinkling her nose in exaggerated disgust .
Elysiaâs body trembled with fury .
She wiped the excess foundation off her face with her sleeve , pushing Rowena aside as she rushed for the door .
But just as her hand touched the handle , Rupert appeared in the doorway .
â Dad , help met Dad , please ⦠It hurts so much ! â Rowenaâs voice was high â pitched , full of fake distress .
Rupertâs eyes darted between Rowena , who was now lying on the Boor , clutching her head and crying , and Elysia , who stood there , her face twisted in fury .
It was obvious who needed protection in his eyes
Without a second thought , he rushed to Rowenaâs side , lifting her up from the floor .
â Rowena , Rowena , are you okay ? Did you get hurt ? â
But Rowena sobbed , offering an unexpected response .
â She didnât push me , Dad .
Donât be angry .
Itâs my fault .
I shouldnât have come between you and her , shouldnât have taken her room , shouldnât have taken you from her 11 move out right away , I swear .
.
â
Rupertâs expression hardened , his voice tinged with disappointment as he turned toward Elysia .
â Itâs just a room .
Why are you treating your sister like this ? Iâm really disappointed in you , Elysia .
â
He turned his back on her , his gaze cold and accusing Without waiting for an explanation , he walked past her with Rowena still in his arms , a firm expression on his face ,
â Someone , the car ready .
Rowenaâs hurt .
Im taking her to the hospital â Rupert ordered .
Elysia stood frozen , utterly confused .
What just happened ? All I did was push her away .
Why did Rowena suddenly fall to the floor ? And this room
sheâs the one who brought me here .
Why is she lying to Dad and making up stories to frame me ?
Frustration and anxiety boiled within her as she hurried after Rupert , grabbing onto his sleeve and pleading .
â Dad , please believe me .
I only pushed her away , I didnâtâ â
Before she could finish , Rowenaâs cries cut her off .
â Dad , my head really hurts ! It hurts so much ? â
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Chapter 23
Kupen immediately turned back to Rowena , his voice soft with concem .
â Rowena , donât be scared .
Dadâs here â
He snapped at Elysia , his voice laced with irritation .
â Elysia , let got Canât you see Iâm trying to take care of your sister she needs met
â And Iâm not just your father â Rowena is my daughter toolâ Rupertâs words were sharp .
This room has always been hers ! Why do you have to fight her for it when there are so many other rooms â
Elysia shook her head , her eyes red and raw with emotion .
But no tears came , and that only seemed to make Rupert more certain that she was faking it
When she didnât let go , he forcefully pushed her aside and stormed out , still holding Rowena tightly .
From the very beginning .
Rupert hadnât given her a chance to explain .
It was as if he had already decided that Elysia was the one at fault .
Feeling completely helpless and wronged .
Elysia collapsed onto the floor , clutching her hands together .
Her voice was a soft whisper , barely audible .
â Dad ⦠why wonât you listen to me ? What did I do wrong !
â I didnât take her room , and I didnât hurt her .
Why why does Dad hate me now ! What should I do â
Her eyes were hollow with confusion , and for the first time , the faint spark of hope she had held onto seemed to vanish .
Unlike before â when she had been kidnapped and still hoped to return home and see her family â now that hope felt gone .
â Maybe maybe if I apologize to Rowena , Dad will forgive me ? â Elysia thought , the idea flickering weakly in her mind .
The live â streaming screen now flushed with comments .
[ No ! You canât apologize ! If you do , Iâll unfollow you immediately ! I canât stand this martyraci ! II
[ Same here ! If I were Ehsia , Iâd grab a knife and go after them .
Who cares about this fatherâs forgiveness ? I donât need it ! ]
( Can you all be more rational ? Sheâs only fourteen , and youâre talking about knives ? Donât you see youâre only making her dad more sure that sheâs bullying Rowenat
But Elysia quickly dismissed the thought .
â No.
I didnât do anything wrong ! Dad always says , Do the right thing , and God will bless you .
As long as Iâm innocent , everything will be fine ! â
Her expression hardened with resolve , but the pain inside her didnât ease .
Torin .
Fenwick , Caellan , and especially Rupert â if they could see her now , they would understand exactly what she was going through .
But perhaps the one suffering the most was Rupert .
He had unwittingly trapped himself in a nightmare of his own making
Now , as he saw the world through Elysiaâs eyes , he realized how his blind favoritism had pushed all the blame onto the wrong person â Elysia .
The wright of his mistake was unbearable .
Rupert thought .
Maybe I shouldâve believed Rowena when she said Elysia didnât push her .
Maybe I shouldnât have jumped to conclusions .
It was my mistake .
I misjudged Rowena â
The live â streaming screen now flushed with comments .
[ This is so frustrating Can Rowena and that Rup whatever â his â name â be go away already ? ]
[ Yeah , her dadâs name is Rupert Drayton , but honestly , he should be called Rupert Blind , because thatâs exactly what he is .
Iâd love to see what the doctor says about his condition ]
[ When my vision went blurry earlier , I thought it was Elysia crying .
But when I felt something wet on my face , I realized I was the one crying ]
Whatever .
Elysia didnât cry .
She didnât even shed a tear when she found out her mom was dead .
Sheâs clearly cold â hearted .
]
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