Chapter 6!!
I was dragged from the cage like some ragdoll, limp and face down. Gasping for air, I felt Nadine’s foot kick me twice for good measure. “This bitch,” she spat, her tone thick with contempt. “We haven’t even started eating, and she dares to get on the table. I caught her and gave her a good lesson.” She sneered, adding, “She also killed your cat. Francis!
“This is bad! If she finds out about what happened to Buttercup, we’re all done fort” Francis’s face twisted with rage.
My scalp burned as he grabbed a handful of my hair yanking me up until I had no choice but to look at him.
“Let me see what this reckless bitch looks like!” he snapped.
When his eyes met mine, his face went ashen. He froze, his jaw hanging open in shock.”
“Lady Serena!” he stammered, struggling to process the situation.8
“Lady Serena?” Nadine asked, her voice filled with disbelief.
Francis’s expression hardened
“Yes. Serena is the Grandmatriarch of our family. His voice dropped low as he added, “Everything we have today comes from her.” Nadine, still confused, laughed hollowly. “She’s just some stuck–up girl from our class. How the hell could she be the Grandmatriarch? Isn’t Madam Prescott supposed to be old? Serena’s just a stupid, dumb slut…”
Before she could finish, the men in the room, every last one of them, dropped to their knees, bowing in unison.
“Your Ladyship, please forgive us,” they all chanted, their voices hurried, terrified, almost frantic.
Francis’s eyes darted between the men and me, trembling in disbelief. He moved quickly, tearing the tape off my mouth, his panic now Tully visible.
“What the hell is going on?!” Francis shouted, looking around in a frenzy. “What are you standing there for? Call the doctor. Now!” The room descended into complete disarmy as everyone rushed to do whatever they could to fix the mess they’d made.
When I finally woke up, I found myself lying in a bed, surrounded by people with their heads bowed, too scared to look me in the eye. Nadine and her three minions were huddled in the comer, trembling, pushing each other nervously as they avoided my gaze.
Finally, Nadine broke the silence, her voice sharp. “Serena’s the Grandmatriarch? How could you not recognize her, Dad? Are you trying to get me killed?” She pointed an accusing finger at Atticus. “She’s the one who’s going to ruin everything!”
Sweating like a man about to lose his job, Atticus stammered, trying to explain. “Madame Prescott values her privacy,” he said, though his words came out strained, “Besides, I just arrived. Who would’ve thought she’d be a young woman in her teens or twenties?” Nadine was clearly cracking under the pressure and about to lose it when a booming voice suddenly cut through the tension.! “Nadine Jones!”
It was Francis’s father, James. His face was beat–red with rage, his thick beard twitching as he stood on the brink of exploding “You’ve gone too far, he growled, almost choking on his own fury.
Serena’s POVE
“Our family’s legacy spans over 200 years, built by our great–grandmother’s hard work and sacrifices. Lady Serena is the last living heir to that legacy, and as such, she holds the title of the Grandmatriarch. It’s a position of great honor, passed down because of her bloodline and the respect she commands within our family. We all respect and honor her for what she represents,” Francis said, his voice steady. almost rehearsed. “And yet, here you are, coming in and treating her like this.”
Suddenly, in a move that could’ve been straight out of a soap opera, Nadine dropped to her knees, dramatically collapsing into Francis’s
arms.”
“…I didn’t…” Nadine muttered in complete shock.!!
Looking flustered but trying to keep it together, Francis quickly pulled her up and knelt with her, pressing her head to the floor in some. half–baked show of submission.X
“Lady Serena,” he said, his voice desperate, “this is all a misunderstanding. Nadine is young and doesn’t know better. As a wise and compassionate person, we beg you to forgive her just this once.”
Nadine, eager to play the innocent, scrambled to her feet. Her eyes lit up with fake sincerity as she rushed to offer me a cup of tea, as if it were the answer to everything.
“Please, my lady,” he insisted, holding out the steaming cup. “Drink this tea. It will calm your nerves. From now on, we’ll all be part of the Prescotts and live peacefully.
The pain from my wounds still throbbed, sending a sharp tingle through my scalp. It was almost laughable that they thought a simple cup of tea could fix everything.
I gritted my teeth in contemplation. ‘Did they really think they could just walk in here and be accepted into the family?
waved my hand dismissively, knocking the tea from her hands. It splashed across Nadine’s face, and she froze in shock.
“Sorry.” I said coolly, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “But my hand’s broken, so I can’t drink the tea.
Already simmering with frustration, Nadine stood up in anger, her face twisted into a snarl. She pointed directly at my nose, her voice sharp with contempt.!!
“Who do you think you are? I give you face, and you don’t know how to appreciate it she spat
4.20 AM
The room went silent. Everyone e was stunned by her sudden outburst.
“Francis, the girl you brought is too rude!” one of the onlookers muttered.
Francis, his patience hanging by
a thread, quickly stepped in and pulled Nadine away, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead like he was trying to keep things from falling apart completely.
“Don’t say anything more,” he snapped, looking over at me with a forced smile.
Then, without missing a beat, Francis bowed to me again, but it was almost frantic this time.
“Nadine has always been pure–hearted, Lady Serena. She was just influenced by her friends, or she never would’ve made such a big mistake,” he stammered.
Nadine’s friends, who had been quietly watching us, couldn’t take it anymore. They seized the moment and threw some serious fuel on the fire.!
“Nadine spread rumors about Serena and went after Francis. She fooled all of us!” one of them shouted.
“She has always looked down on the poor and loved the rich. She thought Serena was from the countryside, so she targeted her. We’ve seen it all, another chimed in, her face red with outrage !
“Yeah, Nadine’s been fooling around at school, having abortions with gangsters. Serena’s always been her scapegoat,” the third added, her eyes wide with fury.
Before I could even process what they were saying, Francis snapped into action, barking orders at everyone around him.!!
“How dare you speak to her like that?!” he yelled, his voice boiling with fury. “Hit them!”
A few servants stepped forward, brandishing sticks, and without hesitation, they started beating the three classmates, fists and feet fying
Their cries echoed throughout the room like a chorus of pain.!
Nadine, seeing her minions getting beaten and bloodied, pretended to shrink in fear, huddling into Francis’s arms. But I could still see the smug smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Her mouth kept forming the words: ‘What can you do to me?”
It was clear now. Francis was trying to protect her, and in doing so, he was turning against me. I spoiled him too much.
I
I shot a cold, stern glare at Francis, my voice steady and icy as I spoke. “Since you’re so set on protecting her, then let me make this clear -forget about the position of heir apparent.”
Disappointed, Nadine burst out, “What… why?”
