Chapter 22
Hannah couldn’t believe things had gone so wrong. She had orchestrated tonight perfectly–Yancey’s visit, his talking with her father, the wedding details settled over dinner.
But the wedding plans hadn’t even come up, and Yancey didn’t treat her gently as he always did.
What’s going on? she wondered. “Why’s everything spiraling so far out of control!
“Hannah” Yvonne’s voice snapped her out of her daze. Hannah turned to see her mother standing behind her, her eyes flashing with anger.
“Bitch. Did you see that? She just treated us like we’re nothing. Yvonne hissed her tone sharp.
Hannah’s face twisted with anger as she snapped, “Why did you even invite her today? You knew I was bringing Yancey home.”
“I didn’t expect her to humiliate us so brazenly,” Yvonne said through gritted teeth, her voice dripping venom. “Just like her wretched mother–both born to shame this family.”
She’d meant to drag Daphne back here and savor that sweet revenge. Backfired spectacularly. Not only did her grand show of triumph–crash and burn, but she was the one left scrambling to save face
Hannah tried to calm her mother down. “Well, it’s not that le
not that bad,” she said. “At least Dad despises her now”
Yvonne let out a cold laugh, her eyes filled with disdain for Mason. That fool was actually talking about giving Daphine a share of the family fortune. To protect and support her after the divorce. Can you believe that?”
Hannah’s heart skipped a beat. “Is he serious?” she asked, her voice tight with worry
Yvonne smirked. “Not a chance. That girl can rat for all I care. I told him to reconsider carefully. No need for any hasty decisions.”
Hannah breathed a sigh of relief. “Good” she said.
“After al
rall the drama tonight, Dad’ll definitely change his mind.”
She and Yvonne shared a knowing smile. The Shaw family fortune was theirs–and Daphne, the outsider, wasn’t g
getting a a penny.
Suddenly, Hannah remembered about tonight’s drama–earlier, Daphne had made a huge scene demanding this mystery item from Mason Hannah had braced herself for some dazzling heirloom–only to see a tiny, ancient box.
So she asked, “Mom, what exactly did that wretch leave for Daphne
“An old necklace,” Yvonne saiffed, her tone dismissive
I years aro. And you
you even gave it back.”
“An old necklace!” Hannah scoffed in confusion. “Why bother keeping it? We could’ve chucked it years ago.
Pleasure flickered in Yvonne’s eyes. Tve looked into this. That necklace is from the Hylorian elite–a loaded and powerful dynasty. It’s a badge of their bloodline, for family members only, a key to their inner circle.”
Hannah’s eyes lit up “Reateline…”
“Exactly” Yvonne’sumirk grew. “Who cares how that tramp got
of it! I just know it’ll come in hanity. And Daphne is not getting her hand on it
Hannah had damissed it as junk, but now–her throat tightened as she got this news. She asked at once, “But you gave it back. Why?”
Yvonne tapped Hannah’s nose playfully. “Darling, do I look like a fool? A fool who gave her such a treasure?”
Hannah looked puzzled. “You didn‘?? Then what was in the box?”
Yvonne planted her hands on her hips, her scheme unfolding with greasy precision “Had someone get some pawnshop junk during dinner. Slapped at in that bon”
Hannah jaw dropped. So thats why Mom insisted on dinner! Keep Daphine around and buy some une?
the grinned, wide and wild “So the real thing’s ours?“
vonne purred, her eyes gleaming “Once we crack its secrets, we’ll ride that necklace all the way to the to
Shed risked everything to swap it–nearly tripped over Mason’s suspicions. If this didn’t pay off, she would be so pissed off
They exchanged glances with mirrored smiles, clearly itching for mor
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Chapter 22
The night was crisp, and Daphne leaned against the cool glass of the car window, her mind wandering as the soft piano music filled the cabin. Gradually, the jumbled thoughts in her head began to settle, like ripples smoothing out on a
na pond.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Philip asked, glancing ove
Daphne shook her head, a faint, bitter smile flickering across her face. “Just trying to make sense of it all.”
Philip raised an eyebrow. “What’s there to make sense of?”
She sighed, staring out at the stars, “Why do people change! Why do they become someone you don’t recognize?”
She remembered her father–kind, gentle, always there for her. And Yancey–once so nice.
But somewhere along the line, they’d both turned into strangers, their words and actions tearing at her until she felt like she was drowning in the pain. Four years was all it took to shatter her illusions.
Philip sighed, his hand briefly squeezing her shoulder, “People change, Daphne. It’s part of life. We can’t control them, but we can control how we react. All we can do is protect ourselves.”
It made sense. When people wanted out, they walked. No one could stop them the only choice was to armor up and keep moving. Daphne forced a smile and sank into her seat. “Yeah. I guess I just forgot how important it is to protect myself.”
she’d been so naive, thinking that if she just tried hard enough, she could change things and make Yancey see how much she loved him. But in the end, it had only left her more hurt, more broken.
Philip stared at Daphne, all that concern clogging his throat. But comforting was not his thing. He just smiled, “Hey, enough of this gloomy stuff You haven’t eaten much tonight, right? Let’s get you something good to eat”
He sounded cheerful, almost playful, and Daphne couldn’t help but smile. “Sounds good,” she said, feeling a little lighter. “Let’s go
After dinner, Philip escorted Daphne back to the Sheppard manor, reminding her to get some rest before he headed out.
As he climbed into his car, he saw his dad, Edwin, emerging from the house, bundled in a fur coat and clutching a steaming mug. With a stern look, Edwin called out, “Where are you going at this hour, you troublemaker!”
Philip rolled down the window and leaned out. “Dad, Ill make the Shaw family pay. This is for Daff
Edwan raised an eyebrow “What’s this about?”
Philip relayed what Daphne bad told him over the phone, his voice tinged with frustration. “Mason is pushing her around. It’s not fair. I need to do something to set things right”
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