Chapter 13
in Nettie’s death.
After all, no one among them could truly claim innocence in
The gates of the manor closed slowly, and Hurst’s figure disappeared entirely from Calvin’s view.
On the ninth day after Nellie’s passing, Calvin finally broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
His dies were thick will despair and regret.X
But it was for too late. His sister his dearest, most beloved family–was gone forever.)
The oppressive air inside Beaumont Mansion lingered, undisturbed even after the rain had ceased.
Every servant moved about with even greater caution, terrified that the slightest misstep might provoke Calvin’s wrath.
Charis stood outside Nettie’s bedroom, biting her lip as she looked at the butler.
“My brother still won’t see anyone?”
The butter nodded, looking helpless.”
Since truly accepting Nettie’s death, Calvin had locked himself away in her room and refused to come out. He wouldn’t see a soul–not even Charis, whom he’d always doted on.”
Charis had no choice but to gently instruct the butler to look after Calvin, then turned and walked away.!!
Once she reached the empty corner of the hallway, the worry on her face twisted into something colder, darker
Nettie, you’re dead–so why can’t you just let them go? Why do you have to haunt us, dragging them into this misery for your sake??
She’d fought so hard to win Calvin’s and Hurst’s affection, and just as she’d begun to bask in their warmth, Nettie had stolen it all back.
How was she supposed to swallow that humiliation?2
Charis dug her nails into her palm, so hard that tiny beads of blood welled up.8
What now? What on earth was she supposed to do??
Her gaze fixed on a night–blooming flower outside the rain–spattered window, battered and defeated by the storm. As she stared, a new idea slowly took shape in her mind.
She humedly pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
“You still have all the dirt on Nettie I gave you, right? Release everything. I want her dragged through the mud, even after death–I want them to curse her name, even now that she’s gone!”
Charis’s voice grew more frenzied with every word, her eyes burning with vicious determination.
She no longer cared about consequences. So what if Nettie was dead? Even death shouldn’t let her snatch back everything Charis had managed to win!?
Whenever Nettle had drawn Calvin’s or Hurst’s attention in the past, Charis would always arrange for nasty rumors about Nettie to spread online.I
It never failed. Calvin and Hurst would be furious at Nettie once again, and their eyes would return to Charis 3
That trick had always worked.
Nettie, alive or dead, you’ll never beat me!
The more Charis thought about it, the more exhilarated she became. She didn’t notice the cold gaze fixed on her back, watching her every
move.
Not long after his falling out with Calvin, Hurst appeared at the mansion once more.
But this time, he wasn’t there to vent his anger at Calvin. He brought with him a revelation so explosive, so unbelievable, that it shattered the fragile silence.2-
The Watson family’s butler stood before Calvin and Hurst, speaking in a hesitant whisper.
He explained that on the night of the Beaumont family’s dinner party, he’d had to leave early for business with the Watsons. While passing the stairwell, he’d overheard a secret–one that changed everything.R
With trembling hands, the butler produced his phone and handed it to the two men.”
On the screen, a video played: Charis stood before Nettie, ranting wildly.
The camera drew closer, and Charis’s voice grew sharper, clearer.!!
always envied you. You never had to try, and you got everything. I was bitter, I was jealous, so I decided to take everything you cared about–one piece at a time–and force you out of the picture.“%
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“But then I realized I was wrong. As long as you were still around, their attention–all those things I’d stolen–would eventually find their way back to you. Only if you died for good would they ever truly belong to me!”
“I thought of a hundred ways to end you, but in the end, blowing up the yacht and letting you die at sea seemed best. That way, there wouldn’t even be a grave to buy–so convenient.”
As her last word faded, the room plunged into stunned silence.
Hurst, still reeling, turned to Calvin. “I knew you wouldn’t believe it, so I gathered as much evidence as I could.”
He dumped a thick pile of papers and photos onto the table–every scrap of proof of Charis’s schemes to frame Nettie.
At that moment, the true culprit behind Nettie’s death finally came to light.
No one could have imagined that the person who’d driven Nettie to her doom was the one they’d always seen as pitiable and helpless–Charis.
The same Charis who’d always seemed gentle, who never minded Nettie, who’d always needed their protection, who’d only had them.
