Free Web NovelChapter 53: Chapter 53
Aria’s POV
Alexander reached into his jacket and pulled out a kraft envelope. I could feel my pulse quicken as he handed it to me. "This is a letter from Madam Osborne to you, Ms. Darvin. She began preparing these gifts for you long ago. The assets listed in the will exceed even what’s mentioned here."
I stared down at the letter in my hand, my fingers brushing against the rough paper. Kate had been preparing this for me... for so long?. The ache in my chest felt sharper now.
My grandmother had left me everything. Everything I’d never thought I’d have. I hadn’t known how much kate had really thought about me, how much she had cared. My throat tightened as I gripped the envelope, my fingers curling around it, trembling with the weight of the years.
My eyes brimmed with unshed tears. I wasn’t ready to feel this, this sorrow, this loss. freewebnovёl.ƈom
I looked up and sawAlexander’s voice ringing out clear as a bell. I caught the shock on Sophia’s face. She was standing nearby, her eyes wide as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Of course she couldn’t.
Our grandmother had left so much to me. Not just Darvin Group stocks, but the manor? Sophia’s jaw tightened, her hands clenching inside her sleeves. I could practically feel the resentment coming off her in waves.
She was angry. She had every right to be. But this time, it wasn’t hers to take.
I won. I’m done being second place.
She might be the adopted daughter, but I was Kate’s blood. I had the right to claim this, to take what was mine.
Margaret’s face didn’t betray any surprise. She’d always known her mother’s devotion to me, had always resented it, and I’d felt the undercurrent of that resentment in everything she did.
But seeing the way Sophia’s eyes reddened, how the tears welled up in her gaze, it twisted something deep inside me.
I felt the wolf inside me stir, a cold, bitter growl rising in my chest as I turned to face them.
"No," Margaret’s voice was sharp, cutting through the silence like a knife. Her eyes were hard, unyielding, as she turned to Alexander. "I’m Kate’s daughter, her direct kin. I object to this will."
I stared at her, my wolf snarling within me at her audacity.
Alexander looked at her with polite patience, but I could sense his confusion. "Pardon?" His eyes flicked between her and me, no doubt trying to make sense of what was unfolding before him.
"This will include assets already transferred to the Darvin Group," Margaret continued, her voice colder now, more calculated. "As the wife of the head of the Darvin family, my consent should be required. I refuse to let Aria have them. I want the assets transferred to my younger daughter, Sophia Darvin."
I felt my muscles tighten, the air thickening with the weight of her words. She’s going to take this from me. She’s going to steal everything that was now mine. My wolf howled inside me in protest, and I could feel the heat building in my chest, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.
Alexander’s expression changed. His gaze flickered toward me, a slight shift of curiosity, and I could see the pity in his eyes. I’m sure he’s wondering why Margaret would try to cut her own daughter out of a will like this.
I could feel the shame creeping up on me, bitter and suffocating, but I shoved it aside. I don’t need their pity. I’m not weak. I won’t let them take this from me.
"My grandmother left this legacy to me," I said, my voice low and steady, but the undercurrent of my rage was unmistakable. "I won’t let a single piece go to anyone else."
Alexander shook his head, his tone apologetic, but his words were firm. "Mrs. Margaret Darvin, Ms. Darvin is the rightful heir named in Madam Osborne’s will. If she refuses, I cannot alter it."
The silence in the room was thick, like the air before a storm. My heart raced, but there was no fear in me, just the heavy thud of blood rushing through my veins. I could feel the tension like a taut wire, the power crackling between us.
Sophia’s voice broke the silence, her words edged with panic. "What, so the Darvin Manor belongs to Aria now? On what grounds? She’s an ex-convict."
Her face was pale, the resentment written all over it. She really thinks she can just take this from me? She really thinks she deserves it?
Margaret’s eyes darkened as she glared at me, a cruel sneer curling her lips. "You object? What gives you the right to refuse?"
She’s going to make me feel small. She’s going to push every button she can. But I won’t break.
Her voice was colder now, venom dripping from every word. "Your grandmother was healthy as a horse. If you hadn’t broken her heart with your mistakes, would she have fallen ill so suddenly? And where were you when she was dying? Where were you when she passed with her eyes still open?"
My jaw clenched so hard I thought my teeth might crack. My body trembled, despite myself, as Margaret’s words hit their mark. Every word was like a knife twisting deep into my chest, but she knew exactly how to wound me.
No one could cut me like she could. My own mother, I thought bitterly. How many times has she done this?
"Now, you are standing here to claim this inheritance? Shame on you, Aria!"
Her voice was sharp, a blade that made my insides twist with something raw. Suddenly, the sting of her slap cracked through the air. It echoed in the room like thunder, and the world froze.
My head snapped to the side from the force of the blow, and I could feel the burn of her palm on my cheek. The taste of blood in my mouth intensified, sharp and sour.
I was used to Margaret’s favoritism, but this level of humiliation, especially in front of a stranger like Alexander, still sent a hot, searing pain through my chest. How dare she?
I lifted my head, and I felt the cold fury in my veins, the wolf in me stirring beneath my skin, ready to claw its way out. My gaze locked onto Margaret, cold and unforgiving.
"Don’t you know who the real culprit is?" The words slipped out before I could stop them, a soft, mocking laugh escaping me, the kind that felt more like a howl of bitter frustration. It echoed in the air, making the room chill.
Over year in prison, and I’d been innocent all along. This is what it’s come to?
"Wasn’t it Sophia who framed me?" My voice was light, almost casual, like a dandelion seed carried off by the wind, scattering into the air, but beneath it, there was a dangerous edge.
