Ste''s silence alone had Cloudia fuming, but now that she''d spoken, it only fueled her anger further.
Ste''s eyes were cold, and a sardonic chuckle escaped her lips. Ignoring Cloudia entirely, she turned to the butler standing nearby. "Make the arrangements to discharge Jaxon." The butler nodded dutifully. "Yes, Miss."
Cloudia''s breath hitched, and she shot to her feet. "Are you out of your mind? He''s your own brother!
You''ve already pushed Urs to the brink, and now you''re going to do this to him?"
Ste lifted her gaze to meet Cloudia''s. "Mrs. Larkin, have you forgotten? There''s nothing between us anymore."
The color drained from Cloudia''s face. "You, you..."
Ste picked up the coffee pot and poured herself a cup of coffee, her movements unhurried and deliberate.
"You guys are very fond of throwing your weight around, aren''t you?"
She couldn''t forget how they''d treated her- trying to bury her, both literally and metaphorically.
Ste continued, "You''ve used that power to oppress others for years, haven''t you? The Larkin family has been running rampant in this town for ages."
Especially Cloudia, whose infamous reputation among the societydies was all too well-known.
Cloudia''s breath came in short, angry gasps. "You can''t do this. You''ve already made Urs incurable. Do you want to..."
"Swallow those words about ''brother,'' will you?" Ste cut her off sharply, her gaze cold and piercing, like daggers.
Cloudia froze, her words dying on her lips.
Ste couldn''t stand the Larkin family''s use of the words about family.
Growing up, she''d known what true familial love was- the kind the Quinn family had taught her to cherish deeply. But the Larkins had given her a new understanding of the word "blood." "Do you know why I didn''t save Jaxon yesterday?" Ste asked.
Cloudia hesitated. "Why?"
"Because he used me of not knowing the difference between close and distant, iming he was my brother." Ste spat the word "brother" with disdain.
Cloudia''s breath quickened, her mind scrambling to process Ste''s words.
"Still don''t get it?" Ste asked, a faint smirk tugging at her lips.
Cloudia was at a loss for words.
"I despise your pretentious faces and your so-called family ties. ''Brother''? What a joke."
If there had ever been genuine affection, things might have been different. But the Larkin family''s version of "family" was nothing more than a weapon- sharp, cutting, and designed to wound.
"Luckily, it was me who ended up as your daughter. If it had been anyone else, they''d either be dead from one of Urs''s ''idents'' or driven to their death by you, their so-called mother."
en
Cloudia felt a chill run through her as a question surfaced in her mind.
Had she really been this monstrous to Ste?
Was her idea of discipline so warped it had bred this hatred in her daughter?
Steughed, a cold, harsh sound. Her eyes were mocking. "I thought you might have learned something by now. Maybe reflected a little. But..."
She let the words hang in the air before turning her gaze back to the butler.
He nodded. "I''ll see to it right away."
"No. Don''t." Cloudia''s voice wavered as she stepped in front of the door, blocking his way.
Her eyes were wide, desperate. "You can''t do this to him. He''s still your..."
The words "brother" died in her throat. She''d seen Ste''s reaction to the term earlier, her loathing it provoked.
Cloudia suddenly understood. Ste
didn''t just dislike the word. She detested everything the Larkin family stood for. It turned out she really was an ungrateful wretch.
en
Why were they ever unkind to her? Wasn''t it all because of her own actions? And now, she had the audacity to pin all the me on them.
Cloudia still felt a lingering anger in her heart. But when she thought of Jaxon lying in the hospital, she ultimately didn''t dare to sh with Ste any further. Once, she had lorded over Ste, but now she was the one feeling cornered and powerless.