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The velvet curtains of the Richardson Mansion didn't just block the moonlight; they seemed to suffocate the room. The air smelled of expensive sandalwood and the bitter metallic tang of unspoken secrets.
Roselette sat on the edge of a mahogany sofa, her skin so pale it looked translucent, like fine bone about to crack. Beside her, Gabriella stared at her own trembling hands. Just hours ago, her father, Frederick—the titan behind Gabriella Enterprises—had been led away in handcuffs. The "Business Tycoon" was now just another prisoner, and the silence in the mansion felt like a physical weight.
Jannet, Richardson's wife, glided across the room in a silk lounge dress that hissed against the floor. She offered a silver tray with a steaming cup of coffee.
"Drink, Roselette. You need your strength," Jannet murmured.
Roselette didn't even look up. She pushed the tray away, her eyes hollow.
"I don't want it," she whispered.
"Don't worry," Jannet added, her voice smooth as honey. "We will bring your husband back. We're family."
Roselette lunged forward, grabbing her brother Richardson's hand. Her grip was desperate, her knuckles white. "Please... you have to bring him back. He's innocent!"
Richardson adjusted the cuff of his designer suit, his expression a mask of calm authority. "I've already called the lawyer. It's a money laundering setup, Roselette. I'm handling it. Stay here until he's home. You're safe with us."
He glanced at Gabriella. His eyes were unreadable—cold, sharp, and lingering just a second too long.
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Shadows in Raina Prison
Across town, the atmosphere shifted from luxury to cold, damp stone. Raina sat behind the scratched glass of the visitor's booth.
Selina burst into tears the moment she saw her best friend. Beside her, Han stood rigid, his jaw clenched.
"Why, Raina?" Selina sobbed, her voice echoing off the concrete. "Why did you go on that livestream and confess to killing Kevin? I know you didn't do it!"
Raina's small, pained smile vanished. She looked down at her bruised knuckles.
"Is it her?" Selina's voice turned ice-cold, her eyes narrowing with sudden realization. "Is it Gabriella? Is she the one behind this nightmare?"
"Stop it, Selina," Han snapped, his voice tight. "Don't blame my sister for everything."
"Don't protect her just because she is your sister, Han!" Selina hissed. "You're acting like she's some saint while Raina rots in here."
"Enough!" Raina's voice cracked through the tension. She bit her lip until it nearly bled, her eyes flashing with a hidden fire. "I was a fool, Selina. That's why I'm here. I was a fool."
Selina froze.
Then, Raina's lips curled into a dark, chilling smirk. "But don't worry. I will come back."
Relief washed over Selina, but it was short-lived. Raina leaned closer to the glass. "Selina, go. I need to talk to Han. Alone."
Selina hesitated but eventually walked away, her footsteps fading down the hall. Han stepped forward, his eyes filled with a friendly concern that felt out of place in such a grim room.
"Raina... tell me the truth. Why did you confess?"
Raina scoffed, a dry, hollow sound. Her eyes darkened until they looked like bottomless pits of shadow. She leaned, her voice a lethal whisper that made the blood run cold in Han's veins.
"Do you really want to know, Han? What if I told you... that I am sitting in this cage, wearing this jumpsuit, and losing my life... all because of your precious sister, Gabriella?"
Han's eyes widened, his breath hitching in his throat. "What...?"
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The air in the office was thick with the scent of expensive perfume and the cold, sharp edge of a brewing war.
Bianca's office was a shrine to power. High above the city, the floor-to-ceiling windows showed a skyline that looked like a playground she owned. She sat in her oversized leather chair, her sharp black blazer perfectly tailored, every hair in her sleek bun in place. But inside, she was crumbling.
She couldn't stop hearing the voice of Nancy, the sister of Raina's fiancé, Felix. Nancy's face had been like stone when she delivered the blow:
"Everything is canceled, Mrs. Bianca. After this arrest, we don't want Raina as a daughter- law in our family."
Bianca snapped back to reality, her eyes flying open. A scream of pure outrage ripped through her throat as she swept her arm across her mahogany desk, sending thick files flying like wounded birds onto the floor.
A soft knock came at the door. Her assistant peeked in, trembling. "Ma'am... a lady is here to see you. She says her name is Roselette... the wife of Frederick."
Bianca's expression shifted from rage to a chilling, predatory calm. "Let her in."
Roselette walked in, her footsteps soft. She wore a pale, elegant dress that looked wilted, reflecting the sadness in her eyes. Despite her husband's arrest, she carried herself with a quiet dignity.
"I know who you are," Roselette said, her voice gentle but steady. "You are Raina's mother. And you are the one who put my husband in prison for money laundering."
Bianca leaned back, a dark chuckle escaping her lips. "I am. But I didn't frame him, Roselette. He is a fraud. He's been one of my business partners for years—did you really think it would be hard for me to dig up his filth?"
Roselette's fists tightened at her sides, her knuckles turning white. "I know why you're doing this. You're angry because my daughter, Gabriella, is the reason Raina was arrested. You're taking revenge on the wrong person. Please... leave us alone. I'll talk to Gabriella. She won't touch your family again."
Bianca stood up slowly. She was taller, her presence filling the room like a dark cloud. She stepped closer, her heels clicking ominously on the hardwood floor.
"Leave you?" Bianca whispered, leaning into Roselette's ear. "I won't leave your daughter, and I won't leave you and your fraud Fredrick too...". Bianca chuckled. "I am going to bring every single one of you down to the dirt. Bear it, Roselette... for your daughter's sake." Bianca's dangerous voice echoed.
Roselette's face transformed. The gentleness vanished, replaced by a burning fury. She stepped back and pointed a trembling finger at Bianca.
"Don't you dare talk about my family. You should be the one feeling shame! Look at what your daughter has become!"
Roselette turned and marched out, the door slamming behind her.
Bianca stood in the silence of her golden cage, a dark smirk spreading across her face. Her eyes turned pitch black, devoid of any mercy.
"Fool," Bianca whispered to the empty room. "She actually believes her husband is innocent."
She scoffed, the sound cold enough to freeze the air.
The lines are drawn and the mothers are at war.
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The clock on the wall of the Richardson Mansion ticked toward 8:16 PM. The grand hallway was lit with dim, golden sconces that cast long, ghostly shadows on the marble floor.
Gabriella was walking past Richardson's private study when she stopped dead. She was dressed in a chic pleated skirt and a tight, long-sleeved top that showed off her sharp silhouette. Her black hair flowed freely over her shoulders, and a single, delicate silver chain caught the light on her neck. She looked like a princess, but her heart was becoming a fortress.
Inside the room, she heard Jannet questioning her husband. "Why only hire lawyers, Richardson? With your influence, you could bring Roselette's husband home tonight."
Richardson took a long drag of his cigarette, the smoke curling around his cold face. "I can't. If I get involved, the investigators will look at my business deals with Frederick, too. I'm not getting trapped like him."
"Who did this to him?" Jannet whispered, terrified.
"Bianca," Richardson replied flatly.
Behind the door, Gabriella's breath hitched. A bitter scoff escaped her lips. Everyone is selfish, she thought, her heart aching with a new kind of pain. Even my own blood.
Gabriella didn't wait to hear more. She turned and sprinted down the grand staircase, her heels clicking like a countdown.
"Gabriella! Where are you going at this hour?" Roselette called out, spotting her daughter rushing toward the massive front doors.
Gabriella ignored her, pushing out into the cool night air of the mansion's gardens. Roselette chased after her, finally grabbing her arm. "I am talking to you! Answer me!"
Gabriella spun around, her eyes flashing with a cold, manic fire. "Instead of trusting your selfish brother, I'm going to bring my father back myself!"
"Gabriella, stop!" Roselette shouted.
"Mom, look around!" Gabriella's voice cracked. "Everyone is selfish! They aren't going to help us!"
Roselette's face contorted with a sudden, sharp rage. She gripped Gabriella's hand tighter. "Come inside. Stop this nonsense!"
"I won't!"
"It's all because of you!" Roselette suddenly screamed, the words hitting Gabriella like a physical blow. Gabriella froze, stunned. Roselette's eyes filled with tears that streamed down her pale cheeks. "If you hadn't started this crazy revenge game, your father wouldn't be in a cell right now!"
Gabriella's nose turned red as she fought back her own emotions. She didn't cry. Instead, her face hardened.
"You think they are right? Bianca and Raina started this! I just gave Raina the justice she deserved. She's in jail because she killed Kevin!" Gabriella shouted into the night. "Your friend's son! My best friend! I won't let it go!"
Roselette stood as still as a stone statue. Then, with a single tear falling, she spoke with a voice like ice. "Are you even my real daughter?"
Gabriella recoiled as if she'd been slapped. "Mom..."
"If you were my daughter, you would listen to me," Roselette said, wiping her face with a trembling hand. "You caused this mess. Now... go. I don't care how you do it, but you bring your father back. Clear your mess and make everything like it was before."
Gabriella didn't say another word. The silence between mother and daughter was louder than the shouting. She turned, her heart feeling like it had finally turned to stone, and climbed into her car.
The engine roared to life, and Gabriella tore down the driveway, the taillights disappearing into the dark.
Gabriella is officially on her own, with no family left to back her up.
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To be Continued....
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