Juliette smirked, tilting her head slightly as she crossed her arms. "And now, we're claiming what's rightfully ours." Her voice dripped with amusement, her sharp eyes locked onto Crescentia. "Do you have a problem with that, Cress?"
Crescentia stared at Juliette, disbelief and fury swirling in her chest. It was impossible. There was no way everything that once belonged to her parents had suddenly become her relatives' property.
She turned to her uncle, her voice barely above a whisper. "Uncle…?"
Magnus Belmore regarded her with cool indifference, as if she were nothing more than a nuisance. "What you heard Juliette say is right," he said, his deep voice carrying authority. "The lawyer has already read the will. My brother signed everything in my name."
Crescentia's hands clenched into tight fists. "That's impossible!" she snapped. At first, she had wondered how they'd settled the will so quickly—her parents had barely been gone for a day. But now, it was clear. They had planned this from the beginning. They wanted to steal everything, stripping her and Noella of their rightful inheritance.
"I'm my father's eldest daughter," she stated, her voice laced with fury, "And I deserve to be present when the will is read. You have no right to kick us out of our own home! You really don't!!" She shot a glare at each of them, daring them to challenge her words.
Victoria, her aunt, scoffed, arms wrapped around her chest in boredom. "Your father signed everything to us. You and your sister have no home here. Why is it so hard for you to believe that?"
Crescentia's stomach churned with rage, but before she could fire back, Juliette spoke again.
"Daddy, I'll be leaving now that I've seen our new mansion. I want to go see my boyfriend." Then, with a slow, deliberate glance at Crescentia, she added, "Oh… as for my room, I want Crescentia's."
"You'll get everything you want, honey," Victoria cooed.
Juliette smirked, her gaze flickering with satisfaction before she turned and strode toward the door, her designer heels clicking against the marble floor.
Crescentia was still reeling from Juliette's audacity when Magnus called someone over. A towering, burly man with a scar across his cheek stepped forward.
"I want you to kick both of them out," Magnus ordered, pointing directly at Crescentia and Noella.
The man didn't hesitate. He grabbed Crescentia by the arm and yanked her forward.
"Uncle! This isn't right!" she cried, struggling against his iron grip. "You can't do this! You can't throw me and my sister out of our own home!"
But her pleas fell on deaf ears. Before she knew it, both she and Noella were being dragged across the grand entrance hall and out the door. The last thing she saw before the doors slammed shut was the smug expression on her aunt's face.
The hoodlum tossed them onto the pavement just outside the mansion gates. The cold night air bit at Crescentia's skin as she lay on the ground, stunned.
For a long moment, there was silence. She tried calling the lawyer but the call wasn't going through.
Then, a small, trembling voice broke it.
"Isn't a will read when someone is dead?" Noella asked softly, turning to her sister. Her big, innocent eyes shone in the dim streetlight. "Are Mother and Father… dead?"
Crescentia's chest constricted painfully.
She had wanted to sit Noella down, gently break the news after dinner. But now, her little sister had overheard it from the worst possible people.
She pulled Noella into a tight embrace, burying her face in the younger girl's shoulder so she wouldn't see her tears.
"Mother and Father went somewhere far away," Crescentia murmured, her voice thick with grief. "A place that's much better than here. They went there to rest for a while."
Noella pulled back slightly, her lower lip trembling. "Will they ever come back?"
Crescentia forced herself to smile, though every part of her was breaking. She slowly shook her head. "No, Noella. They won't be coming back."
A heavy silence settled between them.
Then, Crescentia added, "But I'm sure they're happy where they are now."
Noella's tear-streaked face lifted. "Really?"
"Of course," Crescentia said, smoothing down her sister's hair. "And I know they wouldn't want you to be sad."
Noella wiped her eyes, straightening her back as if trying to be strong. "I'm not sad," she said stubbornly, forcing a bright smile.
Crescentia let out a slow breath, but her relief was short-lived. Their situation was dire. They had no home. With the small amount of money in her account, she could afford a temporary apartment and a part-time job. But for tonight, they had nowhere to go.
Then, a thought struck her.
Lucian.
Her heart lifted slightly. Her boyfriend, Lucian Astor, came from an influential family, but he had his own house separate from his parents. Surely, he would let her and Noella stay for a few days until she found a solution.
With newfound determination, she hailed a taxi and gave the driver Lucian's address.
Half an hour later…
Crescentia stood in front of Lucian's house, taking a deep breath. The mansion wasn't as massive as the Belmore estate, but it was still large—big enough for a perfect family.
Beside her, Noella stared up at the grand home. "Who lives here?" she asked.
A small smile tugged at Crescentia's lips. "My boyfriend."
Noella beamed. "We're going to live here now?"
"Just for a little while."
She pressed the doorbell, her heart pounding as she waited.
The door swung open.
But instead of the familiar face she expected, Crescentia found herself staring at someone else.
It was none other than Juliette, her very own cousin.
Her cousin stood in the doorway, a cruel smile playing on her lips. Her perfectly manicured hands rested on the shoulders of a man standing behind her.
Lucian.
Crescentia's breath caught in her throat. Her stomach plummeted like a stone.
Lucian's arms were wrapped around Juliette's waist, his grip possessive. The way they stood together, so close, so familiar…
The world tilted.
Juliette was the first to speak, her voice dripping with fake surprise. "What are you doing here, cousin?" She grinned as if she had just won a game.
Crescentia's mouth went dry. "I should be the one asking you that," she managed, her voice shaking. "Why are you in my boyfriend's house?"
Juliette sighed dramatically. "Still slow, I see." She turned to Lucian. "Shall we tell her, darling?"
Lucian's lips curled into a smirk. "It's simple, really. Juliette and I are together." His tone was so casual, so heartless. "It's a good thing you're here. I was about to text you—I'm breaking up with you, Crescentia Belmore."
For a moment, she couldn't breathe.
Her hands trembled at her sides as she whispered, "B-but… you told me you l-loved me."
Lucian scoffed, rolling his eyes. "That was before you lost everything. My family won't accept a poor girlfriend. And the truth is…" He smirked again, tightening his grip around Juliette. "I've always loved your cousin."
Then he tilted his head, feigning pity. "Sorry… not sorry."
Crescentia felt the last shred of hope she had shattered into pieces.