Chapter 3


    Hearing the front door open, the two women chatting on the couch fell silent.


    Sylvia let out a derisiveugh as she strode inside thevishly decorated mansion that represented


    years of her painstaking efforts - soon to be foolishly squandered by these two interlopers. This


    would be herst glimpse of a home that could have been.


    "So the prodigal daughter returns. Where exactly have you been wandering about? Didn''t I tell you


    this morning to be back here by 8AM sharp to help with the guests? Or did you really think you


    couldnd someone better than my son after the divorce? Don''t kid yourself - a vain social climber


    like you will always be looked down on wherever you go. Now hurry up and start cooking. Don''t you


    dare embarrass me when my friends get hereter. If you even think of causing me to lose face, just


    you watch how I''ll punish you!"


    Cyril was self-made, having built his business empire from nothing. So his mother was an


    avaricious woman determined to marry her son to someone useful to expand the family connections


    and wealth. Naturally she had always looked down on Sylvia''s supposedmoner background,


    even though that wasn''t truly the case.


    ncing at the bustling kitchen, Sylvia guessed there would be at least 10 guests today - the


    number her mother-inw regrly invited specifically to overwork and demean her. Whenever


    there was a dinner party, not a single servant would be allowed to help. Sylvia was the sole worker


    expected to cater to everyone''s demands withoutint or retaliation. Her mother-inw was


    quick to interpret any objections as unwillingness to continue the marriage.


    Before Sylvia could respond, Karina jumped in with a smile. "Auntie, isn''t that too much work for


    Sylvia to handle alone? Let me give her a hand. We wouldn''t want your friendster thinking I don''t


    know how to cook!" She made to stand up and help.


    But her mother-inw quickly yanked Karina back onto the sofa. Not without first shooting Sylvia a


    look of pure contempt.


    "How could youpare yourself to the likes of her? She was born to serve, so of course these


    menial tasks suit her. But you - you''re an international superstar! You should rx here while we


    wait on you."


    "But Auntie, I''m your guest. It wouldn''t be right for me to just sit by while everyone else works,"


    Karina protested.


    "Guest? Once you and my son get married, then she''ll be the guest - no, she won''t even qualify to


    be a guest! At best, she''ll just be a stranger passing through."


    Standing silently to the side, Sylvia listened to the duo''s chorus with growing exasperation.


    Karina didn''t utter a single unkind word and kept up the pretense of defending her. But they were


    empty cations that only fueled her mother-inw''s vitriol towards Sylvia.


    As their farcical mother-daughter bond strengthened, Sylvia couldn''t resistughing. "Are you two


    quite done with your theatrics?"


    Her mother-inw bristled at the interruption. "What nerve you have! Can''t you see we''re in the


    middle of a conversation? Hurry up and get cooking!"


    "In case you''ve forgotten, your dear son and I already finalized our divorce. You seem so thrilled to


    wee your dreamed-of daughter-inw. Why don''t you get her to demonstrate her cooking skills


    instead?" Sylvia smiled sweetly at Karina, not missing the sh of delight in her eyes.


    Weary of their act, Sylvia headed back towards the bedroom to gather her minimal belongings. She


    had no intention of keeping any of the clothes and possessions here that held nothing but bitter


    memories now.


    Just as she reached the door, her mother-inw blocked her path. "So you''re set on ending this


    marriage for good, I see."


    "We already signed the divorce papers. What more is there to say?" Sylvia brushed past her and


    swung open the door, only toe face-to-face with Cyril himself.


    After leaving Sylvia at the courthouse, Cyril had received a call from Karina about his mother


    inviting her over to his marital home. Worried that she might run into his freshly-divorced ex-wife


    and get upset, Cyril immediately rushed back.


    His dark scowl deepened at seeing Sylvia on the verge of walking out. He shoved her aside and


    made a beeline for Karina, looking her up and down anxiously.


    "Are you alright?"


    Stumbling from his shove, Sylvia''s back mmed painfully against the corner cab. But that


    paled inparison to the casual tenderness in Cyril''s question towards Karina - while she was the


    one injured right in front of him.


    "Just what have you done now?" Cyril snarled, ring at Sylvia as if she hadmitted some


    unforgivable sin.


    His hypocrisy left Sylvia seeing red. "Are your eyes only good for asional ring? Can''t you see


    with your own two eyes that Karina is perfectly fine standing right there in front of you? If that mouth


    of yours can''t speak sense, maybe you should donate it to someone who actually needs it!"


    Cyril held up his phone to show her an article. "Don''t try and talk your way out of this. The expose


    online - isn''t this your doing?"


    Sylvia nced at the phone screen and froze. The photos and caption did seem vaguely familiar


    even though she wasn''t involved... Still, she couldn''t deny feeling a spark of vicious satisfaction


    seeing Karina''s stricken expression.


    "Is there a single false word written there? Wasn''t it that drama that first shot her to fame? Does the


    report state any untruths?" Sylvia challenged, eyes narrowing at Karina.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "I''ll walk out that door right now and let myself get hit by a car if there''s a single lie printed. If every


    word there is true, then it''s your turn to get smashed under a tire!"


    Karina paled, helplessly seeking out Cyril. He patted her shoulder reassuringly before rounding on


    Sylvia once more.


    "If you''re so eager to die, then go kill yourself! Don''t drag an innocent person into your vendetta!


    This is obviously your petty attempt at revenge even after the divorce!"


    With tremendous effort, Sylvia reined in her temper. "I think your brain must be in your neck purely


    to increase your height," she stated acidly before sweeping past them.


    Love blinded the wisest of people. She was the living proof for the past three years. Now it was


    Cyril''s turn to wallow in blindness - likely for a long timeing.