Her Rebirth.-Chapter 50

Meanwhile, in Cosgrove Mansion, Lilac sat absentmindedly, twirling her hair, her brows furrowed in thought.

Ever since Amelia left the Cosgrove Mansion, she could feel her control slipping away from her fingers. Everyone had begun liking Amelia, and even Ray had defended her at the charity banquet—something he had never done before. This bothered Lilac. She wanted to take everything from Amelia, everything she loved. She wanted to make her helpless and hopeless. Somehow, seeing her so wretched, watching everyone turn against her, gave Lilac a twisted sense of joy and amusement in her otherwise bleak and boring life.

Amelia had been acting strangely ever since she came back after being missing for a week. She had changed—she was no longer predictable. Though Lilac didn’t believe in God or the supernatural, she had once found her thoughts alluding to the possibility that Amelia had been possessed by another soul. However, Amelia still had those little habits—she still didn’t like carrots in her meals, she still had the habit of tapping the table when in thought. If Amelia were possessed, she wouldn’t have those same habits, would she?

Lilac had thought of bringing Amelia back home using Mason to coerce her, but even Mason no longer seemed interested in bringing her home. That meant Grandfather Cosgrove had somehow gotten involved and told him to stop, or he was confident that the news of Amelia leaving would never reach the old man’s ears. Things leaned more toward the former than the latter.

Then there was a knock on the door, snapping her out of her thoughts.

A servant opened the door, and Ace walked in, a bouquet of daisies in his hand.

Lilac’s face fell into a frown. She was irritated.

Ever since Amelia had left and ended the engagement with Ace, Lilac had seen no reason to continue this farce with him. Besides, the only reason she had even bothered getting close to him was because of Amelia anyway.

Still, her face quickly donned a small, aggrieved smile as he came closer.

"Brother Ace, what are you doing here?"

"I saw these flowers on my way here, and they reminded me of you." Ace handed the flowers to her, an expectant smile on his face.

Irritation flashed on Lilac’s face, but she quickly covered it up. Instead, she looked down, her voice trembling. "I’m sorry, Brother Ace. I don’t think I can accept this. I betrayed Sister Amelia’s trust."

Ace frowned, gripping the bouquet a little tighter.

"Lilac, why do you care so much about Amelia?" he asked, his voice tinged with irritation. "She doesn’t even care about you. Besides, the engagement between us is over. She’s out of my life, and I don’t see why she should still be in yours."

Lilac lowered her gaze, a conflicted expression crossing her face. "I know, Brother Ace. But... I just can’t accept this. However," she forced a soft smile, "we can still remain friends."

Ace sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Alright. I’ll wait for you."

Lilac’s eyes flickered. Perfect.

She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Actually, I’ve been really worried about Amelia."

Unbeknownst to them, Ray had just arrived home from school.

As he reached for the front door, his hand paused midair when he heard Lilac’s words.

Something about the way she said it... felt off.

Instead of entering, he took a step back and listened.

Back inside, Lilac’s voice was filled with concern.

"Amelia has been keeping bad company lately," she murmured, her fingers lightly gripping the fabric of her dress. "Not only have they hurt me, but... I’m afraid she might be using drugs."

Ace’s brows furrowed. "Drugs?"

Lilac nodded, biting her lip. "At the charity banquet... the wine she drank was laced with hard drugs. I was so scared for her, Brother Ace."

Ace stiffened.

He hadn’t attended the banquet, his father had sent him to Country C for an important business deal, ensuring he built ties with a powerful family there. It had been a significant opportunity, one that couldn’t be passed up.

Because of that, he had only heard snippets of a drug-related incident but hadn’t paid much attention. But now, to hear it was connected to Amelia...

And that she had hurt Lilac?

Ace clenched his jaw. That vile woman.

He had thought she had changed, but she was still the same, reckless, selfish and disgraceful.

His expression darkened as he gripped Lilac’s shoulders.

"I hope she didn’t hurt you," he said, his eyes burning with concern.

Lilac looked away, her hesitation deliberate.

"She... she didn’t mean to," she murmured softly, her voice trembling and ambiguous.

That was all it took.

Ace’s anger erupted.

"That vile woman!" he spat. "She deserves every bit of karma coming her way. No wonder she ended up engaged to Kai, that useless illegitimate son!"

Lilac’s eyes flickered with satisfaction, but she quickly masked it with disapproval.

"Brother Ace, don’t say that..." she said softly.

Just then, the front door creaked open.

Ray stepped inside.

Lilac turned, suprised. "Ray! You’re back. How was school?"

Ray stopped in his tracks and looked at her, then suddenly laughed. It was cold with a tint of mockery.

"I didn’t know you were so good at painting people in a bad light," he said.

Lilac’s smile faltered. "W-What do you mean?"

Ray tilted his head, his gaze never leaving hers.

He had been listening the whole time.

At first, he had felt conflicted. Lilac had always been his kind and innocent sister, hadn’t she? But as he listened, really listened, he realized something.

Though not explicitly stated, she had twisted everything against Amelia.

How many times had she done this before?

Lilac frowned, trying to keep her voice steady. "Why are you acting strange?"

Ray scoffed. "Strange?" He stepped forward, his eyes filled with disappointment. "Amelia was the victim. She was almost drugged, and yet here you are, making it sound like she took those drugs deliberately."

Lilac’s expression stiffened.

"You misunderstood," she said quickly, forcing a smile.

Ray’s eyes flashed coldly.

"My ears work just fine," he said. "And I can think for myself. There’s no misunderstanding here."

Lilac bit her lip, scrambling for control. "Ray, I was only—"

"Enough." Ray cut her off coldly. "I don’t want to hear anything else from you. Who knows? You might just twist another story."

With that, he turned and walked toward his room without another glance.

Lilac clenched her fists at her sides.

What the hell was wrong with Ray? When did he start siding with Amelia? And why... why did she feel like she was losing him too?

Her fingers dug into her palms.

She turned back to Ace, who was watching Ray’s retreating figure with mild confusion.

Lilac quickly made her decision.

If Ray was slipping away, she needed someone else to hold on to.

And right now, Ace was the perfect candidate.

She took a shaky breath, her body trembling slightly before she collapsed against his chest.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she whispered, "Why was Ray so harsh? I was only worried for Sister..."

Ace stiffened, startled at first.

Then, his expression softened.

He patted her gently, his touch comforting. "Don’t cry, Lilac. Ray probably misunderstood."

Lilac bit her lip, anger simmering beneath her tearful eyes.

Ace would be useful.

For now.