CHAPTER 28: SO... WE’RE TAKING HER BLOOD FOR OURSELVES NOW?

Back at the Ashford mansion, Mrs. Ashford was seated gracefully in her luxurious room, a delicate porcelain cup of warm tea resting in her gloved hand. A wide, almost sinister smile played on her lips as she gazed out the tall window overlooking the estate.

The peaceful moment shattered when the door burst open.

"Are you seriously going to support Victoria too, Mother? Since when did you become so soft?" Mirabel’s voice cut through the air, dripping with venom and disbelief as she stormed into the room. Her eyes were ablaze with fury.

"When did you start playing the kind-hearted matriarch, huh?" she continued, pacing furiously. "You drove her out of this mansion all those years ago. And now that she’s returned, you welcome her back like nothing ever happened? You of all people loathed her mother. You hated everything about hee. So why are you suddenly treating her like some beloved child?"

Before Mrs. Ashford could respond, Mirabel snatched a nearby flower vase and hurled it to the floor, shattering it into countless sharp shards. Her scream followed immediately, echoing through the room.

The servants, who had been silently attending to Mrs. Ashford just moments before, scattered in a panic, rushing out of the room to avoid Mirabel’s wrath. They had learned from bitter experience that when she was in this state, anyone nearby could become her next target.

"You’re all driving me insane!" Mirabel shouted, breathing heavily. "Everyone’s pampering her. All the love, all the attention...it was meant for me!"

Yet despite the outburst, Mrs. Ashford remained eerily silent, sipping her tea with an unreadable expression. Her calmness only further enraged Mirabel.

"Aren’t you going to say something, Mother?!" Mirabel screamed, her voice cracking under the weight of her frustration. Her hands trembled as her emotions spiraled. Then, in a much quieter voice, almost a whisper, she muttered, "Am I the only one who remembers the first life?"

Mrs. Ashford’s hand paused mid-air, her eyes gleaming with sudden interest.

"You remembered too?" she said, her voice soft but laced with cunning. A knowing smile tugged at her lips as she slowly rose from her chair and stepped toward her daughter. "I thought only I and your brothers retained memories of our previous life. I never imagined my little Mirabel remembered as well."

"You do remember?" Mirabel asked in disbelief, her anger momentarily forgotten. Tears welled up in her eyes as she threw herself into her mother’s embrace, clutching her tightly. "Then why are you acting like this? Why are you suddenly so loving and gentle? Don’t tell me... are you afraid of dying again in this life? Is that why you’re treating Victoria kindly? Because you think selling her to the Alphas this time might bring your own death again?"

Mrs. Ashford chuckled darkly, stroking Mirabel’s hair.

"I’m not afraid of death, Mirabel. And I’m certainly not selling that miserable girl to the Council this time. I’ve simply learned from my mistakes. Your brothers, each of them have had a change of heart. They’ve chosen to protect her this time, for reasons of their own. So I’m playing along. For now."

"Playing along?" Mirabel drew away slightly, wiping her tears, confusion written all over her face. "What kind of plan are you working on, Mother? And what’s this nonsense about my brothers regretting their actions? They should know better than to repeat the same mistakes. How could they possibly start treating Victoria with affection? It’s disgusting!"

Mrs. Ashford gave a thin smile as she returned to her chair, her eyes gleaming with ambition.

"Since your brothers are determined to shower her with affection, I must do the same. And you know why?" she asked, her voice taking on a sinister tone. "Because that affection, that comfort, that safety, it’s all part of the plan. I want Victoria to feel secure. I want her well-fed, healthy, and most importantly, calm. The blood flows better in a body that isn’t full of stress and fear."

Mirabel blinked, the implications slowly sinking in. A wide, delighted grin crept across her face.

"So... we’re taking her blood for ourselves now?" she asked, eyes widening with interest. "But what about the Council? When the illness spreads and there’s no cure, how do we explain introducing Victoria’s blood? What will we tell the public?"

Mrs. Ashford leaned back, steepling her fingers thoughtfully.

"Once the moon sickness has spread across the werewolf population, Victoria’s blood will become the salvation they all crave. It will be refined, mixed into medicinal formulas, and sold at outrageous prices to those desperate for a cure. In our last life, I gave it up far too easily and paid the price. But this time..." she paused, her smile curling with malice, "this time, Victoria will never leave my grasp. She is my legacy. My wealth. All this love and care we are bestowing upon her now? It’s nothing more than an investment in our future empire."

"And once we control the cure, we control everything," Mirabel whispered, practically in awe.

"Exactly," her mother replied, her voice smooth and triumphant.

After a pause, Mrs. Ashford turned toward her daughter, her tone shifting slightly. "I heard you’re planning to make life difficult for Victoria once she starts at the academy?"

Mirabel scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. "Of course I am. She deserves to suffer."

"I want you to do the opposite."

Mirabel’s eyes narrowed.

"I want you to get close to her. Befriend her. Make her trust you. I know it will take time, she’s well aware of your hatred but that only makes the deception more valuable. Keep pushing. Let her drop her guard. That way, when the time comes, she’ll never see it coming."

"I...no," Mirabel said with a frown. "I can’t do that, Mother. I’d die of cringe pretending to care about her. Even the Alphas know I despise her. How am I supposed to just change overnight and suddenly play the part of the doting sister?"

Mrs. Ashford sighed, but the smirk never left her lips.

"Everyone else is already pampering her. If you remain the only one tormenting her, she’ll never lower her guard. You’ll mess with the business, Mirabel. We need her to feel safe. Your hatred will only get in the way. So swallow your pride. Endure the disgust. Play the long game."

Mirabel clenched her fists tightly, staring at the floor. Her expression twisted between loathing and reluctant understanding.

"I hate this. But... fine," she growled. "I’ll do it. But if she so much as looks at me the wrong way, I swear...."

"You’ll smile," her mother interrupted, her eyes glinting. "And you’ll hug her tighter."

"And besides, you don’t need to punish Victoria with your own hands," Mrs. Ashford said coolly, letting out a dry scoff. "You can use the hands of others. Just smile sweetly when you see her. Offer her warmth, but stab her in the back through others. Give silent orders, let others do the dirty work. She’ll never know. You getting close to her is simply a means to an end...earning her trust. That’s what I truly want. I want everyone to continue pampering her, feeding her false comfort."

She sipped her tea again, the porcelain clinking lightly against the saucer. Her eyes narrowed with cunning as she continued, "I’m certain Victoria doesn’t remember the first life. And even if by some chance she does, she has no idea that we remember everything too. She may hate us deep down, but that hatred will soften in time if we keep showering her with affection. She’ll feel safe. She’ll drop her guard. If she had plans for revenge, she’ll redirect them....perhaps toward the heirs instead."

Her tone turned sharper, more deliberate. "And no matter what happens, we must not give any hint that we remember the past life. Let that remain our secret."

Mirabel crossed her arms, her brows drawn into a furrow of skepticism. "She might know, Mother. Even the Alphas might know too... or maybe they don’t. It’s all so confusing. But I’ll listen to you. I’ll find a way."

She paused for a moment, her expression darkening as a cruel smile curved her lips. "I’ll make others torment her for me. And of course I’ll try to see if the Alpha’s also remember anything? I’m not going to ask them directly."

Mrs. Ashford’s lips curled with satisfaction. "That’s my girl."

Mirabel’s thoughts churned as she looked toward the door. Victoria... I don’t care if you remember the first life or not. It doesn’t matter. Because either way, you’re finished. Mother may care about your blood, but I won’t let that stop me from breaking you first.

No matter how much they all try to protect you, no matter how much they coddle you like you’re something special... I’ll be there, smiling in your face while setting traps behind your back. And as for Darius and the other two Alphas... they’ll never uncover the truth. They’ll never know you’re the one they once loved. The girl who saved them. The one they failed to protect.

With those poisonous thoughts still festering in her mind, Mirabel slowly rose from her chair, her eyes cold. She gave her mother a quick glance, then turned toward the door.

Without another word, she walked out of the room with the grace of a noblewoman and the heart of a viper.