CHAPTER 53: THE END OF ANNA.

Claudia was fuming as she paced back and forth in her mother’s bedroom. Her limbs were trembling in rage. She had never been this angry in her life. How dare she? That bastard had the audacity to have her thrown out of the house that was supposed to be hers. How could she?!

"Claud, will you talk to me?" Irene asked, tired of watching Claudia pacing around.

Claudia stopped on her tracks and whirled around to face her mother. "You can’t believe this mom. That daughter of a slut literally told the guards to throw me out of Alexander’s mansion," she spat out bitterly, then noticed the way Irene’s jaw tightened.

She didn’t believe it.

"Mom, I cannot let her do that to me. I can’t let her keep embarrassing me this way, mom," Claudia continued, fake tears starting to gather in her eyes.

Irene seemed to be thinking. She knew it. She knew that runt would always be a plague to her Claudia. And after all she had done for her all these years, the slut still had the nerve to steal Claudia’s fiance.

Well, what did she expect? Seraphina did the same, now history was repeating itself.

"Don’t worry, Claudia," Irene assured. "Anna won’t get away with it. Your mother would make sure the low-life prostitute’s daughter is reminded of her place.

Claudia moved closer to her mother, a warm smile curling on her lips. Her mother was the best woman. Even though she didn’t care what her mother would do to Anna, she just needed her approval to go ahead with her next ’beautiful’ plans for Anna. She didn’t want her mother to feel left out about her current situation. She hated Anna, even hated her more for what she did to her this morning.

Thinking about that, the warm smile on Claudia’s lips was replaced by anger mixed with intense hatred.

"I can’t wait, mom. I want her to end like her mother, because she is only going to cause more troubles for me. She is my jinx, mom..."

"I told you to relax. If I can put an end to Seraphina, what is Anna that I can’t send to her," Irene said and Claudia gasped.

She stumbled backward, staring at her mother in shock. Meanwhile, Irene smiled, not fazed by Claudia’s reaction.

"You didn’t do that, did you?" Claudia gasped out.

Irene nodded proudly. "She was planning on doing something I didn’t like. I warned her several times never to dare, but she never listened." A sly scowl appeared on her face. "So I slipped some substance into her drink. On her death bed, she still insisted on doing the same thing, and I couldn’t take it anymore and silently shut her mouth forever. Oh... poor soul."

Claudia couldn’t believe her ears. How could her mother be saying this? She always knew she never liked Seraphina... But killing her... She never thought that her mother was capable of murder.

"You shouldn’t have done that mom," Claudia said, lowering her voice, as if she was afraid someone would overhear them.

"Why?" Irene demanded with a questioning look. "If I didn’t kill her, I would have died from what she planned to do. She is evil, Claudia. Her plans only backfired on her."

Claudia slowly nodded her head, as she tried to make sense of what her mother just said. Right. Her mother wasn’t a killer. It was a game, and Seraphina happened to lose first. That took her attention back to Anna. Anna and her were also playing a game... a game of survival of the fittest. And she couldn’t wait to see who would lose at the end.

"I understand, mom. I am glad you were able to represent what you always say; ’Don’t let them take it from you. If you can’t take it, take them out instead’," Claudia quoted and Irene’s smile deepened.

"I know you will understand, Claud." She got up from the bed where she had been sitting and took Claudia’s hands in hers. "You are just like me. I have been hurt, I was never allowed to savor my marriage with your father. And now the same person’s blood is making you go through the same thing I went through."

Tears rolled out of Claudia’s eyes. It wasn’t the fake tears she had been holding. This was real. Hearing her mother’s story all the time only brought tears to her eyes. But now, she was scared, scared that she might fall into that same situation. She didn’t want to at all. That was why she needed to get rid of Anna as soon as possible.

"I will not let you go through all that, my Angel," Irene continued. "Now that I am still alive, I will make sure you lead a good and happy life, one that you will never be worried of anything or anyone. I will make sure you excel, Claudia. You won’t end up like me."

More tears streamed down Claudia’s cheeks. She never understood why her mother would always pray she never ended up like her. Her mother had a pretty good life. A life every other women dreamed off. She was the legitimate wife of one of the most wealthiest man in the country, though her father was as poor as a church rat at the moment, it never affected her mother that much, because she has her own business line and her father was very wealthy. That was the type of life Claudia once dreamed off. She wanted to be like her mother.

But with her mother’s constant reminder of not wanting her to be like her, Claudia was afraid. She even wondered if there was something her mother wasn’t telling her.

"Don’t worry, mom. I will be a good girl. I will do everything in my power to be married to Alexander Vaughn. I will make you and father proud of me..." she whispered.

Irene let go of Claudia’s hands and smiled. "That is what I am saying, my dear. Alexander is the right and only man for you," she said, softly. "You can’t let your sister win. Do everything you can to marry him and return your father’s wealth. You need it, Claudia..."

Claudia nodded, tucking her lips into her mouth.

"I will, mom, I promise." She was determined now. There was no changing her mind about her plans tomorrow night. Anna would wish she was dead, by the time she was done with her.

It was just a few hours before the end of Anna.