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Chapter_35
Arabella’s eyes flickered with a mix of confusion and rising panic. Vivienne’s words, dripping with disdain, left a chilling silence in the air. The smile on Vivienne’s lips was so subtle yet so sharp, it was as if she was relishing in Arabella’s discomfort.
“Don’t consider myself a human?” Arabella stammered, her confidence beginning to crumble under Vivienne’s icy gaze. “What do you mean by that?”
Vivienne stepped closer, her presence imposing, her cold tone steady and calm. “You really think you’re the only one with secrets in this room, don’t you, Arabella? You seem to forget who is actually in control here.”
Beatrice watched the interaction closely, her mind racing. Arabella was on the defensive, but Vivienne was dangerously calm. She could sense something in the air shifting, and it wasn’t in their favor. Her temper flared once again, but this time, she struggled to contain it.
Vivienne didn’t give Arabella the chance to respond. She turned to Beatrice with a sharp, almost mocking smile. “Grandmother, I don’t know what you think is happening here, but you might want to reconsider your accusations. Joseph took something, yes, but it wasn’t me who put it in his drink.”
Arabella felt a surge of anger, but Vivienne’s words cut deeper than any insult. She had never seen her sister so composed, especially in such a tense moment. It was as if Vivienne was reveling in the chaos, turning the tables with ease.
Beatrice, who had been holding her breath, finally spoke, her voice tight with fury. “Then who, Vivienne? If you and Percival weren’t involved, why the hell is Joseph acting like this?”
Vivienne looked directly at her, her eyes not a trace of fear in them. “Because you’re all blind to what’s really going on. You don’t see the full picture, Beatrice. The ones who are really guilty might be standing right beside you.”
The tension in the room thickened, the guests now whispering among themselves, each trying to make sense of what was happening. Some were still recording, their phones capturing every word.
Arabella’s mind raced. Vivienne’s words felt like a trap, but she couldn’t quite see where it was leading. Percival, still in his wheelchair, was an enigma—his indifferent expression seemed to belie the severity of the situation. Could he be in on it too?
“Explain yourself!” Beatrice demanded, her patience completely gone. “Who else could it be? What game are you playing?”
Vivienne sighed, a slow and deliberate motion that seemed designed to unsettle everyone. “The game you all think you’re playing, Granny, is already over. You’ve been too focused on Joseph and me, but you haven’t even bothered to ask the most obvious question.”
Arabella, though flustered, couldn’t help but ask, “What question?”
Vivienne’s smile deepened, a dark glimmer of amusement in her eyes. “Why was Joseph even in that room to begin with, when he wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near it? Who let him in?”
Beatrice’s brows furrowed, her mind working at a frantic pace as the implications of Vivienne’s words began to sink in. “Are you saying someone else… allowed Joseph in? Someone else set this whole thing up?”
Vivienne gave a soft, mocking laugh, the kind that sent a shiver down Beatrice’s spine. “Exactly. And now you’re playing catch-up, blaming everyone else, while someone else pulls the strings from the shadows.”
Arabella’s face drained of color. The situation was spiraling beyond their control, and it seemed Vivienne had already anticipated every move.
The room fell silent for a moment, as everyone processed Vivienne’s cryptic statement. Beatrice’s mind raced, but for the first time, she wasn’t sure if she could handle the truth of what was being suggested.
Arabella, desperate to maintain control of the narrative, shot a glance at Dorian, who had been watching the exchange quietly. “Dad, tell them! You must see what Vivienne’s doing here. She’s trying to turn the tables on us!”
Dorian, who had been silent for too long, finally spoke. “I don’t know what Vivienne is trying to say, but accusing people without proof is dangerous, Beatrice. We need to understand what really happened, not just assume.”
Vivienne’s eyes flashed as she turned toward Dorian. “You think you’ve figured it out, don’t you, Father? But let me ask you this—why is it that Joseph was the one to take the drug, when he wasn’t even supposed to be near the room? What if someone wanted him to take it, someone who knew exactly how things would unfold?”
Her words hung in the air, more a challenge than an explanation. Beatrice and Arabella exchanged looks, both of them now realizing that this situation was much more complicated than they had thought. Someone had orchestrated it all, but who?
Beatrice clenched her fists in frustration. She had to get to the bottom of this—now.
