THE BILLIONAIRE'S VENGEFUL WIFE RETURNS

MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: NESSA BARRET, PINS AND NEEDLES.

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"What if people start talking again? All those rumors, those gossips, what if I’m being confronted for it?" Claudia asked her mother. That had been her fear, she had feared that people would mock her personally for getting married to Alanis weeks after he divorced her sister.

The comments of society did affect Claudia even if she pretends that it doesn’t. One cannot always turn deaf ears to certain things, especially if they involve news that can tarnish your image.

"Honey, nothing like that will happen." Elisa tried to comfort her daughter.

"How do you know mother? You’re not in the hearts of people." Claudia cried more. She had thought she was strong for these, but she had been wrong. There is no way she can live through the insults of people.

"You cannot always control what people think about you, but the way you carry yourself matters a lot.

"Even they say things, let them say. Hold your finances with pride like every other young lady would. Don’t mind their words and think of the bright future ahead of you." Elisa said.

"Remember Claudia, Alanis chose to marry you because you’re the only one he loves and nothing else," Elisa added when she noticed her stepdaughter by the door.

Harlow walked into their conversation. It was morning and Claudia’s engagement ceremony day. As always, she would be her sister’s slave for the rest of the day. She had to pretend to love her and tend to her needs as always, that way she could earn her father’s love again and get her revenge in peace.

The mansion was bustling with guests who were already arriving. Unlike her engagement party, Claudia’s was in broad daylight so that everyone could attend.

She knew the reason her father had shifted the engagement party a bit earlier, was to divert the public’s attention from the matters on the ground. The matter is that the Blackwoods are going bankrupt.

Their company is worth more than a billion, and she has destroyed so much. For everything her family has done to her, she would make them beg her to get their lives back on track.

For tonight, she just knows how to make Claudia lose it. She will break them as much as they have broken her, and steal everything they think she has.

"You have nothing to worry dear..." Elisa added.

"This is all your fault." Claudia turned to her sister who just walked in.

"I know, and I am very sorry for it. I should have never tried to marry Alanis in the first place knowing you loved him." Harlow said.

"Keep your apology to yourself I don’t need it." Claudia shunned Harlow immediately.

"Have the guest arrived Harlow." Elisa turned to the young girl.

They have," Harlow replied with a sweet smile, her tone soft and unassuming. "The mansion is already bustling with excitement. Claudia, you must look radiant today. After all, it’s your big day." She added.

Claudia’s glare could have pierced steel. "Spare me the flattery, Harlow. We both know you’re only here to make a spectacle of things."

"Claudia!" Elisa admonished, placing a protective hand on her daughter’s arm. "This is a happy occasion. Do not let your temper ruin it. Forget the wasted things, it’s your special day, you’re going to be engaged to Alanis Hamilton, the only heir of the Hamilton family." Elisa said proudly.

But Claudia huffed, crossing her arms as she turned away, clearly still fuming. Elisa turned back to Harlow, her expression stern.

"Harlow," Elisa said firmly, her tone dripping with authority. "Your sister has been under a lot of pressure lately, especially with all the nonsense from the press. The last thing she needs is any added stress from you."

Harlow nodded without hesitation, her face calm and obedient. For today, she would play the part.

The dutiful daughter...

The obedient sister...

The mask she wore was flawless, hiding the storm brewing beneath her calm expression.

"Don’t you just love how peaceful everything has been since you came back to your senses, Harlow?" Elisa continued, a sly smile curling her lips.

"Yes, Mother," Harlow replied sweetly, her voice steady and respectful.

"You will serve Claudia and do whatever she asks of you while you’re in this house. And even after your sister marries, she will still need a helping hand. That’s what family is for, after all." Elisa’s smile widened as she watched Harlow nod again, no resistance in sight.

The sight was almost unsettling. This wasn’t the pig-headed Harlow she had been dealing with. Elisa tilted her head slightly, studying the girl, but dismissed her doubts as quickly as they appeared. This was exactly what she had wanted. Frank has done an excellent job.

"Good girl," Elisa praised, her voice warm and mocking all at once. She could hardly believe how easily Harlow had bowed. The Harlow of a few days ago would have spat venom in response, but now? Now, she was calm, agreeable. Elisa felt a surge of victory.

She was right, anyone can be broken, and Harlow was no exception.

"This is only the beginning," Elisa muttered under her breath, glancing at Claudia, who was preoccupied with her appearance. "You’ll learn to worship Claudia the way you should have from the start, the same way I was forced to worship your mother. Don’t forget she’s your elder sister."

Her thoughts darkened as memories of the past flickered in her mind. She had been the mistress.

The woman who was shoved into the shadows, forced to bow to the legal wife’s every whim. How humiliating it had been, to defer to that soft, naive woman.

And yet, she had won in the end. Killing the wife had been almost too easy. Elisa’s lips curled into a sinister smile. She had no regrets. That woman had been weak, just like her daughter.

The same daughter who now stood before her, so obedient, so fragile. Elisa’s eyes glinted with malice. "Soft and naive," she thought. "Just like your mother. Easy to break, easy to control."

Little did she know she was wrong. Because Harlow was anything but broken. She wasn’t naive, nor was she weak. She might have been in her past life. But this time she was waiting, calculating. And when the time comes, she would not be easy to destroy.

When Harlow got back into her room, she realized it has been turned into Claudia’s play room. Harlow didn’t want to get more angry than she already has, so she slept in the guest room to avoid troubles.