The moment the last car left the Gladstone Residence, the atmosphere inside the mansion became heavy.
Mrs. Gladstone stood in the living room for a while before finally heading upstairs.
She pushed open Isabella's bedroom door.
The room was a mess.
Pillows had been thrown onto the floor, and several expensive perfume bottles were shattered beside the dressing table.
Isabella sat on the bed crying, her eyes swollen red.
"Have you caused enough trouble?" Mrs. Gladstone asked tiredly as she closed the door behind her.
The moment Isabella saw her, fresh anger filled her chest again.
"You all lied to me!" she shouted. "You said Kevin Goodman was dangerous! You said the women before all died terrible deaths!"
Mrs. Gladstone frowned. "And that is still true."
"Then why are you letting Loretta marry him?" Isabella demanded emotionally.
Mrs. Gladstone looked at her daughter for a long moment before sighing.
"You were the one who was too scared to marry Mr. Goodman and kept crying," she reminded her.
"That... that... at that time, I was just scared," Isabella remained stubborn. "Let's explain the truth to Mr. Goodman. This marriage was mine from the beginning."
"No!" Mrs. Gladstone suddenly raised her voice. The room instantly became quiet.
Even Isabella froze slightly. Her mother rarely raised her voice at her.
Mrs. Gladstone pressed her fingers against her forehead tiredly.
"Do you think families like the Goodmans are people we can play games with?" she asked coldly. "Do you think changing brides is as simple as changing clothes? Have you thought about the consequences if Mr. Goodman realizes what we did?" she asked.
Isabella bit her lips stubbornly. "I do not care. I want the marriage back."
Mrs. Gladstone stared at her in disbelief. "Have you forgotten you cried and begged us to save you?"
"That was before!" Isabella shouted. "How was I supposed to know Kevin Goodman would treat her like this?"
The more she spoke, the more emotional she became.
"Those dresses, those jewels, the way everyone respected her..." Isabella's voice became filled with jealousy. "Everything should have been mine!"
Mrs. Gladstone's face slowly darkened.
"Do you think marrying into the Goodman family is some fairy tale?" she asked. When Kevin asked to marry Isabella after the accident, she had looked into it. Kevin was a cold man. Curse or not, the marriage would not be a good match.
"But Loretta looks fine!" Isabella argued immediately. "Maybe the other three women were just unlucky!"
Mrs. Gladstone felt a chill hearing those words.
Isabella stood up from the bed. "I am not scared anymore!"
She grabbed Mrs. Gladstone's arm tightly.
"Mum, help me. Please. You can still fix this. Say it was Loretta who wanted to steal the marriage, send her away, or something..."
Mrs. Gladstone slowly pulled her hand away. "It is already too late." Could she really touch Loretta with a bodyguard by her side?
"No, it is not!" Isabella cried. "Loretta herself said she is willing to give him back!"
Mrs. Gladstone looked shocked for a second, but before she could speak, Isabella continued desperately.
"You always said you loved me the most! You always chose me over her!"
Mrs. Gladstone's expression stiffened slightly.
"So why are you suddenly helping her now?" Isabella demanded.
Mrs. Gladstone's patience finally snapped.
"Helping her?" she repeated sharply. Isabella's outburst a while ago had embarrassed the entire family, and now she was pointing fingers.
Mrs. Gladstone laughed bitterly.
"For years, I protected you. I favored you. I gave you everything while Loretta got the leftovers."
The more she spoke, the uglier her expression became.
"You were the one crying every night saying you did not want to die! You were the one begging your father to find another solution!"
Isabella's face turned pale.
Mrs. Gladstone pointed angrily toward the door.
"And now that you see a little benefit, you are acting like someone who has lost their mind and embarrassing the entire family."
Tears rolled down Isabella's cheeks.
"I..."
"You think this is some game?" Mrs. Gladstone's voice trembled slightly. "Do you know what would happen if the Goodman family feels insulted?"
But Isabella refused to listen anymore.
She looked directly at Mrs. Gladstone with resentment filling her eyes.
"After all, I am not your biological daughter," Isabella said bitterly. All she could see in that moment was the favor Loretta was receiving and not the danger. In her heart, Mrs. Gladstone was scheming against her if she did not help. "You are taking this chance to secure Loretta's future with a marriage that rightfully belongs to me."
The room instantly fell silent.
Mrs. Gladstone looked at Isabella as though she had just been slapped across the face.
Her lips moved slightly, but no words came out. For years, she had truly treated Isabella better than Loretta. Even when others criticized her for being unfair, she never cared.
But now the daughter she had protected so carefully was looking at her with hatred.
"You..." Mrs. Gladstone's voice shook slightly. "You really think that?"
Isabella's tears continued falling, but she stubbornly turned her face away.
Mrs. Gladstone suddenly felt exhausted.
A deep disappointment filled her chest.
Without another word, she slowly turned and walked out.
....
That evening, when Loretta went downstairs to eat, she was the only one at the table. When she asked, she heard that Isabella had refused to eat, while Mrs. Gladstone had returned to her room and asked not to be disturbed.
The younger brother was not back yet, and Mr. Gladstone had an engagement that evening.
Loretta felt this was good news. At least she got to eat in peace.
The maids treated Loretta well. They could tell that with her engagement to Mr. Goodman, her status within the family had changed.
Even if she would only have a short life, they did not dare discuss it, at least not with Collins' presence around them.
Loretta finished her dinner and returned upstairs. She was surprised to find Isabella already waiting in her room.
"What do you want?" Loretta asked, making a mental note to lock her door from that moment on.
"I am just here to remind you not to go back on your words," Isabella said.
Loretta raised her brows, confused by her statement.
"The one to become Kevin's bride will be me. By tomorrow, I will be changing your orders with all the brands," Isabella confidently declared.
Her parents had always given in to her, and this time she was convinced it would be no different.
"With joy," Loretta replied. She did not think branded things were worth risking her life for. If Isabella wanted it back, then she would happily hand it over.
Isabella was shocked. She had come there specifically to provoke Loretta, but she did not expect her not to care at all.