Chapter 48

Ever since the charity gala, Isabella had locked herself in her room, drowning in misery.

By dusk the next day, Sebastian and Nathaniel had come to check on her. Though Isabella dragged herself downstairs to see them, her exhaustion was palpable. "Isabella, Olivia told me what happened at the auction," Sebastian said, his gaze lingering on his sister's bandaged hand. His chest tightened. "How's the injury? Did Alexander change the dressing? Does it still hurt? Any signs of infection?"

"I can take care of it myself. He's swamped—I don't want to burden him further," Isabella murmured, her voice hollow.

"Alexander is becoming utterly unreliable!" Nathaniel snapped, fury darkening his expression. "If we hadn't run into Olivia on our way back, we wouldn't even have known the Vanderbilts humiliated you at the auction. I'm filing a lawsuit tomorrow. Get our legal team ready. Defamation charges. They need to pay for this."

"Forget it. It's not worth it," Isabella whispered, her energy completely drained.

She knew if this escalated, her father would hear about it. Though he couldn't interfere directly, she refused to let him worry over her.

That didn’t mean she’d let the Vanderbilts off the hook.

Isabella stared at her wounded hand, then at the diamond bracelet she’d spent two painstaking days repairing. Rage simmered beneath her skin.

"Your brothers heard you were hurt. They’re frantic. They’re all flying back right now," Sebastian said, pulling her into a comforting embrace.

"It’s just a scratch! They can’t abandon their work over something this trivial!" Isabella panicked, immediately grabbing her phone to call them.

"If anyone dares to come back now, I won’t speak to them for a year!"

"You might not stop Oliver Sinclair," Nathaniel smirked, pointing upward. "His plane should be in the air by now."

Isabella sighed in defeat. Her brother always had to one-up her with his dramatic gestures.

"Fine. I’ve done my sisterly duty!"

Then, turning to Sebastian, she said, "Take me back to Skyrimter. I want to visit the Starry Villa."

Ever since Seraphina defended Isabella, the women of the Vanderbilt and Sterling families had turned against her.

Life at home had already been suffocating. Now, with open hostility, it was unbearable.

"You traitor! Did Isabella bribe you? Are you her spy, sent to ruin us?"

Drunk and furious, Genevieve stormed into Seraphina’s room, screaming, "You act so sweet, but you’re just a snake! I used to think you were harmless. Turns out you were playing dumb, waiting to stab us in the back!"

"I’m not lying! Isabella didn’t bribe me. I told the truth!"

Terrified, Seraphina clutched her favorite teddy bear. "You all bully my sister-in-law. I won’t let you hurt her anymore!"

Genevieve yanked Seraphina’s hair hard.

"Ow! That hurts!"

"Who said you could perm your hair again? Did you forget my rules? You don’t get to change your hair without my permission!" Genevieve seethed, pulling harder.

Truthfully, her rage wasn’t just about Isabella. That was Acacia’s problem, not hers.

The real reason? Jareth—the man she’d been obsessed with—had approached Seraphina on his own. He’d even smiled and patted her head.

The sight made Genevieve burn with jealousy. She wanted to shave Seraphina bald.

"I see your game. You’re not helping Isabella out of kindness. You just want to play the hero to catch Jareth’s attention, don’t you?"

Tears streamed down Seraphina’s face. She didn’t know how to respond.

"You’re just defying us. We hate Isabella, so you side with her to prove how ‘righteous’ you are?"

Genevieve’s usually sweet face twisted with malice. "Stop pretending to be innocent! No one’s fooled. You think Jareth would ever fall for an idiot like you? Dream on!"

"What’s going on here?" Alva rushed in, pulling Seraphina into her arms.

This kind of scene happened so often in the Vanderbilt household that none of the other servants dared intervene.

But Alva was Nathaniel’s trusted aide, a longtime Vanderbilt servant known for her kindness. She was the only one brave enough to stand up for Seraphina.

"Alva, stay out of this! This doesn’t concern you!" Genevieve snapped.

"You’re the one who needs to leave!"

As Alva soothed the trembling girl, she shot Genevieve a sharp glare. "Walk out now, and I’ll pretend I saw nothing. Otherwise, when Mr. Vanderbilt returns, I’ll tell him exactly how you’ve been tormenting Seraphina."

Genevieve faltered, frustration gnawing at her.

If Nathaniel found out about her true nature, he’d definitely tell Jareth—they were inseparable. And if Jareth knew, her pursuit of him would be doomed.

Reluctantly, Genevieve backed down.

But she wasn’t done. On her way out, she snatched Seraphina’s teddy bear and hurled it out the window.

"My bear!"

"Useless trash!"

Seraphina didn’t even stop for shoes. She bolted barefoot into the night.

Nathaniel had just returned to Windermere Estate when he saw her frantic figure.

"Seraphina, what’s wrong?" He caught her, frowning.

Though he despised Elspeth and disliked Genevieve, he’d always had a soft spot for Seraphina—especially after she courageously defended Isabella.

"My bear… I lost my bear." Seraphina burst into tears.

"Don’t worry. I’ll help you find it."

Nathaniel led her to the garden.

Finally, in a muddy flowerbed, they spotted the abandoned teddy bear.

Nathaniel was fastidious—his custom leather shoes were always immaculate. Yet he stepped into the dirt without hesitation, retrieving the filthy toy himself.

The bear was ruined, but Seraphina clutched it like treasure, sobbing uncontrollably.

Nathaniel wasn’t an emotional man, but her tears struck something in him.

"Throw it away. I’ll buy you a new one tomorrow."

"No! This was a gift from Isabella. It’s my favorite!"

Nathaniel blinked, surprised by her loyalty.

Seraphina remembered Isabella’s kindness—the dark days without her, her father’s neglect, her mother’s indifference, her sister’s cruelty.

"Brother!"

Suddenly, she threw herself into Nathaniel’s arms, crying, "Can sister-in-law come back? I miss her so much. Can’t you two fix things?"

Nathaniel’s lips parted, his throat tight with unspoken emotion.

He ruffled her hair but couldn’t bring himself to answer.

Then his phone rang.

His grandfather.

The call only deepened his turmoil.

"Grandfather."

"Why can’t I reach Isabella again?"

Hamilton’s voice trembled with worry. "What’s wrong with her? She hasn’t visited me! Did she decide to cut me off? You brat! If this is your fault, I’ll disown you!"

"Grandfather, Isabella would never abandon you. Don’t overthink it." Nathaniel massaged his temples, exhaustion weighing on him.

"Find her for me! I need to see her! Now!"