Chapter 2
That night, I called Elaine into my study.
She stood before me, no longer as agitated as she had been during the day, but still turned her face away, refusing to meet my eyes.
"Charlotte is your own daughter, the one you carried for ten months and risked your life to bring into this world," I said calmly.
I kept my voice steady as I asked, "Why do you hate her so much?"
She was silent for so long that the moonlight outside had shifted before she finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.
"She's nothing like me, nothing like her father either.
"Whenever she looks at someone, there's this stubborn, icy look in their eyes. It just makes me uncomfortable inside," Elaine said.
"Is there anything else?" I asked softly.
"Ever since she came back, this house hasn't known a moment's peace.
"Sophia used to be so sensible and caring, but now she's constantly anxious and afraid.
"Last night, she held onto me and cried, asking if having Charlotte back meant I didn't love her anymore, if I was going to leave her behind," Elaine said.
"All you ever notice is how sensible Sophia is, but you never see Charlotte late at night, crying silently into her pillow, too scared to let anyone hear how anxious she really is," I said.
I interrupted her, slamming my cane down on the floor.
"It's not Charlotte you hate. It's that attitude, that fire in her, the same one I had when I was young. Right?" I asked.
Elaine jerked her head up, her face turning ghostly pale.
I knew I was right.
Elaine was just a substitute for the woman my father could never forget. She came from a regular family, and my grandmother never thought she was worthy of him.
But my father was determined to marry her, so my grandmother poured all her bitterness and harshness onto Elaine.
She picked apart everything, Elaine's manners, the way she talked, her clothes, her every move. Nothing ever satisfied her.
Elaine was scared of my grandmother, and in her heart, she hated her too.
And then there was me, Charlotte. As I got older, I looked more and more like my grandmother.
It wasn't just the shape of my eyes or the outline of my face. It was that stubborn, never-back-down attitude deep in my bones, the same one she had.
That was why Elaine couldn't stand me. To her, I was a constant reminder of that cold, intimidating shadow that had haunted her for half her life.
"From today on, Charlotte is moving into the suite on the south side of the second floor," I said, standing up without looking at her. "She gets everything she's supposed to have, nothing less.
"Tutors, clothes, jewelry, pocket money, everything is to be the same as what Sophia gets," I said firmly.
"Monica." Elaine's voice trembled. "Are you trying to break Sophia? That girl takes everything to heart. She's so sensitive. If you keep showing favoritism like this, how do you expect her to feel?
"How can she even stay in this house now?"
I stopped at the doorway, glanced back at her.
"I'm showing you what it really means to be a mother," I said.
Charlotte settled into the suite on the south side of the second floor.
The room was spacious and bright, with a big terrace where sunlight poured in, covering the whole floor.
Her closet was stuffed with brand-new clothes, tutors hired from elite schools came to teach her, and she finally had her own desk and vanity, both stacked with fancy hardcovers.
But she was still so timid, like a baby bird with broken wings after a storm, too scared to make a sound. She'd even walk on tiptoe, terrified of making the tiniest noise.
It wasn't until that day that I asked Charles to move the finest Magnolia from my greenhouse and have it placed on her terrace.
The Magnolia had always been my grandmother's favorite.
The next morning, I stood at my bedroom window and saw her crouched on the terrace, watering the Magnolia with a spray bottle, awkwardly, yet with utmost care.
In the sunlight, the corners of her mouth lifted in the faintest smile.
Charlotte, in the past, no one ever truly gave you the love you deserved.
But from now on, let me be the one to love you.
Let's love ourselves, together.
To make sure Charlotte was officially introduced to everyone in our circle, I decided to host a lavish party just for her.
As soon as the news got out, I saw Sophia knocking on Charlotte's door, arms full of the latest fashion magazines.
Not long after, Charlotte came to my study, carrying a few of the magazines.
She flipped to a marked page and gently tapped a dress covered in feathers and sequins. Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Grandma, do you think this one would be alright?" she asked.
I glanced at it.
It was ridiculously flashy, totally out of place for someone like Charlotte, who was always so calm and distant.
"Go get your mom to join us and give her two cents," I said as I closed the magazine.
Elaine came in, barely glanced at the magazine, and sounded totally uninterested, "Sure, whatever. Young people should go for something flashy."
My heart sank.
Looks like that talk I gave her the other night didn't do a thing.
She still didn't care, so she wasn't even bothered if Charlotte ended up embarrassing herself in front of everyone.
Sophia stood nearby, her tone gentle and a little playful as she chimed in.
"Charlotte, don't you trust my sense of style? This piece just dropped at the shows, everyone who's anyone has already put their name down for it," she said.
"N-no, it's not that," Charlotte said, helplessly twisting the hem of her shirt.
"I'm tired. Just pick whatever you want," I said, closing my eyes and waving my hand.
As I got up to leave, I caught a glimpse of the relieved smile on Sophia's face out of the corner of my eye.