Chapter 12
When Elaine first came back home, she had a serious rebellious streak. She got into fights and hung out with punks just to grab the attention of her real siblings and parents.
But instead of endearing her to them, her “delinquent girl” label just brought shame and disgust, making them lean even more toward Bianca, who seemed to have it all together.
During Elaine’s first year back, things got pretty heated between her and Bianca, turning the household into a nonstop bickering zone. Tracy couldn’t stand Elaine, believing she was the one stirring up the chaos and keeping everyone on edge, and that dislike just grew day by day.
It seemed really unfair that her brothers and Tracy blamed Elaine entirely for her clashes with Bianca. They were so overprotective of Bianca that it was as if they were terrified she might get hurt
Elaine had long dealt with feelings of obsession and jealousy regarding her brothers and their mother’s favoritism.
But now, she felt completely detached from them–like they had drained all her emotions and attachments, leaving her indifferent to their feelings.
Out of nowhere, Elaine splashed her water on the table and said coolly, Can you just drink your water and be quiet for a minute?”
Tracy was caught off guard by her tone and felt that familiar irritation rising up, but the look in Elaine’s eyes stopped her from saying anything.
Bianca casually asked, “Hey, where are Tucker and Trevon? I haven’t seen them around.”
“Oh, they went to help pick vegetables in the field,” Elaine replied.
“Picking vegetables?” Bianca was shocked. She couldn’t picture her pampered brothers ever doing something like that.
“Elaine, why are y
are you making them pick vegetables? They’ve never done anything this rough before! Isn’t that a bit much?” she asked.
Bianca had a knack for seeming thoughtful while really just trying to provoke. If Elaine hadn’t been clued in on Bianca’s game, she might have thought that her sister was genuinely concerned about their brothers.
Tracy frowned, clearly agreeing with what Bianca had said. She snapped, “It’s no surprise your brothers never liked you. You totally brought it on yourself with your cold heart”
There was a flash of disappointment in her eyes. As a mother, Tracy believed Elaine wasn’t just inferior to Bianca. She was completely thoughtless.
Elaine smirked a bit and said lightly, “Oh sure, it’s all on me, right? If I hadn’t been switched at birth with some kid from a poor family, your precious Bianca would’ve known what it’s like to struggle. She wouldn’t get all the perks that these brothers enjoy.
“This all happened because I let it slide, yet you still can’t appreciate what you’ve got. How can you blame me for this?
“And honestly, as my blood–related mother, father, and brothers, I’m appalled by how you guys shamelessly show your favoritism,” she added, “I really want to know, Mom–am I even your real daughter?”
Tracy’s face turned red, and she looked a bit embarrassed. She chewed on the corner of her mouth, as if she was about to say something but decided against it, unable to come up with a comeback
Yet, underneath it all, she was still mad at Elaine, convinced that Elaine just didn’t get it.
Tracy felt that Elaine’s unlikability was largely her own fault. If she hadn’t treated Bianca poorly and couldn’t stand her presence, Elaine wouldn’t be in this position
To lighten the mood, Bianca quickly jumped in, her voice soft “Okay, Elaine, I’ll own up to it this time. I shouldn’t have said that before.”
Elaine chuckled and replied, “Glad you realized it”
Bianca’s eyes sparkled with thought, but she didn’t say anything
g more.
Meanwhile, Elaine shrugged off the drama, heading into the kitchen to dish out the food. After all the snark, she felt way better than she had just
moments profe.
Now, it was Tracy who was in a funk. Did they really think I’d still hold onto any fantasy about us being family? Elaine shook her head, a sarcastic grin creeping onto her face.
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3:29 PM
Chapter 12
Never again. She was done playing nice and ready to give them a taste of their own medicine.
Elaine’s WhatsApp lit up to show that she had successfully added Kingsley
She quickly typed a message: [Hey, Mr. Morgan, how’s Grace doing these days!]
Kingsley: [She’s been hospitalized.]
Elaine felt her stomach drop at the news. She hadn’t realized things were serious enough for Grace to be in the hospital overnight.
It was clear the needed to check in with Kingsley to get more details about Grace’s condition.
Meanwhile, Bianca watched Elaine send the message, a bit taken aback by the fancy phone she was using.
It looked like a custom model worth tens of thousands of dollars–definitely not something Elaine could typically afford, especially since her parents had cut her allowance after the incident where she pushed Bianca into the pool.
Keeping her face neutral, Blanca quickly changed the subject to steer the conversation in a different direction. “Elaine, Mom and I need to talk to you about something pretty important this time
Elaine replied. “Okay, go for it.” She was eager to see what Bianca had in store.
“Last time, there was a big mix–up because of what happened with Finley and me.” Bianca said.
Bianca wanted to make it clear that if Elaine hadn’t misunderstood her relationship with Finley, their mom and brothers wouldn’t have assumed Elaine pushed her into the pool over it.
“Even though you’re technically engaged to Finley, he doesn’t really like you, and you can’t force someone to love you. Mom has set up a marriage for you, and if you go through with it, you’ll be living a good life. If you’re on board, we can get you engaged right now. Just forget about the Scott family marriage, she continued.
if you publicly admit online that you were still crossing
“Oh really!” Elaine said, eyeing Bianca with a playful smirk. I might consider it, but only if y the line with Finley while he and I were engaged. What do you think!”
a pretty tough ask. I’ve told you
Bianca’s smile faded a bit as she heard Elaine’s request, but she still tried to keep it light, “Come on, Elaine, that’s a pre before, after you and Finley got engaged, there was nothing between us.”
Elaine let out a sarcastic laugh. “Oh, come on! Are you honestly expecting me to buy that?”
At this point, it was true that Finley hadn’t made any moves yet. But considering what she knew about Bianca, there was no doubt that Blanca had some strong feelings for Finley.
Honestly, it was hard to believe that Bianca hadn’t been secretly trying to seduce Finley. The way they were acting right now was just too intimate— it definitely crossed a line.
Later in the story, Finley couldn’t help but feel attracted to Bianca. As they started to overcome their obstacles and break the ice, Elaine became pretty irrelevant and was totally pushed aside.
AD
