Chapter 8
Chapter 9 Poison
After their scheming, Zion and Linda grew giddy with plans for the future.
An idea struck Linda. “Once she and Mr. Jackson divorce, why don’t we marry her off to David from the next village? He’s been waiting for her all these years! Never looked at anyone else, just her–and he’s even willing to pay an extra twenty thousand p>
“Really p>
“Would I lie? His mother called me herself, begging for it p>
“Eighty thousand p>
“That’s right! Eighty thousand p>
“Then what are we waiting for? The moment she’s divorced, she goes straight to him p>
They had no idea the walls were thin. As Tatiana scrubbed the floor, she heard every word. Her hands tightened around the mop.
That night, the cramped rental looked a little brighter after being cleaned top to bottom.
Linda, satisfied, ordered her to cook.
Tatiana didn’t argue. Though her fever hadn’t fully broken, she dragged herself to the kitchen and prepared dinner.
Her cooking was excellent–she had once trained under a master chef, all for Jasper’s sake. She had wanted to capture his heart through his stomach p>
A woman born to play the violin, she had dirtied her hands in kitchens just for him.
But he had never eaten a single bite.
Every carefully packed meal she had sent had been tossed into the trash without a glance.
The simple dishes now filled the table, fragrant and flavorful. Zion and Linda devoured them. greedily, grease running down their chins.
Only Tatiana didn’t touch a thing.
Zion’s sharp eyes noticed. “Why aren’t you eating p>
Linda muttered, “Why should a worthless girl get to eat p>
n
She didn’t pick up her chopsticks. Instead, she set her fork down and rasped out, “Call… an ambulance.
Their faces changed. Suddenly, pain ripped through their stomachs.
“Ahhh! My stomach p>
“You bitch! What did you put in the food? I’ll kill you p>
But they didn’t have the strength to strike her.
Foam gathered at their lips, their faces turning green.
In panic, they scrambled for the phone and called for help.
Tatiana waited quietly outside the hospital.
Tests showed the food had been laced with cleaning fluid. The dose was small, and their quick trip to the hospital saved them from death.
Zion was consumed with rage. The quiet, timid girl he thought so easy to bully had dared to poison them.
“You worthless brat! Just wait till I get out–I’ll-
The words cut off.
Tatiana had picked up a sharp fruit knife, holding it loosely in her hand.
Her clear eyes were clouded, shadowed with something dark and chilling.
“Do you… want to die together p>
A shiver ran down Zion’s spine.
“Don’t try to scare me! You think you’d really kill someone p>
“You eat. You drink. You sleep.” She paused. “Eventually, you’ll let your guard down. I don’t kill. But I can die with you p>
Once, she had run from her parents‘ abuse back to the Lowells, desperate for shelter.
Now she understood.
The true monsters were in the Lowell family.
Compared to them, she would rather stay with the Steeles.
As long as they didn’t sell her off.
“Who’d want to die with you? You’re insane! Crazy p>
But her expression and tone shook him. Her eyes looked like she’d already died once.
When he said nothing, she calmly peeled an apple, her demeanor quiet, betraying no sign of the threat she had just uttered.
Linda later called Bianca, crying into the phone. “That bastard child tried to kill us! She poisoned the food! We nearly died p>
Bianca’s face darkened. “What did you do to her? ”
“We didn’t do anything p>
“Say it p>
“Say
Linda faltered. “We just thought…. once she divorced, we’d marry her off to David in the next village. He offered eighty thousand p>
Bianca’s jaw tightened. “Didn’t I tell you to drop that idea? She’s still useful p>
“Useful? What for? Once she’s gone, you’ll marry Mr. Jackson anyway p>
Bianca sneered. Once, she had believed that too. Jasper had treated her well for four years–but he still hadn’t loved her.
He’d had countless chances to file for divorce, yet he never had.
She had kept quiet to preserve her image, but now that Tatiana was out, every day still married left her unsettled.
And lately, she had sensed something unsettling in Jasper–a flicker of hesitation, a trace of something more than hate.
That was dangerous.
She had miscalculated. Up close, Tatiana disgusted him. But once she was gone, he started remembering the better parts.
“In any case, keep her in sight. Don’t you dare sell her off p>
Linda dared not argue. She agreed meekly.
At dinner, Bianca let the matter slip, lowering her gaze in sorrow. “I never thought Tatiana. would до this far… Maybe we should bring her back p>
Lauren was appalled. “How could she have turned into this? To poison people p>
Chester felt only grim satisfaction. “It’s no surprise. She comes from parents low enough to switch children at birth. Evil’s in her nature p>
Xavier frowned. “Bianca, how did you hear about this p>
Her face froze for a moment before she murmured, “They called me. After all, they did raise me for more than ten years p>
Lauren shook her head in disapproval. “You’re too softhearted. After what they did, you still think of them? No more contact, do you understand p>
“Yes, Mom. I know. I have my
my real parents now p>
Her sweet words made Lauren and Chester beam with joy, and even Xavier’s heart softened.
No one wondered why Tatiana had poisoned them.
Maybe it didn’t matter.
From the beginning, they had all decided she was rotten beyond redemption. This update is available on.net
The next morning, outside the civil office.
Tatiana had left early, walking slowly toward the building.
It was late autumn. People on the street wore light coats. She wore only a patched, threadbare cotton jacket, pulled tight around her thin frame, a mask covering her face as she coughed into the chill.
She had only been standing a short while when that familiar Cullinan rolled slowly to the curb.
The driver opened the door, and long legs stepped out.
The man’s presence seemed to freeze the air. His beauty was sharp, his aura so cold and powerful that no one dared look directly at him.
Noble by blood, untouchable.
He was the moon in the sky. And once, she had foolishly tried to make him hers.
How laughable.
“Mr… Mr. Jackson p>
Jasper gave her a cool glance. “Go in p>
“All right.” She lowered her gaze, obedient, so docile it only made her more offensive to look at.
“Mr. Jackson, Ms. Steele, do you both confirm your marriage has broken down, and that you agree to divorce p>
Tatiana didn’t hesitate. “I confirm p>
Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.