Chapter 59

“Jeffrey!” Teresa shrieked, rushing to his side, tears streaming down her face.
“This is madness! Absolute madness!” George continued to rage.
Yvonne ignored them, her bright, dark eyes fixed on Jeffrey. “Last time, Queena slapped her own face and blamed it on me. You didn’t even give me a chance to explain. You hit me and locked me in my room without food for a day and a night. These two slaps, Jeffrey, are for that.”
A year ago, on the original Yvonne’s birthday, Teresa had a rare pang of conscience and bought her clothes and jewelry. The girl had been so happy she stayed up all night, clutching her gifts. Fearing she was losing her place, Queena had slapped herself and claimed Yvonne had attacked her. The young girl, heartbroken and desperate, tried to explain, but Jeffrey refused to listen. He hit her to “avenge” Queena and then locked her in a dark room to “reflect,” starving her for twenty-four hours.
The original Yvonne had been beaten and locked in dark rooms by her adoptive mother her whole life, leaving her with severe claustrophobia. But being locked up by her own family, after being beaten by the brother she had longed for, brought a despair far worse than any fear or hunger.
Jeffrey looked into Yvonne’s piercing eyes, and for a fleeting moment, a flicker of guilt crossed his face. But before he could speak, George’s angry voice cut through the air.
“An older brother has every right to discipline his younger sister. You spent all those years outside and picked up a host of bad habits. Your siblings are just trying to teach you for your own good. Why are you so sensitive? All you’ve done is bring chaos to this family. I’m warning you, if anything happens to Queena, I will make you pay.”
With that, he gently lifted Queena from the floor and shouted for the driver to bring the car around to take her to the hospital. The scene devolved into chaos. Queena was just faking unconsciousness, but George was acting as if she were on her deathbed.
Yvonne could only sneer. “They say a daughter is a father’s treasure. You certainly seem to treasure her.” The comment was innocent enough for a biological father and daughter, but with their complicated history it carried a sinister undertone.
Teresa’s expression changed slightly, but after over twenty years of George’s manipulation, her trust in her husband was absolute. “Yvonne, what are you implying?”
“Just assume I’m talking nonsense,” Yvonne said with a shrug. She hadn’t expected to expose George’s deception all at once. Planting a seed of doubt was enough for
now.
George took Queena to the hospital, and Teresa and Jeffrey, worried, soon followed.
Yvonne returned to her room alone.
She curled up on the small sofa by the window and began to casually flip through a script Though her initial goal in getting the role was to get into Nexus Media, she was a professional. Now that she had the job, she intended to do it well.
She was deep in concentration, memorizing her lines, when someone knocked on her door. Before she could say “come in,” Jeffrey pushed the door open and entered.
“Did no one ever teach you to ask for permission before entering someone’s room?” Yvonne asked, her eyes cold.
Jeffrey paused, a flicker of
discomfort on his face. “I just got back from the hospital. Queena is
awake She says she regrets falsely
accusing you and wanted me to apologize on her behalf.”