ELOISE

ELOISE

“Isn’t it better if I take you inside? I can vouch for you to Uncle Edmund.”

My face turned sour at his question.

“What am I, a teenager?” I asked irritably as I unbuckled my seatbelt.

I heard him laugh. “Aren’t you?”

“Do you also want your nose to get broken like what I did to those jerks?”

Elijah held up his hands in mock surrender, a playful grin still on his face. “Okay, okay, I get it. No nose-breaking today.”

“Good,” I replied, finally pushing the car door open and stepping out. I straightened my clothes, feeling the evening chill brush against my skin.

"Thanks." That was the last thing I said before I walked away from his car.

I could still hear his shout behind me, but I just raised my middle finger.

I stumbled back into the house, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. The events of the morning felt like a blur, but all I wanted was to crawl back into bed and forget about everything—especially the drama with my mother-in-law.

I shuffled through the hallway, ignoring the scattered shoes and bags that cluttered the floor. My mind was still foggy, and the only thing I could think about was the warmth of my blankets.

Once I reached my room, I flopped onto the bed and buried my face in the pillows. I took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of my sheets, and let the exhaustion wash over me.

“Just a few more hours,” I mumbled to myself, closing my eyes and drifting off again. I was determined to reclaim my peaceful sleep, even if it meant ignoring all the chaos outside.

I jolted awake, groggy and disoriented, as a loud, insistent knock echoed through my room. Grumbling, I dragged myself to the door, barely processing the figure standing on the other side.

It was Edmund.

Before I could react or even ask what he was doing here, his hand lashed out, connecting with my cheek in a brutal slap that sent me sprawling to the floor.

I stared up at him, my cheek stinging, disbelief swirling in my mind as I met his cold, furious gaze. My body felt frozen, the shock of his action settling over me like a weight I couldn’t shake off.

“Is this what you’ve become?!” he spat, his voice dripping with disgust. “Sleeping your life away while bringing shame to this family?!”

Behind him stood Farah and Uncle Sandro.

"What the hell are you talking about, old man?!" I couldn’t help but raise my voice.

Damn it. In my next life, I just want a normal morning. Is that too much to ask?

"You little bastard!" he shouted, and without hesitation, he forced me to stand up, dragging me out of my room.

I could hear Uncle Sandro behind us, trying to get him to stop. My arm felt like it was going to break from Edmund's tight grip.

I struggled to break free, but he was too strong. How could an old man be this strong?!

"Let me go! Damn you!" I shouted, but he only tightened his grip.

I didn’t even know why he was dragging me out like this!

As we reached the grand staircase, Edmund’s grip didn’t loosen. If anything, he seemed even more determined, dragging me down the steps without a word. Just as we were a few stairs away from the bottom, he shoved me.

I tumbled, barely catching myself as I hit the floor. Pain shot up my arms and legs, and for a moment, everything felt like it was spinning.

“Brother!”

Uncle Sandro rushed to my side, supporting me as I tried to steady myself. My vision blurred for a moment, the room spinning slightly as I tried to push myself up.

Edmund’s face twisted with rage, his voice booming across the hall. "If you're only here to add to my problems, I might as well get rid of you first!"

I glared up at him, my voice hoarse yet defiant. "If you think that pushing me around will fix anything, you're the one who needs help, not me!"

Uncle Sandro held onto me, his gaze shifting between us. "Edmund, this has gone too far! She's still your daughter!"

Edmund scoffed, his eyes filled with contempt. "Daughter or not, she’s a disgrace to this family! And you actually picked a fight with a senator’s son last night?!”

Oh... That son of a bitch. He really went and tattled to his daddy?

I smirked, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of my mouth. “It’s only a solution for people who deserve it. And your little senator’s son? Trust me, he deserved it.”

Uncle Sandro tightened his grip on my arm, a silent warning. “Eloise, stop it!”

“This bitch…” Edmund muttered, his voice laced with fury as he stormed to the corner of the room, reaching for his rifle.

He turned, pointing the barrel directly at me, his eyes blazing. Farah screamed, rushing between us with tears streaming down her face.

“Daddy, stop!” she cried, grabbing his arm and desperately trying to push it down. “Please! Don’t do this…”

Uncle Sandro held his breath, inching forward slowly, trying to defuse the situation without setting Edmund off further. I could see him calculating, waiting for the right moment to intervene.

But I simply stared at my father. “Go on, Edmund. Pull the trigger if it’ll make you feel better. After all, isn’t that what you’ve wanted all along, right?”

Edmund’s finger twitched on the trigger, his rage seeming to fuel his every breath. I held my ground, meeting his gaze with defiance, daring him to follow through on his anger.

“Edmund,” Uncle Sandro’s voice was low but firm as he stepped closer, placing a steadying hand on Edmund’s shoulder. “This isn’t the way. Hurting her won’t change anything.”

Edmund's chest rose and fell, his breathing uneven. He looked at Uncle Sandro, the fury in his eyes flickering as reason began to seep back in.

“Brother,” Uncle Sandro continued, his voice calming. “Let’s talk about this. Not here, not like this.”

Slowly, Edmund lowered the rifle, his hands shaking as he dropped it to his side. His expression was still hard, but the threat in his posture softened. He turned away, running a hand over his face as if trying to shake himself free from the rage.

Farah let out a relieved sob, covering her mouth as tears streamed down her face. Uncle Sandro kept a steady arm around Edmund, guiding him to sit on a nearby chair. The room was finally quiet, the tension lifting but leaving a lingering weight in the air.

I straightened, biting back the ache in my bruised shoulder, my gaze steady on Edmund. He might have lowered the gun, but I knew that this fight was far from over.

"Sandro, tell your niece that Senator Coleman demands a public apology—"

Even as I struggled with the pain radiating through me, I still had the audacity to laugh out loud.

"What good will my apology do when I've already broken his son's nose? What a stupid senator.”

Edmund's face twisted in fury. “You think this is funny, Eloise? You think it’s amusing to disgrace this family at every chance you get?”

“Tell me, what does it matter now? Even if I apologize, his nose isn’t magically going to go back to normal, is it?” I said, my laughter only making him angrier.

Edmund’s face flushed red with anger as he took a step toward me, but I forced myself to stand, ignoring the pain shooting through my body. Farah rushed to my side, trying to help me up, but I pushed her away.

I looked Edmund straight in the eyes, smirking through the pain. “You can scream all you want, Edmund. It’s not going to change anything! That this bitch right here… Is crazy.”

As long as I live, he will have nightmares every day and night.

With that, I turned and walked back to my room, ignoring the chaos erupting behind me. Edmund’s furious shouts echoed through the house, and I could hear Uncle Sandro trying to calm him down, holding him back from storming after me.

As soon as I entered my room, I leaned against the door, slowly sliding down to sit as I felt the sharp pain radiating from my shoulder from the fall earlier. I couldn’t help but close my eyes, trying to ease the ache, forcing myself to stay calm.

I was about to stand up when I heard Farah’s voice just outside my door.

"Hello, El? I... I brought a pain reliever. You might need it... And if you ever need anything else, you can ask Nanny Cella..."

Her voice was soft, almost hesitant, like she was afraid I'd reject her. I stayed quiet, listening to her shuffling around outside.

Through the small gap at the bottom of the door, I saw Farah gently sliding in a sachet of pain reliever and a couple of pain patches beside me. I watched the items as they came through.

I picked up the items, glancing at the pain patches—Hello Kitty printed pain patches. Of course.

A small smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. Seriously, Farah? Even in the middle of this mess, she found a way to make things… cute.

The small smirk faded as an old memory resurfaced.

"That kid, Sandro… She's a curse on my life! I swear, she will end up killing all the people around here!"

I clenched my jaw, feeling the echo of those words dig under my skin, heavier than the bruises from the fall.

I took a deep breath, forcing the memory back down. This wasn’t the time to get swallowed by their words.

I stood up, ignoring the ache in my shoulder. With a swift motion, I picked up the Hello Kitty pain patches and the sachet of pain reliever, barely looking at them before tossing them into the trash.

You're a curse, Eloise.