002

Mrs. Lincoln stormed into the room, her voice dripping with malice as she fixed Lucy with a scornful stare. "I see one part of this meeting has already been concluded. How convenient for all of us."

Linda's voice was laced with false innocence. "Are we going to discuss the wedding date, or is she the only topic on the agenda?"

Mrs. Lincoln's response was laced with venom. "Don't worry, darling. We'll deal with her shortly. Then, we'll have all the time and money in the world."

Lucy's eyes widened in shock. "So you knew already?"

Mrs. Lincoln's gaze snapped back to Lucy, her expression twisted in disdain. "Should it matter that two people who deserve each other are getting together?"

Lucy's throat constricted, her words caught in the emotions that flooded her heart. The people that claimed they would love her when taking her off from the orphanage home did not hesitate to draw a sword running deep right into her heart.

Mrs. Lincoln continued, her voice dripping with hatred. "You should be grateful we're not punishing you for meddling in Linda's affairs."

Linda's smile was a cold, calculated misch. "There's no need to be angry, Mother. What's mine will always be mine."

The Lincolns' hatred for Lucy was palpable, their words and actions designed to break her spirit. Lucy knew she was trapped, with no escape from their cruelty.

"Something you have lost should be the least of your worries when you should instead be preparing for your wedding with George Berge!"

Lucy's eyes ranked blanked, suddenly flooded with confusion as a wave of heat came running through her skin.

"Is this another one of your jokes?" She snapped, with her hands clenched. Was this another technique for them to mock her?

"Mock you? Isn't life doing a good job with that already? Let's get this straight, Gerald brought an offer to us.

George Berger's family wants a wife for him since no one wants to get close to him after the accident that got him crippled.

They wouldn't want his disability making ruins for their family name. And regretfully, you are still a Lincoln so this would be the best opportunity for you to prove you worth!"

"And I will get to have my dream wedding with Gerald!" Added Linda with a mocking sense of rising excitement.

Lucy's stance remained stoic, rooted to the floor. Her head ran blank with disbelief and the multiple beating of her heart echoed in her hearings.

She wasn't just betrayed and treated like some piece of trash, they wanted to sell her off like she was some commodity.

George was a prominent figure in the city. Was the wealthy CEO of the Berger Consortium and also an actor.

Even though Lucy had never seen him because she was never allowed to have herself in the seating, the way that Linda drooled over him was enough evidence that he was beyond amazing.

She could spend her day while Lucy cleaned, fantasizing about the young CEO with her friends, melting with awe as their voices trembled with excitement.

A role model to the younger generation until recently, the whole carriage came crumbling. And the empire of admirers took off on their knees.

Because of the recent accident that he had. Coupled with the other than he had before, made his legs useless beyond repair.

George suddenly became an instrument of scorn and fallen glory.. a definition of the adage how the mighty have fallen and even his family saw him as a burden.

Her tongue crawled into her lips. Their hands clenched and her face tightened.

"I won't get married to anyone that I barely know." Lucy replied. Firm with her words.

"Come again?" Mrs. Linda's eyes were suddenly carved in a questioning manner. 

This was the first time that she would be talking back after the loss of her miserable child and her miserable mistake that brought shame to them.

Her blood boiled over as her eyes interlocked with that of Lucy. The earth under her feet quivered at the shaking of her weight.

"I'm not a commodity that you can sell off. You never bought me off.. should I say mother.” She returned.

Lucy already had plans with her daughter and getting married to someone as bitter as Berger was going to make things even worse for the plans that she already had.

"You! How dare you refute my words. Have you gone out of your mind?" She scowled, with a voice that was rolling over with rage at the instant.

"I think that we have the little ingredient that will be able to convince our dare Lucy here!"

The voice that was enough to send cold shivers running down the spine of Lucy at any point came running through her skin, causing goosebumps forming all over her skin.

"Mummy!" A voice caused a bang crashing right into the heart of Lucy. Her eyes suddenly shuttered and her heart squeezed right into her stomach.

That voice. It could only belong to Arizona. But what was she doing there? She wasn't supposed to be anywhere close to the Lincolns.

Arizona, moved around hoping that there was something wrong with her ears. However the reality before her splashed a bucket of icy cold water running all through her body.

“Arizona!” Returned Lucy as she tore off from Mr. Lincoln and rushed towards Lucy.

Her bodies tightened into a warm hug and emotions clouded the eyes of Lucy once again.

Her hands strolled off onto the cheeks of Arizona as tears streamed off from her eyes.

"Bad people mommy. Bad people." Her tears were a sting in Lucy's heart. Her eyes clouded with emotions and her heart came dropping down to her feet.

Her heart raced faster as she pulled her backward, her eyes turning stoic and her face burning bright red.

These were supposed to be people that she was supposed to call family. Yet they treated her worse than people would treat their slaves.

"How ruthless can you ever get? How wrong could such a little child have done to you?"

"A little child? How about your child? Grooming her right under our nostrils for five years!" His words were icy, causing chills to run down the spine of Lucy.

“Unfortunately for you, I saw the two of you just outside and I just thought something had to be wrong.

I followed you silently and money loosened my the lips of the broke neighbor that you could afford to hide that abomination of yours.

They always see you around and fortunately for you, the family you kept the witch with couldn't even keep their mouths to themselves, spilling you dirty little secrets all over the place. And tada, your biggest secret is finally unveiled. How do you feel, demon!” Mr. Lincoln scowled, sharing equal hatred for Lucy like every other member of his family.

She shrunk back in the steps. Her heart was pounding hard against her chest. The secret that she has been trying to keep all these years open to the public.

She had always known that it was never going to be long before everything came to light. But at least then, she would be prepared.

However, nothing had gone to plan. Lucy's hands clenched tightly to her child. Her stance is strong and her stare fierce.

"I won't let you take her away from me!" Her voice echoed through the hall.

"What!" Mrs. Lincoln was still confused, trying to make out multiple possibilities in her head.

"Her child?" Her voice fumed out.

"You keep that hell of disgrace?" She shook her head, ravaged by rage as she stepped forward towards a quivering Arizona that dug her head into the lap of her mother with tears pouring down from her eyes.

"You dared to hide that abomination away from us?" She glared.

After her meeting with the stranger, she had gotten pregnant increasing the height of hatred that was already held for her.

However, with the anger of the Lincolns, Lucy was determined to keep her child and raise her. It wasn't the fault of the poor child that she was abandoned and thus, could not take it out on the innocent soul.

And when she heard that the Lincolns plotted to sell her child after birth, Lucy bribed the nurse to inform them that the child had died during delivery.

Not that they cared apart from the money that would no longer be theirs. However, a relief was a relief.

Ever since, Arizona has been with an arranged home for a f*e. A slave by day and a worker by night, Lucy barely knew the elements of sleep.

"You won't use such derogatory words on my child!" Lucy snapped back, standing in between the trembling child and Mrs. Lincoln.

"Insults should be the least of your worries. We are taking the child away from you. Do what we should have done ago.

Even without a f*e. That should at least be a firm warning to you never to dare the Lincoln again!" She growled ready to snap the child off from the hands of Lucy.

They struggled. Lucy's emotions mixed with fear, worry, and rage. She wanted to protect her child by all means.

"You know struggling won't help you. Or if you have forgotten, maybe a few guards will make you remember that! And when they are here, that will be the last time you see your child.”

Lucy trembled. It was as though someone was squeezing right into her heart at the instant. She knew that a war with Lincoln wasn't something that she could afford. They were way more powerful than she could ever be.

She has already tried every possible means to be away from them. But her walks only got her strolling back towards them.

Her feet crashed to the floor as strands of tears escaped from her eyes and Arizona's teary eyes on her chest.

"Please, let us live. That's all I asked for!"

"Such a disgraceful soul!" Linda commented with a tune filled with disgust.

After watching the entertainment with amusement, watching the agony that her daughter was met to undergo, Mr. Lincoln stepped forward.

"Maybe you could exchange that gift of life with a little paperwork?

Believe me, with George Berger you will be dead before you know it. Just try to stay alive for as long as possible so we get our monthly pay.

We have a deal don't we!"

Lucy paused... Her mouth opened to make words. But just like her heart, her world, her soul, and her spirit, her voice was broken.

Her knees remained slumped to the floor. Her heart burned with an intense heat as pain, like a stab coursed through her body.

"Anything to leave us alone. Anything!" Her broken voice, mixed with the pain of her emotions slammed off from her lips, falling below a whisper.