Tragedy strikes

 Lexi's POV 

  “You bitch!” Claudia scoffed. Just as she was about to lunge at me again, my father's voice rang out, his eyes flashing with anger. 

 “That's enough, Claudia,” he said, his voice firm, his deep tone echoing through the room.

 I watched as Claudia's face turned red with rage, her eyes blazing with fury. 

 “Just stop it, Jenkins. You are the reason why she is a spoiled princess,’’ She hissed and I rolled my eyes.

 “If there is one person who is spoiled here, then it's your daughter.” I said through gritted teeth.

 “How dare you talk back to me?” Claudia's face turned red with rage, her eyes blazing with fury. 

 “Please, Claudia. This is not why we called her here. Don't screw this up,”

 Claudia tried to protest, but she held herself. She seemed to realize that she couldn't take on my father like she always did. At least not at this moment. She shot me a death glare before walking away, her high heels clicking on the marble floor.

 Margaret glared at me too before stalking away with her mother. 

 I watched them go, feeling a mix of emotions. I hated my father for marrying Claudia and for always taking her side, but in that moment, I was grateful to him for stopping Claudia. Fuck! I still hate him and I doubt that I'm ever gonna forgive him for everything that he has done to me. 

 He turned to me, his eyes narrowing. “You have to stay away from my wife. Why did you hit her when you know that she's old enough to be your mother, huh,” He warned and I just rolled my eyes. 

 “I'm sure you weren't blind to see that she was the one who attacked me in the first place,” I hissed in annoyance. 

 “Anyways, I didn't call you here because of that. I want us to talk. Come with me–,”

 “No,” I cut him off and he stared at me with a puzzled expression. I guess he was wondering why I cut him off. 

 “If you want us to talk, then it should be right here. I'm not going anywhere with you,”

 I won't be careless enough to trust him. Who knows what plans he has up his sleeves?

 “Suit yourself,” He said through gritted teeth and I just smirked. 

 “Now, tell me, Alexandra—”

 “Don't call me that name,” Not only did that name remind me about my late mother, it filled me with mixed emotions. 

 “You have no right to call me that name,” I spat, my voice barely above a whisper. I expected to see a look of remorse on his face, but instead his next question shocked me.

 “I want to know why you got married to that old man and worst of all, your boyfriend's father,” His voice was calm, but I could sense the underlying tension.

 “Ethan is not my boyfriend. If you want to say it, say it right,” I glared at him as I looked him straight in the eye, my voice steady. 

 “Now, let me sing this as a warning to you. Whatever I do with my life or whoever I chose to marry, is none of your business. You and your wife should stay away from me,” I stood tall, my shoulders squared, my heart pounding in my chest. 

My father's face darkened, his eyes flashing with anger. “Lexi, don't be ridiculous. You are my daughter and I have a right to know what's going on in your life,” His voice was rising and I could sense the argument brewing gradually.

 “Bold of you to think you still have that privilege in my life. Let me get something straight. You lost the privilege of being my father the day mother died. I have no idea who you are,” I spat. 

 “You've got some nerves, you know. How dare you say those words to me? Did you realize that I can make sure you never step foot in the mansion ever again,” He threatened and I could only scoff.

 “I don't think I've ever seen where a king is chased out of his palace,” I replied sarcastically and I watched as his face darkened with rage. 

 “You've got some nerves,” He yelled and I just rolled my eyes. 

 “I guess we are done here. See you later in the future,” With my heart pounding in my ears, I began to walk away. I was done with this conversation, done with my father's meddling.

 “Come back here this minute,” My father yelled behind me but I ignored him as I continued to walk away. But I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I didn't notice the little girl running towards the stairs, her eyes shining with excitement. 

 She was a tiny thing, with curly brown hair and a big smile on her face. I tried to step away from her path, to avoid bumping into her, but it was too late. 

 It happened too fast that I couldn't even explain.

 And then in a split second, everything changed. The girl lost her balance and rolled down the stairs, her tiny body bouncing off the steps. 

 From behind me, someone let out a high pitched scream and I felt my heart stop. My eyes grew wide with horror as I realized what just happened.

  And she was lying at the bottom of the stairs, motionless.