Chapter 4 Fed to the Dogs

• Cynthia offered no retort.
• Keith was right to say that she had abandoned her family duties, though in her defense, Dominic had married his mistress merely days after his wife’s passing; he had treated his stepchildren with unreserved affection but neglected Cynthia, his only biological daughter. It would be hilarious to expect her to care for a man like that, even if he was her father.
• More importantly, they had demanded that she return this time so that they could distribute the family fortune. There was hardly a point in ignoring the fractured bond between father and daughter in the grand scheme of things.
• Growing tired of this happy-family act that the others seemed keen to carry on, Cynthia said bluntly, “I only came back here because you wanted me to be part of the conversation during the family fortune distribution. I just got off a long-haul flight, and I’m exhausted, so I’ll go up and recite a prayer or two for my mom. We’ll talk about the other stuff after I get some shut-eye.”
• With that, she ignored the shifts in the others’ expressions as she dragged her suitcase and started to make her way up the stairs.
• However, she had barely taken a few steps when Dominic hurried to catch up with her. “Wait, Cindy, don’t go up just yet.”
• She frowned and asked, “Why?”
• There was a flash of something in Dominic’s eyes as he explained slowly, “It’s nothing, but I just thought about how, you know, you came back all of a sudden without giving us a heads up and—well, the room’s been left vacant for a whole year, and we didn’t have it cleaned up for you. Why don’t you give it a miss and spend the night in the first-floor guest room instead?”
• Unbothered by this, Cynthia replied stoically, “It’s fine. I can clean the room on my own.” Then, she started to make her way up again.
• “But—” He made to stop her again, but a wary look flashed in his eyes once more as his words came to an abrupt halt.
• At the sight of this, Cynthia narrowed her eyes and let go of her suitcase, then hurtled up the staircase.
• She heard Dominic anxiously crying out after her, but she paid no mind to him as she hastily pushed her bedroom door open.
• As soon as she did that, she froze at the doorway.
• When she had left for abroad, the walls of her bedroom had been painted a simple beige color, and she kept her decorations tasteful and minimal; now, the four walls were painted lilac, the very same color that happened to be Daisy’s favorite.
• The furniture in the room had changed as well, and so had the layout.
• Upon seeing this, Cynthia felt her blood run cold. She took one heavy step after another, marching into the bedroom as she sought traces of familiarity.
• But she was disappointed, for this room that she had once called her own was now foreign territory.
• It was only by sheer determination that she managed to hold on to reason, but that did not keep her fury at bay as she took in the mortifying scene before her.
• However, whatever shred of reason she had clung onto was lost the very moment she opened the door to the room next to hers. A strong surge of hatred filled her immediately, swelling up in her like a tidal wave that threatened to overwhelm her.
• It’s gone…
• Prior to her trip abroad, she had cleared out her study to build a shrine for her mother with the hope of giving her late mother a corner of her own in this home.
• But right now, the memorial tablet was gone, and the shrine had been converted into storage space. The other rooms had been taken by Faye and her spawns. Everything that had belonged to Cynthia’s mother had disappeared.
• Shuddering with a rising temper, Cynthia gritted her teeth and turned to glare at Dominic, who had just arrived at the top of the stairs. “What did you do with Mom’s memorial tablet?” She spoke in such icy tones that the air around her froze.
• Dominic felt a chill run down his spine, and he couldn’t bring himself to meet her baleful gaze as he began, “Cindy, let me explain—”
• “Where the hell is Mom’s memorial tablet?!” Cynthia demanded sharply, cutting him off.
• There was guilt in his eyes as he answered, “Cindy, let me explain. We’re still living in this house, and now that your mother’s gone, it’s a little... odd to have her memorial tablet lying around here. Anyway, I figured it would be better if I moved her somewhere else…”
• “Where?” Cynthia bit out, her voice quivering slightly as her eyes turned red with hot tears.
• “It’s, uh—”
• Just as Dominic struggled to come up with a reply, Daisy chimed from where she stood next to him, saying, “Don’t be mad, Cynthia. Dad only moved your mom’s memorial tablet into the storage room next to the garage, that’s all. We’ve even cleared it out for you, and my mom asked that the servants keep it clean—”
• Before Daisy was done speaking, Cynthia brushed past them and hurried toward the garage.
• She skidded to a stop in front of the storage room next to the garage and opened the door. Darkness greeted her, and judging from the cobwebs and dust in the room, she had a feeling that the space was as good as abandoned. She gazed into the dimness and saw her mother’s memorial tablet sitting alone in the corner of the room.
• At the sight of this, she could hear her heart beating loudly in her ears, and rage thrummed in her veins. She felt her blood boil and hatred filling the cavity of her chest. The tidal wave of emotions that had been building up in her finally pulled her under.
• Trembling, she trod over to her mother’s memorial tablet. Tears spilled down her cheeks uncontrollably as she drew closer to the placard.
• For a whole year, her mother had been left alone in this dark and stuffy storage room, forgotten by everyone else. Cynthia wondered how heartless Dominic had to be in order to treat his dead wife without the slightest bit of decorum.
• With a loud thump, Cynthia fell to her knees before her mother’s memorial tablet and bowed deeply, crying out in contrition, “Mom, it’s me, Cindy. I’m home. I should have been home ages ago. I’m so sorry for leaving you all alone here!”
• Guilt and self-loathe washed over her, threatening to drown her. She should never have left her mother’s memorial tablet behind when she decided to go abroad; she should have known that her father had already been corrupted by Faye, who had undoubtedly persuaded him to throw out the tablet. It’s not as if the shameless vixen could tolerate having any trace of my mom hovering in that house!
• Cynthia could feel nothing but pure hatred. I hate them all! How could they do something like this to my mom? Isn’t it bad enough that they’ve taken everything else in the house?
• She could only see red, and the hot tears burned her eyes as she rose to wipe the dust off her mother’s memorial tablet, then carried it into the house.
• Presently, Dominic and the others were waiting in the living room. Their eyes lit up with uncertainty when they saw that she had returned with the tablet.
• There was guilt in their eyes, as well as fear.
• Taking in the looks on their faces, Cynthia scoffed. Their fear was a given, and she wondered if they could rest easy knowing how they had disrespected a deceased person.
• “Cindy, I didn’t think you’d, uh, bring your mother’s memorial tablet back in here.” Even as Dominic said this, he dared not glance at the tablet.
• Cynthia let out a bark of scornful laughter. “Why can’t I bring her back? This house is under her name, and she can stay here for as long as she pleases. How dare you all leave her in a dark and stuffy room? Just who the hell do you think you are?”
• To one side, Keith was apathetic as he pointed out, “She’s dead, isn’t she? Having her memorial tablet lying around the house is so depressing.”
• “Depressing?” Cynthia was both derisive and furious. “And what right do you have to say that? You, your sister, and your mother are camping here in my mom’s house, and none of you bothered to treat her with respect! Is this how your conscience tells you to treat a deceased person?” Then, she paused and chuckled darkly. “Oh, that’s right, conscience is a foreign concept to all of you, and even if you did have some good conscience, I suppose it’s been fed to the dogs! The scraps left behind are made up of nothing more than greed and selfishness!”