Chapter 458

• That insufferable woman Leopold favored now was none other than Margaret’s niece. She’d been installed as his secondary partner already having a son and a daughter and was expecting again any day now. Jessica’s return to the family estate would only deepen her frustration, but with my mother’s orders weighing on her, she had no choice but to go back.
• Jessica had once boasted with pride about returning to her natal family on her own terms. That confidence now felt like a distant memory. No one had come to pick her up, and she was forced to return alone, her posture tight with embarrassment. Taking Chloe into the fold as Leopold’s secondary partner... It was a bitter pill, but Chloe’s youth and undeniable charm gave her an edge. Jessica saw her as a tool a distraction to destabilize the current favored woman, and ultimately a way to benefit from the resulting chaos.
• But beneath that cold calculation, Jessica’s resentment toward Chloe ran deep. She hated them all. Maybe she had only herself to blame.