Chapter 5 I will deal with him myself.
Zella POV
After dropping Dante at school, I told the driver to take me back to the Cristopher house. I sat quietly in the car, knowing I had to spend another day in a place where no one wanted me. There is not a single person here on my side. When I stepped inside, I saw them right away.
Catherin, Rowan’ grandmother, sat in the living room with Grace and Clara. All three of them looked at me like I had no place in this house.
What are they planning now? I walked past them without stopping, but I did not get far. Clara rushed toward me and grabbed my hair from behind. Pain ran through my head, and I let out a sound before I could stop it.
“What are you doing?” I snapped, turning toward her.
She laughed. “No one told me I can not touch you.”
“Let go,” I said, trying to pull her hand away.
She held on tighter.
“I let you live in peace because you promised not to get close to Rowan,” she said. “But this morning, you crossed the line. Now I have to get rid of you.”
I looked straight at her.
“Rowan is my husband. What is wrong with wanting him to care about me and his son?”
Her grip tightened again, but I did not wait this time. I grabbed her wrist, pulled her off balance, and threw her to the floor. Grace stood up at once.
“What did you just do to my niece?” she shouted.
I looked at all of them without backing down. I am not Zaria. I am not going to smile and take it like nothing matters. Grace pulled out a check and waved it in front of me.
“Do you need money? With this, you can buy anything you want. Clothes, trips, even spend it on your lovers,” she said.
I took a breath before answering.
“I do not need your money,” I said.
Clara pushed herself up and glared at me.
“You ungrateful bitch. It is better to feed animals than keep someone like you in this house,” she snapped.
That was enough. I stepped forward and slapped her across the face. Everyone went quiet.
“Watch your mouth,” I said. “I am done standing here while you talk down on me.”
Grace stepped closer, her eyes locked on me.
“Done? What pride are you talking about? You are the one with no shame,” she said.
I clenched my hands. I wondered if I should fight her too.
“I know who I am,” I said.
She laughed.
“A few months ago, your pride was nothing but money. You would do anything for it. You would even kneel if I asked you to,” she said, stepping closer.
Her voice dropped.
“Sleeping around seems to have changed you. What happened to you?”
I said nothing.
If I keep acting like this, they will start asking questions. But I can not pretend to be Zaria. I just can not. Before I could react, Grace grabbed a flower vase and threw it at me. It struck my head. The pain did not stop, and something warm ran down my face. I tried to stay on my feet, but my body gave in. I lost consciousness.
Rowan POV
“Where are you taking her?” Grace asked.
“My orders are to take Madam to her room,” Frederic answered.
No one argued. No one argues with me. Frederic carried her into my room and laid her on my bed.
“Call Darren,” I said.
He left at once. I stepped closer and looked at her. Blood covered part of her face. I picked up a cloth and cleaned it slowly.
“You should not cause trouble,” she muttered in her sleep. “You are making things harder for them…”
I paused. So she still thinks about her family. Interesting.
“You are more interesting than your sister,” I said quietly.
I sat beside her and watched her face. She looked different without the act. A few minutes later, Darren walked in. He looked at me, then at her.
“You know she is not your wife. Why are you letting your family treat her like this?” he asked.
“I need to know who she really is,” I said. “If she is truly acting for my son, or if she is part of Silas’s plan.”
Darren shook his head and began treating her wound.
“You keep dangerous women like Clara around, but you question this one,” he said.
“It is not time to remove Clara yet,” I said. “If I do, Grace will move faster. I want to deal with both of them properly.”
He finished treating her and stood up.
“She needs rest. Keep her in your room for a few days. If those women get near her again, they might actually kill her,” he said. I raised a brow.
“She is nothing like her sister.”
Darren laughed.
“You should be careful. A woman like this can mess with your head,” he said. “If she becomes a problem, I can take her.”
I looked at him.
“You want what belongs to me?”
He grinned.
“She is not like Zaria. No bad history, no dirty games. That kind of woman is rare.”
I held his gaze.
“You are not touching her.”
He laughed again.
“We will see,” he said before leaving.
I looked back at Zella. She looks like Zaria, but that is where it ends. Zaria is beautiful, but everything about her feels wrong. This one is different. Xavier already sent me everything this morning.
Zella is loyal to her family. She works hard. She lives quietly. She stepped into this mess because she had no choice. Silas forced her.
“There are only two choices,” Darren said earlier. “Keep her here or let her go.”
I already made my choice. She is not leaving. I ordered the guards to stay outside my room. No one enters unless I say so. The entire house noticed. They all wondered why I protect her now. I left for Canada later that day. Clara followed me like she always does.
She has been around me for years, yet she has never managed to move anything inside me. Zaria caused chaos. Zella will face the consequences of that chaos. Back at the house, Abel stood outside my room, staring at the door. He used to sneak into Zaria’s room at night.
He enjoyed her attention. Now he wants the same thing again. But this time, things are different. Zella is not Zaria. And if he tries anything, I will deal with him myself.
