Chapter 2: Chapter 2

1,270 words

<html><head></head><body>“Lucille.” Zoey bit her lip and pleaded pitifully, “Are you still blaming me for what happened yesterday? I’ve explained to Dad and our brothers, but they don’t believe me…” Lucille sneered, revealing a flash of defiance in her eyes. “If you really want to help me clear my name, why not just show them the surveillance footage?” She leaned against the bed, her delicate face slightly pallid. It was clear that she was frail at the moment. But the coldness in her eyes was chilling. She used to be a silent and introverted person, but her entire demeanor had changed. Was this still the naive Lucille from before? Zoey suddenly felt a sense of panic, her fingers on the armrest of the wheelchair turning slightly white. She composed herself, turned her head to the two men behind her, and spoke in a whiny voice, “Samuel, Charles, I knew that Lucille was still angry with me. Could you help me persuade her, please?” Lucille felt nauseous from Zoey’s coquettish tone, but unfortunately, these two men were clearly enjoying it. Charles Jules stepped forward confidently. “Lucille, if it wasn’t for Zoey’s plea, I would never apologize to you. You have to know that Zoey is the real victim…” “Charles,” Lucille suddenly spoke, interrupting him. Her voice was like a fine crystal, ringing out clear and pure. Charles was taken aback. Lucille hadn’t called him by his name in a long time, and he was somewhat unaccustomed to it. Lucille raised her eyes, calmly looking at Charles, her voice hoarse. “Last night, you guys took Zoey to the hospital, and I was pushed into the water by the people at the banquet. I almost drowned…” “So what?” Charles replied unkindly, “You didn’t die, did you? Besides, if you hadn’t pushed Zoey downstairs first, would they have pushed you into the water?” Lucille felt her chest tighten at his heartless response. The pain she had felt before, a familiar and dull ache, returned with a vengeance, making it hard to breathe. The injustices and pain that the original owner of this body had endured were now being visited upon Lucille. Her words were heavy with sorrow as she said, “So just because I didn’t die, you think it’s okay to accuse me so cruelly? What if I had died?” Did Charles know that his own sister would never come back alive? He was willing to throw his own flesh and blood under the bus to protect a girl who was nothing to him. The sheer callousness of it all left Lucille reeling. If the original owner of this body were still alive, how heartbroken and sad she would be at this moment? Charles looked at Lucille in a daze. Her last line just now somehow made his heart miss a beat. What if she had died…? And yes, everyone knew that Lucille couldn’t swim… If it weren’t for her luck, she might have really died. Zoey noticed Charles’ distraction and immediately spoke up, “I’m sorry, Lucille. It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t lost so much blood and fainted, our brothers wouldn’t have rushed me to the hospital and neglected you. You can blame me if you want…” Zoey’s words were a clear reminder to Charles that Lucille had pushed Zoey down the stairs the previous night, causing her to lose a lot of blood and fall into a coma. As expected, Charles’ slight feeling of guilt disappeared immediately upon hearing Zoey’s words. “You said ‘if’, didn’t you?” he retorted. “Anyway, you’re not dead or missing any limbs. But look at Zoey now, you caused her to end up in a wheelchair.” Not dead? Lucille’s lips curled in anger. She couldn’t help but recall the moment when the original owner of this body drowned, feeling suffocated and upset. She was only nineteen years old, with her whole life ahead of her, yet a group of people mercilessly forced her into the water. Before dying, she had tried to open her eyes and take one last look at the world. But all she saw were a group of cruel and demonic perpetrators. At that moment, she had no more hope for this world. The Jules family would never know what she saw in her last moments. She saw the days when her father and three brothers doted on her when she was a child. Despite all the injustices and suffering she endured, she still didn’t want to hate these people who hurt her. But what did they do in return? They Ignored her, mocked her, and made fun of her… Had the Jules family forgotten who she was? noveldrama How could they act so callously?! Suppressing her surging anger, Lucille said in a low voice, “Although I didn’t die, the fact is that they attempted to kill me!” She would never let go of those devilish people. They were responsible for the death of the original owner of this body, and they must pay a heavy price for it! Zoey noticed Lucille’s serious expression and realized that she wasn’t joking around. “Lucille, my friends were just angry when they heard that you pushed me down the stairs. They lost their temper for a moment, and I apologize for their behavior. Please, don’t hold them accountable.” She then grabbed Lucille’s hand tightly and continued, “If you’re still upset, you can hit me or curse at me. They didn’t mean it.” Lucille looked at Zoey coldly, feeling the pain of her fingernails pressing into her hand. She knew that this was Zoey’s usual trick. The previous night, Zoey had used this method, too. Though now she seemed to be pleading for her friends, she was secretly pinching Lucille. When the original owner was in pain and pushed her away the previous night, Zoey pretended to fall down the stairs… Hmph! If she were the original owner, she would have fallen right into Zoey’s trap. It was a pity that the one sitting in front of her right now was Lucille Jules, the God of War of the Jules family. Such small tricks could not trap her. With a deft move, Lucille grabbed Zoey’s hand and applied pressure to a sensitive point on her wrist. “Ah!!” A scream echoed through the hospital room. Zoey slapped Lucille’s hand and spoke with an angry yet still gentle voice, “Lucille, I know you’re still mad at me. This pain is nothing. I can take it.” Samuel Gilbert, who had remained silent until then, couldn’t take it anymore and angrily rebuked, “Lucille Jules! You’ve gone too far! Zoey was only being kind. Why did you have to hurt her again and again?” Charles also glared angrily, “Lucille Jules, you’re shameless!” Charles was the original owner’s brother, whilst Samuel was her fiance, but both were so partial that they were like blind to the truth. Lucille lowered her gaze, looking at her red hand, her eyes icy cold. Suddenly, she raised her hand and fiercely slapped Zoey across the face. She had put in all her strength. Slap! Zoey’s face immediately turned red and swollen. She couldn’t believe it. “You hit me?” she exclaimed, holding her throbbing cheek. Lucille sneered, “Wasn’t it you who said I can hit or curse at you? What’s wrong? You changed your mind?” Charles was the first to react, his anger boiling over. “Lucille, how–” “Shut up!” Lucille shot back. “I’m your brother. How dare you speak to me like that?!” he shouted. “You show favoritism to an outsider such as her, mistreat me, ignore the truth, and make baseless accusations. You don’t deserve to be my brother!” </body></html>

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

1,270 words