Chapter 760 It’s Not an Illusion!
Elise’s eyes seemed to brighten the moment she stopped in her tracks.
It was no wonder a second bomb suddenly detonated when she was dived into the water.
They didn’t know that Anastasia had taken her life due to a broken heart. In order to prevent her from coming back and ruining their “happy wedding”, they did not hesitate to take the lives of everyone on the boat.
Only the truly cruel at heart could do something like this, and the woman with such a heart just so happened to be Anastasia’s stepsister, Adelpha White.
It was also because of them that Elise was disfigured.
As she thought about this, she suddenly felt compelled to bend down and get close to Adelpha. She then suppressed her own voice, making it as disembodied as she could, and moaned, “I… want you to pay for my life with yours…”
“What? Ah!”
Adelpha let out a shriek as her eyes rolled back, and she fell to the floor with a thud as she fell unconscious.
A look of annoyance immediately appeared on Elise’s face when she saw this. What is someone so timid trying to contract a killer for? she thought.
It suddenly seemed baffling how Anastasia was successfully forced into a dead-end by people like them.
Still, now wasn’t the time to be thinking about this. It was late. She should be resting now.
Turning her head, Elise called out to outside the door. “Come on in.”
As soon as she said that, Jacob, who had a different face on, came walking in while carrying various bags of all sizes.
Adelpha was shaken awake after an hour.
“Adelpha! Why are you sleeping on the floor, Adelpha? Get up! You are going to catch a cold!”
Adelpha was greeted by the sight of her mother, Lyra Syren kneeling beside her, looking at her with a caring expression.
“Momma!” Adelpha quickly sat up and grabbed Lyra by the wrist. The former was a bundle of nerves as she exclaimed in a horrified voice, “I saw Anastasia! She is going to kill me! She said she wants me to pay with my life. You have to help me, Momma!”
“What nonsense is this, my child? Quickly get up.” Lyra helped her daughter up before she reached out and gestured at the whole house. “Look around. Where is this Anastasia you are talking about? You only had a bad dream. Anastasia died at sea a long time ago. She won’t come back even if she has turned into a ghost! Why are you scaring yourself like this?”
Upon hearing that, Adelpha finally felt her agitated heart calm down. She then lifted a hand to wipe away the cold sweat on her forehead. “Thank God it was just a dream…” she repeatedly mumbled to herself.
Right about then, a set of slow and rhythmic footsteps could be heard coming from upstairs.
Adelpha immediately felt a chill run down her back, and as she instinctively whipped her head around to look, she saw ‘Anastasia’ strolling down the stairs in casual slippers.
“Ah!” Adelpha was hiding behind Lyra in an instant while she pointed at the stairs, horrified. She couldn’t even smoothly get her next words out. “M-Mo… Momma, look! It is not an illusion! Anastasia has returned! She is here for my life!”
Afraid that the truth would be revealed, Lyra chided, “Shut your mouth!”
Elise, however, ignored them and went straight to the sofa to sit down. She then calmly instructed a servant, “Make me some chamomile tea.”
Now that she had a proper place to stay at, what she needed next was a good night’s sleep.
The mother-daughter duo supported each other as they approached Elise and sat down in front of her. They kept glancing at her face, and they eventually confirmed that she was the ‘Anastasia’ who had passed away.
Swallowing her saliva, Lyra put on a calm face as she questioned, “Where have you been these few months?”
Elise threw them a cold, nonchalant glance at that. “I didn’t know I needed to tell you about my plans.”
Her eyes only met Lyra’s for no longer than a second, but that moment’s fear was all it took for Lyra to feel faint.
Somehow, the Anastasia in front of her felt different.
Still, this was the White Residence, and Anastasia’s father wasn’t here. Lyra had nothing to be scared of.
The older woman quickly calmed down and with a lonely demeanor, she began to preach, “Do you really think you don’t need to? In this case, why did you come back home? You don’t answer the phone and you don’t reply to messages; do you know how worried your father has been? We have raised you into a grown woman, but you still have no sense of responsibility at all!”
“Oh.” Elise fiddled her fingers unhurriedly and remarked, “My phone broke when I fell into the sea. I couldn’t use it anymore, so I have been using a new card.”
“You can’t make calls with the new SIM card? Is this the reason you made us worry?!” Lyra kept pressing for answers.
“What else?” Elise raised one eyebrow and looked at her with a relaxed look.
Adelpha was not afraid anymore after making sure that ‘Anastasia’ was still alive. With her chest puffed out, she started to defend her mother. “What kind of attitude is this?!” she barked.
However, she immediately conceded by sticking to Lyra the moment Elise gave her a sharp look. She became meeker after that. She didn’t even dare to look at Elise.
“How noisy.” Elise waved her hand impatiently as she stood up and walked upstairs. She suddenly stopped halfway there and stretched her neck to loudly announce in the direction of the kitchen, “Make some chicken soup tonight so that I can drink it tomorrow morning. Don’t forget!”
“Anastasia White, I am not done talking! You better stand right there!”
“Anastasia!”
As if she didn’t hear Adelpha and Lyra, Elise continued to let them dwell in their frustration as she walked in light steps. She soon disappeared at the top of the stairs.
Susan timidly rolled up her apron to wipe her hands. “Madam,” she squeaked. “Should I still stew the chicken soup?”
“To hell with stewing anything! Let her starve!” Lyra was fuming as she continued, “She is no longer one of the Whites. What right does she have to eat or drink anything in our house?!”
“That’s right! We will see if she keeps being arrogant after Poppa comes home!” Adelpha gave a big eye roll as she hissed.
Elise woke up naturally the next morning. It was barely 7AM when she looked at the time.
Stroking her stomach, she unconsciously let a smile appear on her face.
This was her only ray of light during these dark days.
My baby must be a diligent little fellow, she quietly mused to herself.
After washing up and getting ready, she walked downstairs and naturally headed to the dining room for breakfast.
She proceeded to have the scrambled eggs and ham, but even by the time she was done, the chicken soup she wanted was still not served.
Elise stopped Susan in her tracks without any hesitation when Susan brought out more food. “I am sure I have made myself clear about my request last night. You can leave the White Residence if there is a next time.”
Hearing that, Susan turned to look in the direction of the stairs with a conflicted expression on her face, her eyes seemingly asking for help.
“I told her not to do it.” Lyra’s arrogant voice sounded immediately. “Are you thinking of kicking me out?”
Elise only looked over indifferently without any changes on her expression before she turned back again. As if nothing had happened, she held a slice of toast and hummed lightheartedly, “What is wrong with me kicking you out? Every brick and every wall that makes up this house was built from scratch by my grandfather. One phone call is all I need to make to get rid of you.”
After swallowing the last bite of toast, she left the table with her bag and walked toward the door.
She came to a halt just as she was passing by Lyra. Looking into her eyes, Elise impassively warned, “I have seen all your tricks when I was a child, but I am not a kid anymore, and I certainly am not the old Anastasia. If you and your daughter want to continue staying in the White Residence, I advise you to start acting like civilized people.”
She had more important things to handle now. As long as the mother and daughter stopped provoking her, she didn’t mind letting them live peacefully a little longer.
However, Elise would have no choice but to teach them a lesson if they continued getting on her nerves.
Alexander took a sip of coffee, then said slowly, “Being a member is just my stepping-stone. My goal is to be the president of the Jewelry Association.”
Jamie immediately understood. “That’s right. My view is too narrow. How could the dignified Mr. Griffith be just a member?”
Alexander did not deny it and calmly blew away the steam coming from the cup.
Alexis is a gift from Elise. If they want to touch it, they must pay the price.
That night, Tissote had a strong wind and thunderstorms.
The White Residence’s door slammed open with a bang. Then wind and rain poured in from the outside, and the woman in the silk pajamas shivered.
“Susan, the door is open. Close it now!”
The servant closed the windows upstairs and didn’t hear at all.
The woman had her hair messed up by the strong wind. Hence, she could only get up and go to the entrance by herself.
At the entrance, she pulled at the doors hard. When they were about to close, a pale face suddenly appeared.
She was so frightened that she fell to the ground.
“A-Anastasia?” The woman trembled and inched back to the ground. “Are you a demon?!”
Wearing Anastasia’s mask, Elise walked inside and approached the woman without saying a word.
The woman was blocked by the sofa and had no way to go. She immediately kneeled and kowtowed to Elise desperately. “I didn’t hurt you. He said that we can be together forever as long as you die. He ordered everything. It had nothing to do with me. Please let me go. Just let me go…”
