Chapter 9
The next day at the Lambert residence, Lydia kept to herself. Whether from a warning or just caution, she stayed quiet.
When Zina went to eat lunch, Lydia sat alone, quietly eating without even glancing at her once. Zina was secretly relieved.
But just as she finished and turned to leave, Lydia slammed her fork down and stood abruptly. “Hey, ‘sister, you settling in alright?”
Zina frowned but stopped and faced her. Lydia’s eyes burned with hatred as she spat out, word by word, “Adrian’s coming home today. Just you wait. He’s a medical genius and spoils me rotten. You’ll be pushed aside.”
Her threatening words echoed in the air. Zina rubbed her temples, feeling helpless. “No matter what you think, I never wanted to fight you. Let’s just keep the peace.”
With that, Zina turned and left. In her room, she sat at her desk, lost in thought.
Since yesterday, Kellan’s face kept appearing in her mind. An unsettling feeling gnawed at her.
Was it because of Patrick’s illness? Zina was not sure. She needed to hurry and get the Emberrose.
After a long moment, a knock pulled her back. Opening the door, she saw a tall, upright figure standing there.
The man wore a sharp, tailored shirt and carried himself with an air of nobility. Though he hadn’t spoken yet, the cold aura he gave off made Zina brace herself.
“You’re the new ‘sister‘ who just came home, right?” He spoke first.
“And you are-” Zina couldn’t connect this cold guy with the medical genius Yvonne talked about.
“Let me introduce myself,” the man walked into the room without hesitating. “I’m Adrian Lambert, and I’m your brother, technically.”
He settled into the chair by the window, perfectly positioned to oversee the view outside. “This room was prepared for the sister we lost at birth,” he continued. “Everything here was chosen by me, Mom, Dad, and my brothers–to give our sister the happy life she deserves.”
Zina’s brow furrowed as she regarded him warily. Before she could respond, Adrian spoke again. “Zina, right? I’ve looked into you. For five years, there’s been no sign of you.”
He stood up, starring at Zina. “I don’t care what you’re after, but if you do anything against the Lambert family, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
His dislike was obvious. Zina studied him carefully, then couldn’t help but laugh quietly.
“Mr. Lambert, I’ve never taken what’s not mine,” she replied. “You don’t like me, and I don’t like you. Let’s keep it civil. But if you’re here to cause trouble, don’t expect me to be friendly.”
Her tone was icy and calm. Adrian’s face flickered with discomfort, then he studied her carefully.
According to Lydia, Zina was a master manipulator–someone who’d turned their parents against Lydia. He didn’t know why she was acting so indifferently.
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Chapter 9
Mon, Aug
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His gaze darkened with suspicion. Just as he opened his mouth to say more, Zina stood and pointed toward the door. The last trace of a smile vanished from her face, replaced with cold finality.
“Please leave.” She said. “I have other things to attend to.”
A few seconds later, Adrian was outside the door. He found Zina seemed to have quite the temper. That vengeful streak- even if he shouldn’t, he found himself liking it.
But then he turned himself down. He was meant to protect Lydia, not this “sister.”
He left the hallway. Finally, Zina’s room quieted. She let out a long breath.
Sitting down again, countless memories and images flashed through her mind.
She’d just been released from prison and made a scene at Rosie’s engagement banquet. With Rosie’s nature, peace was unlikely. She knew the Sinclair family was probably plotting something big.
Zina knew surprises were coming–she just hadn’t expected them so soon. On the third day at the Lambert residence, Zina opened her laptop and found her photo was trending.
The headline read: [Missing Person Alert–Daughter recently released from prison, whereabouts unknown. Please keep watch.]
Below was a video of Kevin and Avery, sitting in their living room, red–eyed and weary from crying.
“We don’t know where our adopted daughter went,” Avery choked up as she spoke. “When we found out the baby had been swapped, we only wanted to bring back our biological daughter. The adopted daughter was unhappy about it.”
“We hoped the two girls would bond, but the adopted daughter kept targeting her sister and even committed crimes… ending up in prison.” She continued, then cried out loud. Her sobs shook the screen, and Kevin took over.
“We thought she’d change after coming out, but she ruined our biological daughter’s engagement banquet and slandered us in public,” said Kevin. “The company’s fallen apart, but we just want her home.”
“I don’t blame my sister anymore. I just want her to be okay,” Rosie appeared on camera, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I want our family back together so Mom and Dad won’t be so sad. If anyone sees her, please contact us.”
Reading the comments below, Zina only twitched her lips, uninterested. Luckily, since Rosie came back, the Sinclair family hadn’t focused on Zina.
The photo was old, taken in high school, showing a thin, sickly girl. Though she’d spent years in prison, she’d been well cared for and trained at the Base.
Now she looked very different–hardly recognizable to those who didn’t know her well. But the Lambert family’s situation was more complicated.
Before Zina could dwell on that, there was a knock at the door. She opened it, meeting Yvonne’s worried eyes once again.
Mon,
