“Yu-jin is back?”
Georgina raised her voice without meaning to. Lady Catherine frowned at her daughter’s lack of decorum and scolded her with a sharp glance. But Georgina didn’t care. Her mouth gaped open and she made strange, sputtering noises—”Ugh, ugh”—as if she couldn’t form words. Lady Catherine pretended not to notice her teenage daughter’s bizarre reaction and calmly lifted her teacup.
“Well, it’s just as well. At least he’s having a child, so there shouldn’t be any issues with executing the will.”
She took a sip of tea and subtly furrowed her brows. The bitterness wasn’t solely from the strong brew. The fact that that lowly thing had returned, and Winston would now likely regain his composure—letting the will proceed smoothly, not to mention the company running without a hitch—left a bitter taste in her mouth.
After all the effort she put into getting rid of it.
And now this? All that hard work, for nothing. With a soft sigh, Lady Catherine glanced at her daughter and tilted her head.
“What is it?”
At her mother’s voice, Georgina jolted out of her deep thoughts. She raised her head in surprise, then quickly waved her hand as if flustered when she met her mother’s scrutinizing gaze.
“It’s nothing. Really. I just mean—so all the problems are resolved now, right? There’s nothing left to worry about in this family.”
Ahaha… She tried to gloss things over with an awkward laugh, but to her surprise, Lady Catherine murmured to herself with a displeased expression.
“Nothing to worry about? Andrew’s been admitted to the hospital again.”
“What?”
Georgina, who had been about to excuse herself, froze in place. Lady Catherine set down her teacup with a face full of concern and continued.
“Apparently, he started using again. Madam Campbell found out and was absolutely furious. Naturally, they had him admitted right away.”
She shook her head as if she’d given up.
“I just don’t understand what’s wrong with that boy. What could he possibly be lacking? We’ve given him everything he ever wanted.”
Maybe that’s exactly why life feels so empty for him.
Georgina didn’t say it aloud, but the thought lingered. With people like Andrew, maybe a little bit of hardship actually does the soul some good. Of course, she was well aware that she was one of the lucky ones—blessed with more than she deserved—and she was perfectly willing to give back to society in return for those blessings.
But that was before she learned about the dark underbelly of the family. Of course, a fortune as vast as the Campbells’ couldn’t have been built without secrets she wasn’t privy to. Naturally, there were bound to be filthy deeds that could never see the light of day.
Maybe Andrew broke down because, unlike the rest, he still had a sliver of conscience left.
The thought flashed through her mind—but she quickly rejected it. Conscience? Please. Andrew was no different. He was one of them.
So then… what about me? Am I any different?
She had never once believed herself to be wholly innocent or morally spotless. But the worst she’d ever done amounted to jaywalking, sneaking alcohol behind the adults’ backs, or trying a cigarette out of curiosity. Those were the only kinds of “crimes” she could imagine committing. Of course, they were more like acts of rebellion than actual crimes—but still, they brought with them a certain pang of guilt, and that was enough of a common thread.
But deliberately deceiving someone, or actively ruining another person’s life—that was a completely different story. Ever since hearing what Andrew had said, she hadn’t been able to sleep peacefully. She didn’t want to give up her comfortable life, but she also didn’t have the courage to go up against the entire family. She hated herself for being such a coward, for being spineless, and yet every morning she pretended like nothing was wrong and went about her day as usual.
What else am I supposed to do? I’m just a teenager, after all.
No one cared about her, anyway. Even if she tried to tell Winston, he wouldn’t believe her. To him, Georgina was still just a childish, clueless little girl.
It has nothing to do with me.
Especially now that Andrew had ended up in the hospital—whatever it was, it was out of her hands.
“Andrew’ll come to his senses eventually.”
That was all Georgina said before quickly getting up to leave, not wanting the conversation to dig any deeper. Behind her, Lady Catherine sighed and muttered under her breath.
“Where in the world did he even get the drugs…?”
“I—I’m going to visit a friend!”
Georgina called out hastily and darted out of the tea room as if running for her life. Left alone, Lady Catherine stared after her daughter, looking puzzled, but soon dismissed it. It wasn’t unusual for her teenage daughter to act in strange and irrational ways.
Once the inheritance is secured, everything will be over.
This time, there would be no loose ends. She was confident in Madam Campbell. If anyone could devise a way, it would be her mother.
Just like when they so flawlessly drove Yu-jin out before.
***
Haaa… No sooner had she stepped into the hallway and tried to catch her breath when her phone suddenly rang, making Georgina jump. Her eyes widened in alarm as she hurriedly checked the caller ID—and let out a deep sigh.
The ringtone kept playing. Groaning under her breath, Georgina pressed a hand to her forehead. The temptation to power off her phone and pretend she hadn’t seen it was strong… but the image of that sweet little face popped into her mind, and she couldn’t bring herself to do it. In the end, she gave in and answered the call.
“Aaanngieee!”
She shouted the name in an exaggerated, cheerful voice, and was met with a burst of giggles from the other side. The sound of the child’s laughter immediately soothed the unease in Georgina’s chest, if only for a moment. She smiled without even realizing it as Angela’s high-pitched voice rang out.
“Georgina! It’s been forever! How’ve you been?”
“Ohhh, not well at aaall…”
“Huh? Why noooot?”
Angela let out a long, exaggerated sigh in her usual drawn-out tone, prompting Georgina to laugh—but the girl quickly followed up with a concerned question. This time, Georgina gave a sincere answer.
“Because I miiissed Princess Angela sooo muuuuch, I couldn’t liiive properlyyy.”
She deliberately mimicked the child’s speech, pouting playfully—but for some reason, Angela didn’t respond right away. There was a beat of silence.
“Georgina.”
“Mm?”
When she casually replied to the girl calling her name, Angela surprised her with a sudden scolding in a stern little voice.
“Why are you talking like a baby? You’re a grown-up, Georgina. You should speak like a grown-up.”
She enunciated every word clearly, almost as if she were setting an example, correcting Georgina with all the seriousness of a tiny teacher. Caught completely off guard, Georgina found herself speechless. For once, her words faltered, and after hesitating a moment, she quietly murmured, “Sorry.”
“Don’t do it again.”
Angela warned her solemnly. Humbled, Georgina replied with a meek, “Okay.” Apparently satisfied with that, Angela’s voice instantly brightened as she continued.
“Anyway, Georgina, how have you been lately? Busy? Do you want to come to Angela’s tea party?”
“Really? You’re inviting me?”
Georgina couldn’t help but burst out in delight, but the excitement quickly faded as she realized her mistake. This wasn’t the time to be playing pretend tea parties like nothing was wrong. She should be doing everything she could to avoid being noticed—what was she thinking, entertaining the idea of leisure?
She bit her lower lip and released it slowly, then answered as calmly as she could.
“I’d really love to, Angie… but I’m super busy with exams these days.”
It wasn’t a lie. Nearly every class at school had turned into some form of testing lately.
“Oh yeah? Then when do your exams end?”
Angela’s voice was still cheerful and sweet, like she didn’t mind waiting at all. Georgina felt a painful throb in her chest as she struggled to answer.
“I’m not sure. College prep is starting soon too, so…”
“Ah…”
A soft, disappointed sigh came from the other end of the line.
“I see…”
Hearing that dejected little voice made Georgina’s heart sink. But Angela, determined to stay composed, pushed down her disappointment and spoke gently.
“Studying is important, so it’s okay. But Georgina, if you get tired while studying, it’s okay to take a little break, right? You can come over anytime. I’ll be waiting.”
What an impossibly thoughtful little girl.
Feeling like a humble servant blessed by the benevolence of a kind princess, Georgina clutched her chest and couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Tomorrow!”
She blurted it out before she could stop herself.
“I’ll come tomorrow, Angie. I’ve got the day off!”
“Really?!”
Angela’s voice shot up with excitement. Georgina gave in completely and nodded, as if letting the world crumble around her.
“Yeah. Let’s meet tomorrow. I’ll be there.”
“Yaaay!”
A gleeful cheer erupted from the other end of the line.
Yeah… this is enough.
With that thought, Georgina set a time with Angela and ended the call.
She will tell the truth…