A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 102

When the nurse changed Xenia’s dressing, Darleen saw the long, deep gash on her daughter's cheekbone and her anger flared. Xenia reached for her phone to see the damage, but Darleen tried to stop her. "Don't look."

But it was too late. Xenia saw the reflection and let out a horrified scream. "Ah!"

Seeing her daughter's distress, Darleen’s heart ached. It was all because of that damn Starla. Everything was her fault. She was a curse!

"You never should have let her into this family!" Xenia shrieked, her voice cracking with rage. "Look at her now, showing her true colors. She's making all our lives miserable, and now she wants to take everything back!"

Xenia was hysterical. A wound that deep would definitely leave a scar. The thought of being scarred for life sent her into another fit of fury. "I'll kill her! Ah!"

"Calm down!" Darleen pleaded, her own head throbbing. "You'll tear your stitches."

But Xenia was beyond reason. She slapped the sterile forceps out of the nurse’s hand. "Get out! Get out now!"

The terrified nurse could only glare silently.

"You can go," Darleen said to the nurse, who scurried out of the room as if granted a pardon.

Alone with her mother, Xenia swept a tray off the small table, sending it crashing to the floor. The room filled with the jarring clang of metal.

"I will never give anything back to her," she snarled. "She can forget about it."

Darleen nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Give her what? After Fairfax injured you like this because of her?"

She was furious too. Though Fairfax had been the one to throw the ashtray, the fight had started because of Starla. They had gone to confront Starla about Harriet’s house burning down, but the night ended before they could even bring it up, with Xenia being rushed to the hospital.

"She's finally shown her true face," Xenia spat. "All that time pretending she didn't care about money, but she was after the Yelchin fortune all along."

"Which is why we can't give her anything," Darleen said, her expression grim. "She can dream on."

Her phone rang again—Gabriel. Darleen answered, her voice dripping with contempt. "I told you, we are not giving anything back to her."

"What if returning it puts an end to the scandal?"

The voice on the other end wasn't Gabriel's. It was the cold, commanding voice of Fairfax.

Darleen’s breath hitched. "What? Are you saying we have to bend to her will now?" She was just some girl with no background. Were they really going to give her that much power?

"If we don't, you've seen what happens," Fairfax replied calmly.

Darleen felt her anger choke her, a fire with no release. On the other end of the line, Fairfax's voice was laced with ice. "Gabriel is on his way with the lawyer."

"And if we sign, all of this bad press will just disappear?" Darleen asked through gritted teeth. That damn girl. They had truly underestimated her. When had she gotten involved with Herbert Farley? The thought of Herbert only fueled her rage. She’d heard on the way back that if he hadn’t shown up at Petal Villa, Starla would be dead by now. When had she managed to secure such a powerful ally without any of them knowing?