A Mother's Justice

As Hugh Sullivan's intended wife, the title of Mrs. Sullivan was the last thing I ever wanted.
On our wedding day, standing outside the dressing room, I overheard a conversation between my father and Hugh.
Hugh, are you truly willing to marry Elara for Celia's sake?
If you have second thoughts now, I can still find someone else to take her place.
A heavy sigh from Hugh. "I'm the only one who can tie Elara down, make her give up her claim on the inheritance. Everything I'm doing... it's all for Celia."
A slow, silent smile spread across my lips.
Oh, Father. You've grown so foolish in your old age. Did you really think marrying me off would be enough to neutralize me? That it would clear the way for you to welcome your illegitimate children into the family and hand them the Vance family's billion-dollar fortune?
And Hugh... he gave himself far too much credit. The only reason I agreed to this union, the only reason I gave him a second glance, was because he was the man Celia Vance had her heart set on.
And what could be more satisfying than stealing the one thing your enemy cherishes, using him completely, and then casting him aside?
After all, my mother taught me from a young age: what is yours, you take back, by any means necessary.

1
My father clapped Hugh on the shoulder, his voice heavy with meaning. "I appreciate your devotion to Celia. After the wedding, I'll transfer five percent of Vance Enterprises' stock to you as compensation."
But Hugh refused flatly. "I don't want compensation. When Celia gets back from her trip, I just want to be the one to explain this to her, to make it right."
Celia. Always the precious jewel they cradled in their hands. To avoid upsetting her, my father had conveniently sent her on an overseas vacation right before my wedding. I'd expected this, of course, but hearing the words spoken aloud still sent a familiar pang through my chest.
I pursed my lips and turned away, quietly signaling my makeup artist to fetch the wedding ring I'd "forgotten."
What isn't mine, I don't want. But what is rightfully mine... you will never take from me.
The ceremony reached its peak. With a perfect, demure smile, I linked my arm through my father's and walked toward Hugh. He placed my hand solemnly into Hugh's, patting our joined hands with a look of fatherly affection and concern.
"Elara, you only just returned home... and with your mother gone so early, and me so busy with work... I haven't been able to care for you properly. Now that you're marrying Hugh, I can finally rest easy, knowing he'll look after you."
I dug my nails into my own thigh, hard, until the sting brought tears to my eyes. I let out a choked sob and threw myself into my father's arms. Peeking over his shoulder at Hugh, I whispered in a trembling, childish voice, "Daddy, what if... what if Hugh isn't good to me?"
Hugh's body went rigid, his brow furrowing in a flicker of irritation. "Elara, I'll be good to you for the rest of our lives."
A pathetic performance. I scoffed internally, ignoring him completely.
Clinging to my father's arm, I rocked it gently. "Daddy, do you remember when I was eight and threw a tantrum because I wanted a little brother to protect me?"
"You spun me around and around, and you told me I was your one and only precious pearl, and that you would protect me forever."
My father's smile faltered. He knew where this was going. But I pressed on, my voice dripping with manufactured innocence.
"It was only later that I learned Mommy couldn't have any more children after she had me. But you never cared about the rumors, about people saying you needed a son to be the 'pillar of the family.' You always took such good care of us."
"Even after Mom passed away five years ago, you never remarried or had other children. Daddy, thank you. Thank you for giving all your love to just me and Mom."
Coming from anyone else, such words would have melted a father's heart. But my father had a secret mistress and two secret children tucked away in the shadows. He had always treated me like a naive little princess, assuming I was clueless about his affair, about the second family he'd raised behind our backs. His plan was to use this very reception to bring his mistress and illegitimate children out into the open, to force me to accept them.
I wouldn't give him the chance.
Before he could muster a response, the guests began to murmur their approval.
"Harrison Vance is famous for doting on his wife and daughter. He's a true role model in our circle."
"A man of such high moral character, it's no wonder he's built such an empire. He's an inspiration to us all."
My father prized his public image above all else. The praise from his peers sealed his lips shut. His face was a mask of strained discomfort as he instinctively glanced toward the audience, where I knew Madeline and her son, Caleb, were sitting. Their faces were tight, their fists clenched.
Their long-planned ambush had been effortlessly dismantled by my "innocent" little speech, and now they were all squirming, trapped in the spotlight. I kept my expression pure and deeply moved, but inside, I was fighting back a triumphant laugh.
My father sighed heavily, but I wasn't done yet. I decided to turn up the heat.
"Daddy," I said, my voice clear and loud. "Even though I'm getting married, I'll still be your only child, right? Your most precious pearl, forever and ever?"

2
A sharp, audible gasp from my father.
I beamed, my eyes wide with expectation, locking him in place. If he admitted it, here, in front of everyone, that I was his only child, then Celia and Caleb would be condemned to the shadows forever. If he denied it, all the praise he'd just accepted would turn into a hail of scorn, branding him a hypocrite.
Down in the audience, Madeline's fist was clenched so tight her knuckles were white.
This man, so decisive and ruthless in the boardroom, was now paralyzed by the simplest of questions. The loving smile vanished from his face, replaced by a storm of conflict. His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.
Hugh shot a panicked look from my father to me, his expression twisting into one of pure disgust. "Elara, don't push him. Can we please just continue the ceremony?"
So, they were allowed to plot against me, but my fighting back was an inconvenience?
I turned my head away petulantly. "No. Daddy hasn't answered my question yet. I spent so many years alone overseas... I feel so insecure. I just need his promise. I need to know that whether I'm married or not, I'll always be his only child, that he'll never abandon me."
Perhaps it was guilt over my mother's death. Perhaps it was the social blade held to his neck. Whatever the reason, my father finally broke.
"Elara, don't overthink things," he conceded, the words tasting like ash in his mouth. "How could I ever abandon you? You will always be my only child."
Victory. I threw my arms around him again. "Daddy, I love you so much!"
The hall erupted in applause.
In my peripheral vision, I saw Madeline and Caleb rise from their seats, their faces black with rage, and storm out of the room.
The look Hugh was giving me now wasn't just disgust; it was pure hatred. I, however, savored it. I loved seeing him despise me while being forced to play the part of the doting husband.
Amidst the cheers and applause, Hugh and I exchanged rings. When it came time for the groom to kiss the bride, he hesitated, his lips pressed into a thin, resistant line. I just smiled and wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him closer.
Just then, the grand doors of the hall were thrown open with a crash.
Celia stormed in, her face a mask of fury. She marched right up to me and slapped me hard across the face.
Her eyes were bloodshot. "You little homewrecker! You stole my boyfriend!"
I didn't feel anger. I felt a flicker of amusement. After all, I was the one who'd secretly leaked the wedding details to her.
Celia turned to Hugh, tears streaming down her face, her voice a pathetic wail. "Hugh, why? Why would you marry this woman?!"
Hugh shoved me away instinctively. He took a step toward her, then froze, his fists clenching at his sides, his eyes filled with pain.
The guests broke into a frenzy of whispers.
"Who is that? Does she have a death wish, trying to steal Harrison Vance's son-in-law?"
"Seriously, they're already married. To make a scene like this... how shameless."
Even under the weight of their scorn, Celia held her head high with an air of defiant arrogance.
I looked at Hugh, my voice trembling with practiced vulnerability. "Who is this girl? Hugh, don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
A vein throbbed in Hugh's temple, but he remained silent.
"Hugh," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Now that we're married, you need to get your affairs in order. Please don't let people like her humiliate me like this. It... it scares me."
Perhaps I played the part of the fragile victim too well. They both underestimated me completely.
Hugh finally spoke, his voice low and placating. "Celia, it's not what you think. Go home for now. I'll explain everything later, okay?"
Celia looked like she was about to strike me again, but my father, ever conscious of the situation, boomed, "Enough!"
She shot me one last hateful glare before spinning on her heel and leaving.
I watched her go, a deep, cold hatred churning in the pit of my stomach. My mother's death was not an accident, and I knew she and her family were involved.
I was back now. And I was taking everything: the inheritance, the company, and the truth.

3
After that fiasco, neither my father nor Hugh had any appetite for entertaining guests. This gave me the perfect opportunity to mingle, making my face known to the titans of industry present. As things stood, I was, undeniably, the sole heir to Vance Enterprises. These corporate sharks, seeing how "malleable" I appeared, were all too eager to offer their support, their eyes gleaming with greed and calculation.
My informant inside the Vance mansion told me that my father had postponed his plan to publicly announce his other family. Predictably, this led to a tearful, dramatic scene. It took hours of placating from my father to calm Madeline and her two children. Even Hugh, my brand-new husband who should have been with me, rushed over on the pretext of an "urgent business matter."
I can only imagine what new scheme they concocted to pacify the trio. In the end, Hugh was seen escorting Celia to her room. He didn't emerge for two hours.
He finally returned home at three in the morning and went straight to the study to sleep.
The next day, Madeline, who had been my father's executive assistant, was inexplicably promoted to Chief Financial Officer. Caleb went from a bottom-rung position at the main office to being appointed President of a subsidiary. Celia received the deed to a luxurious waterfront villa.
And me? His legitimate daughter? To this day, I had never even set foot inside the corporate headquarters.
It didn't matter. I didn't need to be there. My peopleor rather, my mother's peoplewere already inside.
I also heard my father was establishing a new charity, "The Crestwood Foundation." A thinly veiled attempt at legitimacy. Anyone with half a brain could see it was a fund for Caleb and Celia.
The moment Hugh left for work, I made a call.
"It's time. And one more thing. Caleb is at the subsidiary now. He's an incompetent, greedy, lecherous fool. Give him enough rope to hang himself. I want him to create the biggest disaster possible."
I had just hung up when I heard a key in the front door. I assumed it was Hugh, having forgotten something. But it was Celia.
And behind her stood three menacing thugs.
My eyes darted around the living room, taking in the evidence of my "work" from the previous night. I instinctively shrank back, my body trembling as I retreated further into the room.
"What... what are you doing here? How do you have a key to my house?"
"This is breaking and entering! It's illegal!"
My hands shook as I fumbled for my phone to call the police, but Celia swatted it out of my hand with a contemptuous slap. A vicious kick sent me sprawling to the floor. She grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head back.
"Look at you, you pathetic little coward. How dare you steal my father? How dare you steal my Hugh?!"
"You should have followed your dead mother's example and gone straight to hell!"

4
I grabbed her wrist, struggling with all my might. "Who are you?! Don't you dare insult my mother!"
Celia sneered, striking me twice more across the face. "Listen up, you little bitch. My name is Celia Vance. Harrison Vance is my father, and I am his most beloved daughter!"
"You're nothing but a burden he dumped overseas, a nuisance who crawled her way back!"
"It's all your fault! Because of you, my family can't be together openly!"
My eyes widened in feigned disbelief, my voice quivering. "You're lying! My father would never have another daughter!"
Celia roared with laughter, only stopping after she'd beaten me until blood trickled from my nose and mouth. She looked down at me like I was trash. "A daughter is nothing," she mocked. "I have a brother, too. And he is the true heir to the Vance fortune!"
"I'm here to give you a warning. Get out of the country, or you'll end up worse than your mother."
"And to think I brought all these guys to deal with you. You're just as useless as that dead bitch you call a mother!"
Something inside me snapped. "You can say whatever you want about me," I screamed, "but you do not talk about my mother!"
Fueled by rage, I lunged forward and sank my teeth into her wrist.
Celia shrieked in pain. The three thugs immediately swarmed me, their fists and feet raining down on my body. Each dull thud was punctuated by Celia's furious screams. "Little bitch! You dare bite me? Beat her! Beat her to death!"
Someone stomped on my hand, grinding their heel into my knuckles. I felt a rib crack under a savage kick. I bit down hard, the taste of blood flooding my mouth. The world spun, and then everything went black.
When I woke up, it was evening. I was in a VIP room at a private hospital, my body a symphony of pain. My father and Hugh were sitting by my bed.
Seeing my eyes open, my father gripped my hand, his face etched with guilt. "Elara, you're finally awake. You had me so worried."
I winced, my voice a weak rasp. "Dad... is it true? What she said? Do you really have another son and daughter?"
He looked down, sighing heavily. It was a long moment before he spoke. "Elara, I've done you a great wrong. But Celia... she's a sweet, kind-hearted girl. Once you get to know her, I'm sure you'll grow to love her."
Tears of cold fury slid down my temples. "Dad, she beat me like this, and you're telling me she's kind?"
Hugh quickly jumped to her defense. "Celia isn't like that. There must have been some kind of misunderstanding."
I had wanted to give them one last chance, but their loyalties were clear. There was no point in wasting any more words.
Just then, my father's assistant burst into the room, his face pale with terror. "Mr. Vance, it's terrible! The news... it's leaked. About your mistress and... and the two children..."
My father shot up from his chair, his voice cracking. "What did you say?!"
The assistant held out his phone, his hand trembling. "It's a top trending story. I... I don't think we can contain this..."
The battle-hardened businessman lost his composure. "How did this happen?!" he roared. "This is a complete humiliation!"
"It seems... it seems Miss Celia let it slip..." the assistant stammered.
At that moment, Hugh's phone rang. He glanced at the screen and answered immediately. Celia's terrified shriek echoed from the speaker. "Hugh, help me!"
The color drained from Hugh's face. "Celia, don't be afraid! I'm on my way!" He snapped his phone shut and bolted from the room.
My father was frantic. "What's wrong with Celia?!"
No one answered. He chased after Hugh, not sparing me a second glance.
Watching them scramble away, I felt no disappointment. Only a rising tide of dark satisfaction. I had played their game for long enough.
Now, the real show was about to begin.

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