“Did you sleep well last night, Elisa?” Lila asked with faux concern, her beady black eyes full of scheming.
Elisa stopped two meters away from Lila as she came downstairs. Lila was wearing a chiffon blouse today, with a low neckline that exposed her slender neck. Several bruises were starkly visible against her fair skin.
It was hard not to think in that direction when seeing marks like these. It seemed Hamish and Lila had been quite passionate last night.
Just thinking about Hamish touching Lila and then touching her made Elisa nauseous.
She suppressed the disgust in her heart and responded nonchalantly, “I’m fine.”
Lila’s lashes lowered apologetically. “Hamish and I came back late last night, so he just slept in my room. I didn’t get any sleep at all last night, I was so worried about disturbing you.”
So she was here to flaunt it, no wonder she wore such a thin chiffon blouse despite the cold weather, deliberately exposing her neck. She was afraid others wouldn’t see the marks on her neck.
Contrary to what Lila expected, Elisa did not react with anger. She smiled faintly, amused by Lila’s youthful ignorance. Didn’t she know that hickeys on the neck tend to scar more easily?
Elisa didn’t want to waste time talking to Lila. She had already saved her many times, she didn’t need to give her a reminder not to court death.
Eyeing the marks on her neck with distaste, Elisa frowned, “I always thought Hamish was like a dog, didn’t expect I was right.”
“What are you saying, Elisa?”
A timely ringtone interrupted Lila. Right in front of her, Elisa answered the call, “Hello, yes, that’s right, turn left, I’ll be right there to get it.”
The food delivery had arrived. Elisa was in no mood to deal with Lila anymore, she walked straight past her to the front door.
“Elisa, stop right there!” Unable to stand being ignored, Lila yelled for her to stop, reaching out to block her way.
Elisa halted and looked Lila up and down, curious where she got the courage to challenge her. “Dropped the act?”
“Do you still think you’re the princess of the Powell family? Don’t think I won’t get Hamish to kick you out of here.”
Hearing her words, Elisa’s tightly knitted brows relaxed. “Then you’d better get him to kick me out and remove me from this Mrs. Burns position too. That would be giving you the spot, right?”
“Are you showing off to me, Elisa?”
“Lila, instead of wasting time on me, you should be thinking of ways to get Hamish to divorce me, so you can finally transition from being a mistress. Let me remind you, it’s not easy being a mistress nowadays. Any future children would be illegitimate, how embarrassing.” Elisa spoke earnestly, without any mockery at all.
She even wanted to humble herself and beg Lila to take Hamish away, as far as possible. Don’t let him roam free to harm others.
After spending so much time with Hamish, Lila had grown just as twisted and paranoid as him. She assumed Elisa’s kind words were meant to deceive her.
“Don’t patronize me, Elisa. You think just because you’re in that position, you can treat me as a third party? A mistress? Hamish and I were together long before you showed up. Have you seen how they trash talk you online?” Lila was growing more resentful of Elisa by the second. With the Powell family’s downfall, Elisa was like a stray dog acting all arrogant here, mocking her.
Elisa sorted out her thoughts, “I don’t care what they say about me online. If you’re so capable, get Hamish to sign the divorce papers and kick me out.”
Can you do that? Doubtful.
To Lila, this was undoubtedly a provocation. If she could have persuaded Hamish to divorce, they would have divorced long ago instead of waiting four years!
Lila hated Elisa more and more. The Powell family’s protective umbrella was gone. Elisa had no right to be so brazen here, mocking her.
“If you still have any shame, leave Hamish voluntarily. He hasn’t divorced you because he sees you as a sex toy, he never loved you.”
Elisa’s heart throbbed painfully as her face turned icy.
Lila laughed mockingly and continued, “No matter how hard you try, the one Hamish loves will always be me.”
She cited examples, “He accompanies me to watch movies, he kneels down to help me try on shoes, he personally cooks porridge for me to eat. He remembers my birthday every year and thoughtfully picks out gifts to celebrate with me. He even whispers sweet nothings in my ear. Elisa, has he ever done any of this for you?”
Even if he had done one of those things, after so many years Elisa wouldn’t have turned her abundant feelings into lifeless ashes. What Lila described was the Hamish of her fantasies.
The Hamish who had coaxed her with crepes.
Elisa smiled bleakly, a cold edge in her eyes. “You say how much Hamish loves you and what he’d do for you, yet he still hasn’t divorced me or been with you officially. Lila, as long as he doesn’t divorce me, you’ll always be a mistress who can’t see the light of day. That’s the difference between you and me.”
“I’m not a mistress! You broke us apart!” Lila couldn’t stand being called a mistress anymore.
“I split you two up? Elisa laughed meaningfully, a cold light flickering in her dark eyes. “Lila, do I need to remind you what happened between us four years ago?”
Lila’s face instantly paled. She pressed her lips tightly together, involuntarily retreating back.
Elisa advanced step by step. “You and I both know clearly how I got to this position, and why you got into that car accident. I gave you a chance four years ago already, you threw it away yourself. Don’t blame others now.”
“Let me be direct too. I’ve lost interest in Hamish already, you two scumbags deserve each other forever.” Elisa stated lightly.
“Who are you calling a scumbag!” Lila yelled furiously.
“Whoever you think fits.” She had never tolerated others bullying her. Lila was the one who came looking for trouble.
“Lila, spend your time clinging to Hamish. It’d be best if you could bleed him dry, then I’d have an easier time too.”
At that moment, timely knocking sounded from outside. It was probably the food delivery. Elisa didn’t want to bother with her anymore and was about to leave, when Lila suddenly shrieked an insult.
“You trash, Elisa!”
Elisa halted her steps.
Lila continued acidly, “You’re trash, Elisa! Marrying Hamish these four years, you didn’t gain a thing. You even dragged the Powell family’s assets down with you. Oh right, do you know why your dad jumped off the building and killed himself?”
Elisa’s face turned deathly pale at a visible rate. She clenched her fists tightly, forcing herself to calm down. In a hoarse voice, she asked, “Why?”
Lila smiled sinisterly. “Nothing much. Hamish just showed your dad those online articles insulting you, and mentioned the Powell family going bankrupt. Who knew your dad had such poor resilience that on the way to his appeal, he ran off and jumped off a building.”
Elisa’s pupils quivered violently. Her hands gripped tightly at her sides, fingers digging painlessly into her palms.
Lila’s face became increasingly twisted. “What a pity. Your dad was what, not even 50 yet this year? He didn’t have to die. Too bad he became a sacrifice for you and Hamish.”