Her Gilded Revenge For Stolen Fate novel Chapter 9

Chapter 9 A Trap

The room fell into stunned silence.

On the bed, Celia went rigid, her face pale.

Flora mistook it for exhaustion from standing hours in the sun outside Moonbay Abbey.

Sylvia bit her tongue and reached over to tug the blanket up around Celia, a little firmer than necessary.

The movement seemed to bring Celia back. “Grandmother, Mother,” she murmured. “Mother Hadley is here. We shouldn’t keep her waiting.”

Matthew scoffed, his face darkening and jaw clenched. “Vivian couldn’t have made it. Probably dragged some random nun here to fool us.”

“Vivian can be wild, but she wouldn’t lie about this,” Sylvia said with a forced smile. She tried to sound diplomatic, but the dig at her daughter was clear.

“She ruined Grandmother’s birthday last year,” Matthew shot back. “You think she’d hesitate to gamble with Simon’s life? He’s not even her full brother. She’s completely unreliable.”

Sylvia’s smile faltered, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Everyone thought she was embarrassed by Matthew trashing her daughter, but that wasn’t it. It was the “full brother” comment that really stung.

Flora gripped Matthew’s sleeve to shut him up. “Enough. Vivian meant well.”

‘Sylvia always knows her place, and she’s kind,’ Flora thought. ‘She even chose to save Celia over her own daughter that day, leaving Vivian with that jagged scar.

‘Beauty isn’t everything, but it’s what people see first. A concubine’s daughter with a scarred face… Vivian has put up with enough ridicule. No wonder she has an attitude.

‘Still, she needs to be reined in before she gets married, or she’s going to pay for it later.’

“Let’s go.” Beatrice’s command silenced all objections.

Celia lingered behind to change, promising to join them shortly. The others filed toward Serenity Garden.

Inside the bedroom, Hadley stood motionless beside the bed in her plain habit, her face blank.

Nearby, Vivian offered her some coffee. “Simon’s fever won’t break,” she murmured. “He was born after a difficult labor and has always been fragile. Please help him.”

Matthew helped Flora into the room behind Beatrice. He was smart enough to read the room. If this was actually Hadley, ticking her off would be a disaster.

Therefore, even though he still had his doubts about who the nun really was, he kept his mouth shut.

Hadley barely ever left Moonbay Abbey. No one at Aurea Manor had ever seen her face.

She didn’t waste a second. She gave a quick nod to the family before bending over Simon. Her hands moved fast—checking his pulse, lifting his eyelids, checking his tongue.

Just as she reached for her medical kit, a soft voice cut in from the hallway. “Wait, Mother Hadley!”

Vivian turned to see Nina helping Celia into the room.

Suddenly, a notification dinged in Vivian’s mind: [Celia Snyder’s Fortune Points: 88]

The System chimed in. “Host, Celia had the silk shop deed sent to you last night. You took two points from her. Your current Fortune Points are at 22.”

Sylvia stepped in, her voice dripping with fake concern. “Lady Flora, we can’t gamble with Simon’s life. What if Vivian is… mistaken? If this isn’t really Mother Hadley—”

Sylvia let the sentence hang, and Flora’s breath hitched.

Beatrice stayed calm, locking eyes with Vivian. “How did you get her here?”

“I went to the Abbey, asked to see her, and met Mother Hadley,” Vivian replied, skipping over the part about the token.

“But Celia begged all day and got nothing,” Nina argued, gesturing at Celia.

Vivian ducked her head, staying quiet.

Celia stood up and walked over to Hadley, frowning. “Mother Hadley, could you show us the pigeon’s blood ruby? It was a gift from the late king; it proves who you are.”

Hadley turned to Celia and said softly, “Fortune has favored you, yet you cling to such stubbornness. How pitiful.”

Celia flashed a cold smile. “I don’t follow.”

‘Foolish girl,’ Hadley thought, shaking her head. ‘Madly chasing fame and status, blind to the truth… damnation awaits.’