CHAPTER 219: CHAPTER 219

Her grip was like iron.

Valentina’s eyes widened in shock and panic as her feet dangled above the floor. Her hands reached instinctively to Rebecca’s arm, trying to pry it off, but it was useless.

Her voice came out in a strangled gasp.

"Cecilia..." she choked.

Cecilia took a slow step forward, her face unreadable.

At that moment, seeing Cecilia standing there, doing absolutely nothing—no panic, no urgency—Valentina’s heart broke a little. The fear gripping her throat wasn’t just from Rebecca’s hand; it was the cold realization that she was completely alone in this room.

She couldn’t even scream.

Her mind kept spinning in disbelief. How could Cecilia... Raymond’s mother... just stand there? Was this not the woman who smiled at her like a caring elder just moments ago?

The pressure on her neck was unbearable, but the shock numbed the pain. She kept staring at Rebecca’s face—so young, so flawless—yet her strength was monstrous. It didn’t make sense. No human could do this.

Her feet dangled weakly. Her fingers tried to claw at Rebecca’s wrist. Her chest was burning for air, but her brain was burning with questions.

Who are these people?

Suddenly, Cecilia’s voice came—calm, still lacking urgency.

"Rebecca... let her go," she said without moving. "You know it’s not yet time."

Not wrong. Not stop. Just not yet time.

That chilled Valentina even more than Rebecca’s grip.

But Rebecca didn’t care. Her voice was full of venom as she glared at Cecilia over her shoulder. "Keep your mouth shut," she hissed. "Don’t lecture me."

Rebecca’s eyes went back to Valentina, and her tone sharpened. "You think you can come here and act like you’re someone special?" she spat. "You think just because Raymond has been protecting you, you’re above me?"

Valentina gasped again, her hands trembling.

Rebecca leaned in closer, her grip tightening. "Let me tell you something, princess... you are nothing. Not in this house. Not in this family. You don’t get to speak when I’m speaking."

Her voice dropped into a growl. "I’m going to teach you your place."

Cecilia closed her eyes briefly but still didn’t interfere.

Rebecca’s lips curled in contempt. "Raymond’s not here now, is he? No one is. You’re mine now. And you’re going to remember this moment... for the rest of your miserable life."

At that moment, Cecilia didn’t say a word. Her lips were sealed, her eyes lowered—not out of shame, but out of silent obedience. Because the truth was, Rebecca wasn’t just any relative.

She was her eldest sister.

And Cecilia knew better than anyone what Rebecca was capable of. Ruthless, sharp, cunning... and when provoked, terrifyingly hungry—for power, for control, for dominance. Cecilia had seen it before, in whispers, in stories, and in blood. So no, she wasn’t going to cross her. Not now. Not when Valentina was the one under her grip.

She took a slow, quiet step back. Just one. Just enough to show she wanted no part in what was about to happen next.

Meanwhile, Valentina’s face had turned red, her throat burning, the pressure still tight around her neck. Her voice came out in broken pieces—barely above a whisper.

"M... Mother... what... is... going... on?" she choked out.

Tears lined her eyes, not just from the pain, but from the sheer confusion tearing her apart from inside.

She stared at Cecilia, begging—not just for help, but for sense, for an explanation, for a reason why the woman who smiled at her like a mother just hours ago was now standing still, watching her get humiliated.

But all Cecilia did was raise her chin, almost with pride. Her voice came out calm, too calm. "You know, I really hoped things would be different today," she said, brushing her hand against her own arm gently. "I wanted everything to be peaceful... for you to be calm... for this to be easy. Stress-free."

She looked Valentina dead in the eye now, and a cold smile formed on her lips. "But no... you had to ask questions. As if you were the police. As if this was your investigation."

Valentina’s lips trembled, her hands still trying to claw at Rebecca’s grip. "Wh... what... are you..."

Cecilia scoffed.

"You just couldn’t stay quiet, could you? You had to open that pretty little mouth and act like you were someone important," she mocked. "If you had just behaved, like you were supposed to... if you had smiled and nodded and followed along like a good little wife... this wouldn’t have happened to you."

Rebecca snorted, her fingers tightening again just to emphasize Cecilia’s words.

And then, Cecilia turned her back slightly—not to walk away, but to show clearly where her loyalty lay. Not with Valentina.

Not with Raymond.

But with blood. With Rebecca.

She looked over her shoulder and added one last line, almost sweetly, "This is what arrogance earns you, dear."

At that moment, without wasting another breath or pretending to care, Cecilia turned her face cold and distant, her voice sharp like steel as she looked down at Valentina.

"Well," she said icily, "your fate is no longer in my hands. It belongs to her now."

The calmness in her tone sent an invisible blade straight through the atmosphere. There was no mercy in her eyes anymore, no softness in her words. And before Valentina could even process what she meant, before she could blink twice—

Cecilia’s face changed.

Right there before Valentina’s weakening eyes, her skin slowly twisted and shifted—tightening, sharpening. Her youthful appearance dissolved, and what remained was something in between—ageless, but powerful. Beautiful, but deadly. Her eyes lost their warmth entirely. A haunting glow replaced them.

Valentina’s heart nearly stopped.

Her mouth opened in shock. She wanted to scream—but nothing came out.

Her knees buckled, her breath collapsed, and her vision dimmed.

Her body hit the cold marble floor with a soft, painful thud.

She had fainted.

Rebecca, still standing with a smirk on her lips, didn’t even flinch. She stepped back lazily and dusted her hands as if she had just dropped an old garment.

"Trash," she muttered.

Then she turned her head slightly, addressing the young man who stood obediently in the shadows nearby.

"Take her away," she ordered flatly. "Lock her in the usual room. She doesn’t deserve any comfort. And don’t waste time—I want her in before she wakes. When the time is right, I’ll do what I need to do."

The man nodded silently and moved toward Valentina’s unconscious body, lifting her like she weighed nothing.

At that moment, Rebecca finally turned to Cecilia, her tone colder, more calculating.

"How many hours left?" she asked sharply. "For Raymond to fall asleep?"

Cecilia didn’t say a word at first. She pulled out her sleek black phone and tapped the screen.

Then she looked up, meeting Rebecca’s eyes.

"Five hours," she said. "Exactly five hours from now... he’ll be asleep."