CHAPTER 81: STEALING THE GIFT

Catherine’s POV

Kiera told me she’d be at the house soon but needed to stop by her place to freshen up.

"Sure, no problem," a small spark of excitement shot through me.

I headed back toward the Vaughn mansion, my breathing finally settling from the jog. As soon as I walked through the front doors, I hesitated. A petty, unnecessary urge tugged at me.

I found myself tiptoeing down the hall toward Lucy’s room. I didn’t even know why I was doing it... Well, maybe I did. I wanted to confirm something I wasn’t brave enough to admit out loud. I peeked through the barely open doorway.

It was empty and her bed was messy, like she’d not been in it for some hours. Her slippers she mostly wore in the house were there but she wasn’t.

That meant only one thing, either she was in Julian’s room or they both went out together.

My teeth clenched hard and my eyes shot in anger. My chest tightened, my fists curled, and jealousy that I didn’t want to claim burned beneath my skin. How pathetic was that? Getting worked up over a boy who didn’t care about me. A boy who barely spent time with me. A boy who—

I cut myself off before the spiral got worse.

Kiera is coming. I needed to focus on that.

The thought alone was enough to unclench my shoulders a little. I hurried away from Lucy’s door and into my own room, determined to focus on something I could control.

The first step was to make my room look like a normal human being lived in it.

I started arranging things faster than necessary, my books, scattered clothes, and my blanket. Once my room looked presentable enough not to embarrass me, I rushed to the bathroom to shower.

By the time I stepped out, wrapped in a towel, a knock came on my door and a maid’s voice followed. "Miss Catherine, someone is here to see you."

My heart immediately lifted. I knew it was Kiera.

I quickly slipped into something comfortable; a pair of leggings and a tank top, then practically flew down the stairs.

Kiera stood by the entrance, holding up a bar of chocolate like it was a trophy. "Here is my peace offering," she said smugly.

A laugh slipped out of me before I even realized it. She was effortlessly funny.

"Come in," I said, grinning.

The moment she stepped in, her eyes swept the mansion, then snapped back to me. "Nice house. So... where’s Miss bully?" she asked.

I frowned. "Lucy? I don’t know but she’s not in her room."

Kiera smirked, a mischievous glint settling in her eyes.

"Perfect."

I blinked. "Perfect for what? Didn’t you want to teach her a lesson?"

She motioned for me to come closer, so I leaned in. Kiera cupped her hand around my ear and whispered her plan. My eyes widened immediately. Her idea was superb. I loved it.

A tiny, evil laugh escaped me.

"Her room is upstairs."

We moved through the hallway quietly, like two undercover spies. My heartbeat sped up from the thrill of this.

When we reached Lucy’s room, we checked each end of the hallway before slipping inside.

Kiera shut the door softly. "Okay," she whispered, turning to me with burning excitement. "Destroy or take whatever you want. Go wild. The plan is to get her furious."

My eyes scanned the room. Makeup, bags, perfume, clothes. There were many things I could ruin but something else caught my attention immediately.

The gift bag. The one Lucy had grabbed from Julian earlier today.

I didn’t just walk to it... I marched. My anger flared again, harder this time. Without hesitation, I tore the wrapping open, ripping the delicate paper apart like it had personally offended me.

Inside was a hoodie. I lifted it and the fabric unfolded, what I saw made my breath hitch.

The word printed boldly across the front froze me in place. WILDCAT.

The nickname Julian gave me. My heart jumped into my throat. Wait! Julian bought this... for me?

And Lucy took it? She stole it? Claimed it was hers?

Heat surged through my chest, not anger this time. I was confused. Why did he buy it for me and let Lucy take it?

Kiera came up behind me, confused when she saw how tight I was holding it.

"Okay... what’s that face? Are we destroying it? It’s a gift, I’m sure she’ll be pissed."

"No," I whispered, too quickly.

Kiera raised a brow. "No? Why? Destroying it would drive her crazy."

"I think I want to keep it," I said firmly. My voice didn’t shake, but everything inside me did.

Kiera eyed me carefully, probably noticing the shift in my tone, but she didn’t push. "Fine. Your revenge, your rules."

I folded the hoodie and clutched it against me, the soft fabric brushing my skin. My mind was a mess. Before I could finish that thought, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall.

Kiera’s eyes widened. "Shit."

I froze. "It’s Lucy," I whispered.

The footsteps stopped right outside the door.

"We have to hide," she hissed with a low and urgent voice.

Panic shot through me. We looked around the room—bed? Too obvious. Curtains? Too risky. Bathroom? Too far.

The doorknob rattled.

Kiera grabbed my wrist. "Move!"

We scrambled, nearly tripping over Lucy’s abandoned heels on the floor. My heart was pounding so loudly I swore Lucy would hear it.

The door began to push open and luckily for us, we managed to hide just seconds before Lucy walked in.

Kiera slipped into the closet, while I dropped to the floor and crawled under the bed.

My heart was slamming so violently against my ribs that I was sure Lucy would hear it the moment she stepped inside.

The door swung open and the moment Lucy walked in, she began singing—LOUDLY—something upbeat and stupid. She sounded excited, like she’d just gotten good news. A second later, the mattress above my head dipped dangerously low as she jumped on the bed.

My eyes widened and my breath caught short. She was literally bouncing inches above my face.

At this point, I was convinced her hobby was trying to give people heart attacks.

The bed squeaked with each jump, dust sprinkled onto my cheek, and I tried not to imagine the whole frame collapsing and trapping me underneath her. Kiera would have to explain to paramedics why I died under Lucy’s bed, and that would be the most humiliating funeral story ever.

Finally, Lucy stopped bouncing. The mattress stilled and I let out the tiniest exhale of relief.

She started talking to herself. "Ugh, this is going so well. I swear, bitches need to be put in their rightful place." Her voice was smug, dripping with satisfaction. "Julian belongs to me, and she’ll soon understand that."

She? My nails dug into my palms. She meant me obviously.

I wanted to crawl out from under this bed and show her exactly where her rightful place was but I didn’t move.

Lucy hopped off the bed and grabbed her phone from the vanity. The moment the call connected, her voice changed to a sweeter, faker, and nastier version.

"Sasha! Babe, guess what? I think what we did to her worked." She paused as Sasha said something on the other end. "No, I swear! I’ve not seen her go near Julian since this morning. The bitch is scared of us now."

My breath stopped, then came back in a hot rush of rage.

Oh, guess I always gave her something to talk about!

My fingers balled so tightly into fists that my knuckles ached. My body tensed painfully, not just from anger, but embarrassment too because at that exact moment, I remembered Kiera was in the closet.

She heard it all. She now knew exactly why these girls were bullying me... because of Julian.

I didn’t want Kiera to know any of this. I didn’t want her to know of the STEPSIBLING affair between Julian and me. That was an abomination.

But Lucy’s stupid loud mouth had exposed it all.

Eventually, the call ended with Lucy throwing exaggerated kisses into the air.

And just like the demon she was, her tone changed again. "Stupid girl," she muttered, referring to Sasha this time. "This stupid one also thinks she has a chance with Julian? Please. Big fool."

I almost choked on my own spit trying to hold back my laughter. It took everything in me not to cackle from under the bed. The things Lucy said next were even worse.

"She’s ugly too. Like... her nose? Ewww."

I bit down on my lip so hard it hurt. If Sasha ever heard this, there would be bloodshed.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get more ridiculous, Lucy suddenly stopped talking.

Silence filled the room, until her voice rang again. "Where... where is it?" she whispered. "Where did it go? I know I left it here."

My blood turned to ice. She was talking about the gift.

The one I was currently holding under her bed like an idiot.

She started tossing pillows, flipping through blankets, and throwing clothes onto the floor. Fabric flew everywhere, and each rustle made my heart punch my ribs harder.

She was frantic now. "It has to be here!" she snapped. "I took it from Julian and brought it here!"

That detail made my anger rise again.

She stomped to her closet and my breath caught in my throat. Kiera was in there.

Lucy swung the closet door open and I swear my soul left my body.

I closed my eyes and prayed silently, begging God, angels, ancestors, and even random ghosts for help.

She rummaged inside for a few seconds, tossing hangers around like a crazy person, but thankfully she didn’t see Kiera.

I almost passed out from relief. She muttered something under her breath and walked away from the closet. My heart finally unclenched.

Until she said: "Maybe it fell on the floor."

Shit! My entire body trembled with tension.

Please don’t look under here—