CHAPTER 103: "I’LL PROTECT HER FROM THE LIKES OF YOU!"

Author’s POV

Mrs. Lancaster was irritated by the sudden invitation to the rooftop. She had been moments away from falling asleep, her body already relaxed into her silk pillows. The last thing she wanted was to be dragged into some midnight drama.

But it was Melissa who had texted her.

And Melissa rarely reached out these days unless she needed something or was really sad. That alone was enough to make her sigh, pull on her robe, and head upstairs.

Just what did Alistair want to talk to me about? She thought, but...

Just as she stepped out of her room, her eyes fell on Seraphina, descending the stairs with slow, quiet steps. The girl’s expression was unreadable...

Her brows were drawn faintly together, and her eyes looked empty; there was no shine in them, just as they used to have in the past when she arrived at the Lancaster mansion.

It made Mrs. Lancaster pause.

She stood frozen for a moment, fingers tightening slightly around the handrail of the stairs, as a strange sensation settled in her chest. Seraphina didn’t look angry. She looked... drained.

Mrs. Lancaster wanted to ask a simple question... what’s wrong?

But the words refused to leave her lips.

Her pride held her back. The wall she had built over the years around her heart remained solid, especially when it came to Seraphina. She had always been hard on her, and now, even when something inside her itched to reach out, she stood still and let her pass.

She let out a sharp sigh and shook her head in disbelief. "That girl... always walking around with that smug little face, like the world owed her something. And now... just look at her," she muttered under her breath, eyes lingering on the place where Seraphina had just vanished.

"She looks like a ragged doll... like someone who’s been emptied out from the inside.

Her lips curled, but her voice held a strange conflict. "How could I ever accept someone like that as my daughter? A girl with no refinement, no real talent. She had become a stain on the Lancaster name."

But despite her words, something flickered in her eyes for a second. But she quickly blinked it away, smothering the feeling before it could surface.

With a shake of her head, she adjusted the edge of her shawl and started toward the rooftop.

She had just arrived there when she heard Melissa’s sobs.

Her feet froze again. Her brows furrowed as she tried to figure out what was going on.

When Alistair’s cold and detached voice could be heard.

"What’s wrong with you? Weren’t you the one who begged me to talk?" Alistair was confused.

His tone wasn’t angry; it was just distant, almost stunned. Melissa hadn’t said much the whole time, and now she was crying? What the hell was going on here

Mrs. Lancaster narrowed her eyes slightly and moved closer, staying out of sight, but Alistair had not noticed, since all his attention was on Melissa. He wanted to end this conversation and leave ASAP.

But Melissa had already spotted Mrs. Lancaster.

And with a single glance, her tears flowed faster, her voice trembling, which sounded genuine. She knew exactly what she was doing.

All her pawns were exactly where she wanted them. Now, all Melissa had to do... was make her move. The game had finally begun.

"Bro... Brother!" Melissa’s voice cracked between sobs, trembling. "I know I was wrong, but that day... I swear... I was just worried about Sera. I didn’t do anything she claimed I did. You have to believe me!"

Alistair’s expression remained impassive. The moment those words left her mouth, his eyes rolled, unbothered and unconvinced. For a second, he almost looked bored.

He had expected this! After all, she was raised under Mrs. Lancaster’s eyes. What else could he expect?

"If this is what you wanted to talk about..." Alistair exhaled, brushing a hand through his silky hair, his tone lazy and detached. "Then I’ve got nothing left to say."

He turned to leave, already disinterested, when Melissa suddenly stepped in front of him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Brother..." she choked out. "Are you really... Are you really going to choose Sera? Just because she asked you to pick between me and her?"

The silence spread between them.

What was that? Mrs. Lancaster thought in disbelief! Choose between Melissa and Seraphina?

She instinctively stepped forward, but she paused.

Instead of storming in, she pressed herself to the wall, her ears and every other sense were now on alert as she wanted to know the truth.

Alistair’s patience was wearing thin.

At first, he had only stayed to see how far Melissa would take her performance. But now, he was irritated not because of her tears, but because every second he stood there was a waste. He could have just spent his time with Seraphina even more.

He roughly pulled Melissa off him and stepped back with his jaw tight and his eyes cold.

"Yes. I would choose her," he declared, his voice low but steady. "You have everything, Melissa. You have Mother. Father. The Lancaster name, the wealth, the spotlight, the other two brothers trailing behind you like dogs on a leash. So what if you lose me? You’ll still survive."

He paused, fury brewing just beneath the surface. "But her?"

His eyes darkened.

"She had no one. Not even Mrs. Lancaster was willing to call her a daughter. And you? You gave her nothing. You stripped her of everything... You didn’t spare her any dignity, and then threw her into the dirtiest place like she was trash, where not even the servants deserved to rot in."

His voice cracked out of anger. "So yes, I’ve made my choice. I’ll stand with her and... I’ll protect her."

He took one step forward, looking Melissa dead in the eye.

"Not from the world... but from the likes of you... And the likes of your mother... Who calls herself a mother... But....