Chapter 128/The Serpent in the Garden

Chapter 128: 128/The Serpent in the Garden

Chapter 128

Stephanie’s Point of View

Valentina approached our position with a mocking, swaying stride of absolute confidence, her eyes gleaming with a malicious, venomous intensity before she dropped her frame onto the velvet sofa with an exaggerated, nauseating display of affection. She crossed one leg over the other with supreme arrogance, stating in a smooth, irritatingly provocative voice that grated on every nerve: "My beloved sister, Stephanie... it is genuinely a disgrace on your part; you have absolutely never come to visit our home or inquired about our well-being since the exact day you married and entered this literal paradise."

A sudden, rigid spasm seized the muscles of my shoulders, and I felt the blistering blood of raw fury boil violently inside my veins. Staring back at her features with sharp, unyielding repulsion, I stated in a tone heavily charged with pure hatred: "Valentina... what in the absolute hell brought your person here? And who exactly granted you permission to aggressively invade my existence yet again?"

She tilted her head slightly with a cheap, artificial display of innocence, tossing a stray lock of her hair as she offered a theatrical pout: "Oh, is this truly the exact manner in which you speak to your only sister who deeply missed your presence?"

I narrowed my eyes in flat rejection and absolute coldness, my breathing rapidly accelerating as a heavy constriction clawed deep inside my chest. I stated in a low whisper that trembled under the sheer weight of my suppressed rage: "Cease this cheap, pathetic acting this absolute instant! Come now, deliver the unvarnished truth why exactly did you come to this specific estate?"

Her manufactured smile instantly vanished, stripping away the mask to reveal her genuine facial features sharp, brutal, and entirely reminiscent of a viper. She stated with a chilling detachment that frozen the blood in my veins: "Very well... I desire to systematically extract the man I love straight from your grasp. Alexander is my absolute property."

I completely lost my grip on my composure, a sweeping, breathless chill rippling rapidly through my limbs as a sudden jolt of terror and panic nested inside my heart for a fraction of a second. Yet, I fired back with a defiant stance that barely masked the frantic trembling of my voice: "Alexander possesses absolutely no love for your person, and he will never deign to look at an entity like you."

In that exact split-second, which was heavily charged with blistering tension, Kira intervened with explosive agitation and a mounting, sweeping rage. Rising from her seat with extreme velocity, her hands curling into tight, furious fists, she delivered a strict, threatening command: "Valentina... return to your wretched house this absolute instant with whatever dignity you have left, or I solemnly swear I will snap your neck right where you stand!"

Valentina unleashed a dry, mocking, and intensely provocative laugh, staring directly back at Kira with a fiery, narrow-eyed gaze of pure defiance: "Mmm... execute that exact threat, Kira, if you genuinely possess the courage. Let us observe which of us will ultimately snap the neck of the other when the dust settles."

A heavy, suffocating silence immediately blanketed the outer garden, the entire atmosphere crackling with absolute hostility between us. Suddenly, and without a single shred of warning, the lethal tension of the confrontation was abruptly shattered by the arrival of Grandfather Victor, who carried his signature, imposing dignity.

He closed the distance to our position with a serene, tranquil smile, stating in his characteristically composed, deep voice: "Hello, girls... welcome to the estate."

The absolute millisecond her eyes locked onto his frame and her ears registered his voice, Valentina bolted upright from her seat with the speed of a lightning strike. In a matter of mere seconds, her malicious face was meticulously replaced by an expert mask of pure innocence and gentleness. She advanced toward his position with wide paces, extending her hand to initiate a handshake with a highly submissive, manufactured modesty, stating in a soft, delicate purr: "Hello, Grandfather Victor... how is your health? I am Valentina do you recall my person?"

Kira and I froze instantly in our tracks as though struck by a literal thunderbolt. My mouth hung open in a state of absolute, shocking bewilderment that I was completely powerless to conceal; my eyes widened to their absolute limits, and a profound numbness and freezing chill swept through the tips of my fingers. Did she genuinely just address his person as "Grandfather" with that exact level of brazen, unchecked audacity?!

Valentina seamlessly pushed forward with her speech, dripping with artificial shyness and calculated manipulation: "I am deeply sorry, Mr. Victor, if you possess any objection or find it annoying that I address you as Grandfather with such unscripted spontaneity."

Grandfather Victor let out a warm, incredibly welcoming laugh, stating with deep benevolence: "Of course I possess absolutely no objection, Valentina. You are entirely free to address me as Grandfather at all times; after all, you are the biological sister of my grandson’s wife, Stephanie."

Valentina’s features instantly lit up with a hidden, wicked sense of triumph. Her piercing eyes tracked across the vast layout of the outer garden and the colossal, luxurious architecture of the estate as she offered an heavily exaggerated compliment designed to ensnare him: "Your estate is utterly beautiful, enchanting, and profoundly luxurious, Grandfather Victor so much so that I secretly wished deep inside my soul that I could remain within its walls for a significantly longer duration to fully savor its absolute beauty."

Grandfather Victor smiled with immense warmth and excessive generosity, offering an immediate invitation: "If that is truly the case, then we can most certainly host your person inside the estate for some time, my dear Valentina. The space is entirely vast."

Valentina feigned a sudden wave of embarrassment and false modesty, all while her eyes darted toward my frame, practically radiating sparks of absolute triumph and lethal gloating. She stated in a hushed whisper: "Oh, Grandfather Victor... this is a display of profound generosity, but I genuinely do not desire to disrupt your lives with my heavy presence."

The old man responded with an affectionate, decisive finality, driven by a desire to bring joy to the family unit: "There is absolutely no disruption whatsoever. On the contrary, we shall be deeply delighted to have your presence among us; you will keep your sister company."

The patriarch then shifted his gaze toward my frame, his eyes completely filled with absolute satisfaction and tranquility, stating in a calm, measured tone: "Stephanie... I am entirely certain that your person will also be deeply overjoyed to have your biological sister reside with you inside the estate to dispel your isolation, is that not correct?"