Chapter 278 The Trap Within the Family
On the surface, she was the picture of innocence, a sweet and gentle girl who wouldn’t hurt a fly. In reality, she was a monster through and through.
Chase felt like a fool. He had been blind, giving her his absolute trust and affection for years, never realizing what she actually was.
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Yvonne was sobbing now, her breath coming in ragged gasps. “How can you sit there and lie about me like this? I know you want to take Tracy’s side, but you can’t just make things up! I don’t know what she told you to make you hate me this much, but I swear, I never did any of it.”
She was fighting to keep her head. She had to stay calm and find a way to get this idiot out of the house, or he was going to ruin everything for her.
Yvonne crawled forward, crying as she grabbed onto Chase’s leg. “You’ve always been the one who loved me most. Please, don’t let whatever Tracy said come between us! I know I’m not your biological sister, but I’m the one who’s been here all these years. I’m the one who took care of you. Please, don’t be angry. It’s all my fault! Just hit me or scream at me if it makes you feel better. Just don’t hate me.”
The words had barely left her mouth before Chase snapped. He kicked her away with such force that she went sprawling across the floor, coughing up blood.
A cold, hidden smirk touched Yvonne’s lips. He fell for it. Chase was just as pathetic and predictable as ever. A little bit of bait was all it took to make him lose it, and now, he was playing right into her hands.
Chase was shaking with pure rage, his finger trembling as he pointed at her. “Even now, you’re trying to drag Tracy through the mud. I can’t believe I never saw how vile you are. Everything is Tracy’s fault to you, isn’t it? You’re disgusting.”
Jared felt a massive headache coming on. His logic told him he couldn’t let things fall apart now. He had to keep Yvonne steady; they needed her to lock in that medical AI contract
tomorrow.
He stepped forward, helping Yvonne up and turning a cold, sharp gaze on Chase. “That’s enough. You’ve gone too far. How could you put your hands on her like that? Is this more of Tracy’s handiwork? Did she tell you some story and send you back here to lose your mind? You know she’s nothing but trouble, yet you still listen to her nonsense. I’m disappointed in you.”
Hearing those words made Chase’s head throb with a dull, sickening pain. They were so familiar. They were the exact same things he and Jared had said to Tracy a thousand times.
For the first time, he felt the crushing weight of total helplessness. This was exactly how Tracy had been treated every single day in the Xander home. So, it seemed she felt as if she had been
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Chant 78 The Trap Within the Family
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hitting a wall of silence and being pushed back by the same soft, poisonous lies. It was a boomerang that had finally come back around, and now that it was buried in his own chest, he realized how much it hurt.
He couldn’t believe it. The evidence was right there, yet his own brother still chose the lie. The frustration was enough to make him want to scream.
Just then, Faye walked in. She froze at the sight of Yvonne on the floor. “Yvonne! What happened to you?”
“Chase and Yvonne had a little argument,” Jared said, trying to keep his voice level. “He didn’t know his own strength and ended up hurting her. You know how he gets. Don’t take it to heart. I’ll make sure he apologizes and we can just move past this.”
He was exhausted. Too much had happened lately, and he was on the verge of a breakdown. He just needed to get through tomorrow. Once the contract was signed, he would deal with Yvonne
and her mother.
But Chase just had to blow everything up.
Faye looked at the blood on the floor and the stain on Yvonne’s lip, and she let out a piercing shriek. “A little argument? He beat her until she’s spitting blood and you call that a sibling squabble? Jared, if you don’t give me a real answer for this, I’m not letting it go. Yvonne has a massive signing tomorrow. How is she supposed to show her face looking like this? I’m starting to think Chase is just violent. First he attacks Tracy, now he’s coming for Yvonne. It’s pathetic!”
The power dynamic had shifted, and Faye knew it. They held the cards now. If the Xanders pushed them too far, they could walk away whenever they wanted.
With the contract in their pocket, they could easily jump ship to the White family. They didn’t have to stay here and take this.
Faye straightened her back, her voice dripping with contempt. “Jared, I’m telling you right now. You’re the eldest. When your brother messes up this badly, you punish him. You don’t make excuses. Our Yvonne is a genius in the tech world; she’d be treated like royalty anywhere else. If we decided to take this contract to another company, you couldn’t stop us. Don’t forget who saved the Xander family from bankruptcy.”
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