Hayley’s face changed in an instant as she listened to Harris’s orders. Her eyes turned red, and she gave a resigned smile.
She said, “Harris, if you really want me gone, why bother with all these excuses?”
“If you don’t want me to stay at the family estate anymore, just say it. I won’t…” she added.
Harris frowned and raised a hand to silence her.
He said, “Hayley, at this point, stop trying to win my sympathy.”
“Letting you and Zara move out is out of respect for all you’ve done for Daron these past twenty years. That’s more than enough courtesy.”
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed what you’ve been up to. My eyes are wide open,” he added.
Hayley stiffened for a moment, her eyes meeting Harris’s cold, disdainful gaze. Guilt washed over her, and for a second, she couldn’t find the words to respond.
Harris couldn’t even stand to look at Hayley anymore. He just waved her off, telling her to get out.
Just then, the butler walked over and stood in front of Hayley, his tone still respectful.
“Mrs. Zamora, let’s go. We should start packing your things,” the butler said.
Hayley closed her eyes briefly, then, accepting her fate, rose to her feet.
The butler saw Hayley get up and motioned for a few servants to join them, heading off with her toward the side courtyard.
As Hayley stepped out of the main hall and noticed the crowd following the butler, she said softly, “Butler, I really don’t have much left here. No need to bring a whole crowd.”
The butler smiled and said, “Mrs. Zamora, we wouldn’t dare ignore Mr. Harris’s instructions.
“Besides, you’ve been with the Zamora family for over twenty years. It might look like you don’t have much, but it’s hard to say exactly how much there is. With more people helping, we’ll get it done much faster,” the butler reminded.
“And with a bigger team, we can be more careful and make sure nothing gets left behind. That way, you won’t have to make another trip if you realize something’s missing later,” the butler added.
Hayley’s brows furrowed, a flash of irritation passing through her eyes.
“So you mean, if I move out today, I’m not allowed to ever come back here again?” Hayley pressed.
The butler nodded. “That’s what Mr. Harris wants.”
Hayley’s expression turned icy.
“Is that what this is about? Now that Daron’s grown up and you think I’ve outlived my usefulness, you’re just going to throw me out?” Hayley shot back.
The butler didn’t bother arguing with Hayley, just replied in a calm voice.
“Mrs. Zamora, Mr. Harris already spelled it out for you. He might be old, but nothing gets past him in this house. Why is that so hard for you to understand?” the butler said.
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Hayley’s expression shifted slightly, a hint of panic flickering in her eyes. In the end, she had no choice but to quickly head for the side courtyard.
The butler started organizing the servants to help Hayley pack up her things, while Hayley hurried into the bathroom to call
Daron.
“Daron, Bette’s the only one who knows about the whole diary thing,” Hayley said.
“Zara only left Vrufield to study abroad because Bette found out what was in that diary,” Hayley added.
“After all these years and everything she’s been through, Zara’s totally over you. She just sees you as her brother now, nothing more.” Hayley continued.
“Bette’s really trying to destroy Zara,” Hayley shouted.
She was trying to blame it all on Bette.
She couldn’t do anything about Marina, but surely Bette was a different story.
Bette had been outplayed by her plenty of times over the years.
But this time, Daron wasn’t backing her up at all. His voice was icy and indifferent.
“Zara messed up. She has to deal with the consequences,” Daron said.
Hayley took a deep breath.
“Daron, Zara messed up, but she already said sorry, didn’t she?” Hayley pleaded.
“Have you even looked at the diary? It’s so obvious Marina and Bette are working together to ruin Zara’s life in Vrufield,” Hayley pressed.
“And I know for sure this wasn’t Marina’s plan,” she insisted.
“Daron…” Hayley tried to plead again.
Before Hayley could finish, Daron cut her off, his voice low and serious.
“Zara made a mistake, so she should be punished. As for forgiveness, that’s up to Marina,” Daron said.
He dropped that line and ended the call, not giving Hayley a chance to respond.
“Daron…” Hayley tried to plead again.
She was about to say more, but when she glanced at her phone, the call had already ended.
Hayley was just about to dial Daron’s number again when the butler stopped her.
“Mrs. Zamora, could you come over and explain what this is?” the butler called out.
Hayley stepped over and watched as a servant fished a diamond–studded necklace out of her personal things.
The necklace looked identical to Wilhelmina’s keepsake.
The butler had served the Zamora family for decades, so of course, he recognized the story behind that necklace.
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Hayley stiffened for a moment when she saw the necklace, but quickly regained her composure and said, “Just so you know, it’s a fake.
“It’s a fake,” she repeated, her tone dismissive.
“Go ahead, get it checked if you want,” Hayley added, sounding defiant.
Hayley could feel her heart racing as she said it.
With Harris suddenly kicking her out and the servants swarming in to pack her things, and her mind still reeling from all the drama with Zara, she had completely spaced out about the necklace.
This was the first fake she’d ever had made, but it was such a lousy copy that she never bothered stashing it in the annex.
Later on, she got someone to craft a much better replica and slipped that one in instead.
She’d pretty much forgotten all about it until now, when the servants dug it up out of nowhere, leaving her caught off guard.
The butler examined the necklace carefully, and after confirming it was a fake, he simply signaled the servants to carry on with the packing.
Thank goodness, Hayley thought to herself, feeling a wave of relief wash over her.
She’d wanted to go talk to Daron, but with things like this, she just didn’t have the nerve anymore.
If she left now and they ended up digging out something else that could hurt her, she’d lose all her pride and reputation. She’d have nothing left, inside or out.
Hayley could only linger in the side wing, stuck waiting while the servants finished packing up every last one of her belongings. ‘Guess all I can do now is wait and hope they don’t dig up anything else that’ll ruin me,’ she thought, feeling a mix of anxiety and resignation.
Zara called her soon after.
When Hayley saw Zara’s name pop up on her phone, she cast a glance at the butler.
The butler looked right back at her.
Hayley had no choice but to turn her back and take the call.
As soon as she put the phone to her ear, Zara’s anxious voice came through.\
“Mom, Bette exposed my diary online! What do I do now?” Zara cried out, her voice trembling.
Hayley rubbed her temples, her voice low and serious.
“Just keep your head down at work. Come back to Westview tonight, and we’ll talk then,” she said.
Zara blinked in surprise. “Westview? Isn’t that your place, Mom?”
‘Isn’t that Mom’s own apartment?‘ Zara wondered, feeling a bit unsettled.
“Mom, does Grandpa know everything?” Zara asked, her voice trembling.
Hayley just gave a quiet “Yeah” in response.
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Zara took a deep breath and quickly said, “Mom, I’m okay with moving out of the estate, but what about you?”
Hayley replied, “I’m coming with you.”
Zara was quiet for a few seconds, sounding like she was on the verge of tears.
“Mom, what are we supposed to do now? Are we really just going to let them walk all over us?” Zara choked out.
Hayley spoke gently, trying to comfort her.
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“Zara, just keep your head down at work and don’t let all this drama mess with you. It’s not like you did something unforgivable, and you’ve already fixed it, right?” Hayley reassured her.
“We’ll set the record straight when the time comes,” she added.
Hayley gave the butler a quick look and saw he was fiddling with that fake necklace again. She took a deep breath, her nerves on edge as she spoke.
‘Mom’s got something to handle here, I’ll hang up for now,” Hayley said quickly, trying to keep her voice steady.
Zara’s drama is nothing compared to what would happen if the truth about Wilhelmina’s belongings ever came to light. That would be a total nightmare,‘ she thought to herself.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
