Chapter 4

"Arnold!" Grace's eyes lit up, and she said, "Tell them to let Erica go!" Arnold's icy gaze swept across the hall and finally landed on Betty. He asked, "What's going on?" Betty immediately gave him a helpless look. "Arnold, it's Grace—she brought a fake Tempest Seal and someone pretending to be Erica." Arnold finally looked at Grace, his eyes full of disgust. "Grace Costello, how much longer are you going to make a scene? Bonnie gave in at every turn, but you're still pushing your luck?" "She gave in?" Grace trembled with rage. "They humiliated me in front of everyone! They also claimed Erica's seal is fake, but you're saying I'm the one who's misbehaving? "You promised Erica you would take care of me! And now you're helping an outsider bully me?" "An outsider?" Bonnie smugly looped her arm through Arnold's. She said, "I'm his real sister! And who exactly are you?" My face was bloodied as I stared coldly at Arnold, but he only focused on soothing Bonnie. Looking anxious, Grace pointed at me. She said, "Erica's back. How are you going to explain this to her?" Arnold finally glanced at me. The moment he recognized my face, surprise flickered in his eyes. But it quickly faded into cold indifference. He said, "Grace, Erica died long ago. You actually hired a stand-in to put on an act? How pathetic." I barked out a laugh. So the man my father raised turned on us the moment we weren't looking. "Arnold Tucker, you really think you've become something, huh?" Arnold's eyes widened at my voice. He swallowed, his Adam's apple visibly bobbing. With a trembling hand, he lifted my chin and studied me for a long moment. His eyes were heavy with emotion. After a while, he lightly touched the wound on my face and sighed heavily. "She looks a lot like Erica. What a shame, though. If it weren't for this cut, I could've kept you by my side," Arnold said. "But now, you're useless." Sadness clouded his expression. It was as if seeing me brought back memories of someone he loved but lost. He added, "No matter how much you look like Erica, she's gone." With that, he closed his eyes and said, "Betty, take care of this." A mocking smile spread across Betty's face, as if she thought I were a joke. She snapped her fingers, and a few burly men tore open my collar. Grace was slammed roughly onto the poker table, chips scattering with a clatter. Just then, the gilded doors of the hall burst open with a thunderous crash. Victor stood tall against the light, and a dark wave of men stormed in behind him. The cuts on his face were evident as he said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Ms. Erica. I ran into some trouble along the way."