Chapter 171: Melissa’s Henious Plans: II
Third Person POV
Seraphina tried to speak, her voice shaking as she forced the words out.
"I... I’m not—" But the rest never came. Her throat tightened, her breath hitched, and she couldn’t say anything else.
And even if she had, no one would have listened. Everyone had already made up their minds. Whatever she said now would mean nothing to people who had stopped hearing her a long time ago.
But it was also her fault... It took Seraphina a year and a half to finally understand the truth about Melissa.
When she first arrived at the Lancaster mansion, she thought Melissa was the only warm person in the house. Because Melissa smiled at her, spoke softly, and stayed close.
But behind all of those kind gestures, Melissa was the one who ruined her life piece by piece. She made sure Seraphina looked unstable, confused, and out of control. She twisted small mistakes into big problems and made everyone believe Seraphina was the issue and had some trouble with her brain.
Seraphina had come to the mansion in search of love. She had lived without it for so long that even the smallest kindness felt like hope. She wanted a family, a place where she could feel at home. But Asher always kept his distance and looked at her with annoyance. Her father barely spoke to her. And Mrs. Lancaster... Sera always thought the woman disliked her, because every time they met, she looked tense and uncomfortable.
However, the truth was different, but Seraphina never knew it. Mrs. Lancaster didn’t hate her; she just hated herself. She hated the years she had lost with her daughter and the life Seraphina had suffered through. She wanted to protect her, but didn’t know how. Melissa used that confusion to her advantage, telling lies to both sides until mother and daughter drifted so far apart they couldn’t understand each other anymore.
Now Seraphina stood there, shaking in fear, and believing she was unwanted by everyone. She didn’t see that she had been pushed into this loneliness. It was all Melissa who had controlled, everything from the moment she stepped into the house. And by the time Seraphina understood all these things, it was too late. The damage was already done, and she had no strength left to fight it.
And Mrs. Lancaster stopped looking after her completely when all the hope she once held for Seraphina faded away; she handed Sera over to Melissa without a second thought.
She believed Melissa was the only one who understood Seraphina, as she had stayed close to her, so she was the only one who could "handle" her. What she didn’t know was that she had placed Seraphina in the worst hands possible.
Once Melissa had full control and no one watched Sera closely anymore, she didn’t bother hiding her cruelty. She stopped pretending to be gentle and acting like a sister. She started bullying Seraphina openly.
She would walk into Sera’s room and take anything she liked... Be it bracelets, hairpins, books, or even small gifts from the Lancaster brothers. She would smile and say, "I’ll give it back later," but she never returned anything.
At first, Seraphina didn’t mind. She didn’t want to upset Melissa or make her angry. She thought Melissa was the only person who still cared for her, so she tolerated everything, even if she felt hurt only having her.
But now Melissa only came to her when she needed things from her. And one day, when Melissa reached for another gift, Sera finally declined, "No... please don’t take that."
Melissa couldn’t believe it as she laughed in her face.
As if Sera’s words didn’t matter, she simply took it anyway, pulling it out of Sera’s hands without hesitation. Seraphina tried to hold on, but she was too weak and scared, as she was now too used to being pushed around. And when the item was finally taken away from her, she just stood there, trembling, unable to look Melissa in the eyes.
Melissa leaned forward and said coldly, "You have no right to say ’no’ to me! You are under me and... If you want your life to be peaceful... You’d better do as I say!"
Seraphina lowered her head immediately, her shoulders shaking. She knew she couldn’t win, and even if she spoke up, no one would believe her. She knew she had no one to protect her anymore.
Melissa was happy as she smiled, knowing she could do anything she wanted... because Seraphina had finally become too scared to fight back at all.
Seraphina endured everything quietly. She kept telling herself that if she stayed calm and polite, invisible in Melissa’s eyes, she might finally have a little peace. But she never got even a single day of it.
Even her life at the orphanage was a little peaceful, but here... It had become hell for her.
The moment Melissa stopped pretending to care, the whole house changed for Seraphina.
The maids who used to ignore her now walked into her room whenever they pleased. They stole her things, her clothes, her hair ties, her books, and anything she treasured. When she tried to take her things back, they’d beat her up. And when she insisted on telling her parents, they scolded her like she was the one creating trouble.
But things didn’t stop at stealing; her miserable life had just started.
Some male servants began coming into her room at night when the house was quiet. They would sneak into the room and try to touch her. Brush their fingers against her shoulders, pretending they were just checking the lights or the windows while their eyes stayed fixed on her.
She froze every time. She didn’t know how to react or who she could tell.
Since she couldn’t tell anyone, they became bold and started doing more than just touching.
Sera was afraid that if she screamed, cried, or tried to resist, Melissa would make it seem like it was her fault and hallucinate. Sera’s fear only made her seem more "unstable". So she stayed still, trembling, doing nothing but praying they would leave.
