Chapter 40

Edward and Claudia immediately noticed something was wrong with Helena. Alarmed, they jumped up and rushed to her side. “Helena, are you okay?” Edward asked, his voice thick with concern.

Helena’s face was pasty, her lips turning a worrying shade of blue—classic symptoms of a heart condition flaring up. “Get Dr. Gibson. Now, hurry!”

Panic seized Claudia as she whirled around and shouted at the maids, “Go get Dr. Gibson!”

Barney Gibson had originally been the Talley family's personal physician. After Rosalie’s grandfather, George, passed away, Barney, following George’s dying wish, remained with the family, moving to Graham Villa to care for Rosalie.

Even after Rosalie married Julian, Barney remained at Graham Villa as the Graham family’s doctor.

Now, with Helena collapsing unexpectedly, the dining room erupted into chaos. Tension crackled as the household rushed into a flurry of activity, faces filled with worry and urgency. Only Rosalie and Julian remained unaffected.

Rosalie sat calmly at the dining table, her gaze cold and indifferent as she watched the commotion. Her voice, when she finally spoke, was smooth but cutting. “Dr. Gibson is my personal doctor. His salary comes from my pocket. Since when is it acceptable for just anyone to order him around?”

Claudia, already frantic, was too shaken to maintain her composure. The mask of the gentle, self-sacrificing stepmother shattered instantly.

Face flushed with anger, Claudia turned to Rosalie, her voice rising in fury. “Rosalie, what the hell is that supposed to mean? I raised you as a child. I’ve slaved away for you, and this is how you repay me!”

Rosalie met Claudia’s burning gaze, her own eyes growing colder, a dark glint flickering within them. A cheap little homewrecker like you dares to lecture me? Rosalie thought, her lip curling in disdain.

Her voice was light, almost amused, but every syllable dripped with scorn. “I was raised by the maids, Claudia. You, on the other hand, waltzed into our home and lived like a queen. Forgive me, but I don’t quite see how that qualifies as ‘slaving away.’”

Rosalie’s gaze landed on Claudia’s face, sharp as a blade, as if peeling away Claudia’s hypocritical mask, strip by strip. “You made no contribution to this family. If you really think you’ve been ‘slaving away,’ then you’ve been doing it all wrong,” Rosalie said, her voice carrying icy disdain.