Seed Of Doubts
1629 Words
The Williams Estate felt unusually quiet.
Richard had traveled out of the city for an important business meeting, and after much pleading, little Elisa had convinced him to let her accompany him.
For the first time in months...
The mansion stood without the cheerful laughter that usually followed father and daughter wherever they went.
Only Margaret and Selina remained at home.
---
The dining room was as elegant as ever.
Crystal chandeliers reflected warm golden light across the polished table.
Margaret sat quietly while Selina ate beside her.
Several maids moved gracefully around the room, serving dinner.
One maid gently filled Margaret's glass with water.
Another placed the final dishes on the table.
After finishing their duties, the two maids quietly walked away.
Thinking no one could hear them, they began whispering.
"You know..."
"I think Madam Margaret is such a wonderful wife."
The other maid smiled.
"And such a caring mother too."
The first maid sighed.
"It's just a pity."
"What is?"
"Everything Mr. Williams owns belongs to Miss Elisa."
"The mansion."
"The businesses."
"Everything."
"If something ever happened to Mr. Williams..."
"Madam Margaret and Miss Selina would be left with nothing."
The second maid lowered her voice.
"When you think about it..."
"That's really sad."
The two women disappeared into the hallway.
Neither of them realized...
Margaret had heard every single word.
Her smile slowly faded.
---
Across the table, Selina looked up.
"Mom?"
Margaret quickly forced a smile.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Selina hesitated.
Then quietly asked,
"Does Dad love me?"
Margaret blinked.
"Of course he does."
"Why would you ask that?"
Selina looked down at her plate.
"He always talks about Elisa."
"He buys her presents."
"He calls her 'Princess.'"
"But..."
"I don't remember the last time he bought something just for me."
Margaret reached across the table and gently held her daughter's hand.
"Your father loves you in his own way."
"Elisa lost her mother when she was very young."
"He's only trying to make up for everything she's been through."
Selina remained silent.
Then she slowly pulled her hand away.
"But Mom..."
"You always protect Elisa."
"You care for her like she's your own daughter."
"You hug her."
"You comfort her."
"You and Dad always think about Elisa."
Her little voice trembled.
"But..."
"Who thinks about me?"
Margaret's heart sank.
Before she could answer...
Selina pushed back her chair.
"I'm not hungry anymore."
She had barely touched her food.
Without another word, she quietly walked upstairs.
Margaret watched her disappear.
For the first time since marrying Richard...
She felt completely helpless.
The dining room suddenly seemed much larger.
Much colder.
She looked toward Elisa's empty chair.
Then toward the staircase where Selina had disappeared.
The maids' whispers echoed inside her mind.
Everything belongs to Elisa...
She remembered the documents she had found inside Victoria's room.
The mansion.
The companies.
The fortune.
Every single piece...
Inherited by Elisa.
Margaret closed her eyes.
She wasn't thinking about wealth.
She was thinking about her daughter.
"If one day Richard is gone..."
"What future will Selina have?"
The question settled deep inside her heart.
It was small.
Almost harmless.
But like a seed planted beneath rich soil...
It had begun to grow.
Outside...
The evening wind gently rustled the trees surrounding the estate.
Inside the mansion...
No one noticed that the first true crack had appeared within Margaret's heart.
And somewhere...
Hidden in the shadows...
Someone was waiting patiently for that crack to become impossible to repair.
The Williams Estate had finally returned to its usual rhythm.
Richard and Elisa had come home safely from the business trip.
The mansion once again echoed with familiar voices and laughter.
But beneath its peaceful surface...
Someone's heart was slowly changing.
---
Late that night...
The master bedroom was quiet.
Margaret lay awake on one side of the bed, unable to sleep.
Beside her, the bathroom door remained closed as the sound of running water echoed softly from within.
Richard was taking a shower.
Margaret stared at the ceiling.
The conversations she had overheard.
The inheritance documents.
Selina's tearful questions.
They refused to leave her mind.
Suddenly...
A soft notification sound broke the silence.
Ding.
Richard's phone lit up on the bedside table.
Margaret turned her head.
At first, she tried to ignore it.
"It's probably just another business message," she thought.
Then...
A familiar name appeared on the screen.
Elisa.
Curiosity overcame her hesitation.
She slowly reached for the phone.
Her hands trembled slightly as she lifted it.
She didn't unlock the device.
She only glanced at the notification displayed on the screen.
Her eyes widened.
A massive transfer of money...
Into Elisa's account.
The amount was so large that Margaret struggled to believe what she was seeing.
Her heartbeat quickened.
"What could a child possibly need this much money for?"
Before she could think any further...
The bathroom door opened.
Margaret quickly placed the phone exactly where it had been.
She returned to the bed just as Richard stepped out, drying his hair with a towel.
He seemed completely unaware that anyone had touched his phone.
---
Richard stood before the mirror, buttoning his navy-blue nightshirt.
Margaret quietly walked toward him.
Without saying a word...
She gently wrapped her arms around his waist.
Richard looked at her reflection in the mirror.
"What is it?"
Margaret rested her head lightly against his shoulder.
"I was just thinking..."
"The children's birthday is next month."
Richard smiled faintly.
"Yes."
It was an unusual coincidence.
Elisa and Selina had been born on the same day of the same month.
Many people joked that they looked like twins...
Until they saw their completely different faces.
Margaret smiled.
"So..."
"What surprises have you prepared for them?"
Richard answered without hesitation.
"I've already arranged my daughter's birthday gift."
He calmly continued brushing his hair before applying a small amount of face cream.
Margaret remained silent for a moment.
Then she asked carefully,
"And..."
"What about Selina?"
Richard paused.
He looked at her through the mirror.
"What about her?"
His question wasn't cruel.
Nor was it spoken with anger.
It simply revealed something Margaret had feared all along.
In Richard's heart...
There was only one daughter.
Elisa.
The room fell silent.
Margaret slowly released her embrace.
"I understand."
Her voice remained calm.
"So..."
"Good night."
She climbed back into bed without another word.
Richard switched off the bedside lamp.
Darkness filled the room.
He closed his eyes, believing the conversation had ended.
But Margaret remained awake.
Staring into the darkness.
The image of the bank notification replayed over and over in her mind.
The inheritance.
The fortune.
The birthday.
Selina's tears.
Richard's words.
"I've already arranged my daughter's birthday gift."
Not...
"Our daughters."
Just...
"My daughter."
Margaret slowly closed her eyes.
For months, she had tried to convince herself that time would change Richard's heart.
Tonight...
For the first time...
She stopped waiting.
Somewhere deep inside her...
A dangerous decision quietly began to take shape.
Outside...
The moon disappeared behind dark clouds.
And within the silence of the Williams Estate...
The game moved one step closer to its beginning.
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