Chapter 1
1048 Words
On the night of the Voclain Ball held by the Moreau Family, Celeste and Lilith Moreau walked hand in hand, raising toasts to several young wealthy ladies out of courtesy.
Grabbing two champagne flukes from a waiter passing by, Lilith raised a toast to Celeste, voice warm, eyes cold. "To my beloved sister, Celeste, graceful, radiant, and finally embracing the life she was always meant for. May tonight be just as special as she is."
A bitter sweetness laced the wine she had sipped that night, an unfamiliar warmth blooming in her limbs. Her mind grew sluggish, her vision hazy, and then darkness.
By the time she awoke, the world had already branded her a disgrace. The whispers had spread like wildfire. Celeste Moreau, the country bumpkin, had thrown herself at a repulsive, greasy man in a drunken stupor. The noble young men of Y City sneered at her, the socialites covered their laughter behind silk fans, and Lilith, her stepsister, her most venomous enemy, watched it all unfold with a victorious smirk.
Her father's voice was cold.
“A disgrace.” His eyes, once unfamiliar now burned with disgust. “I should have left you rotting in the countryside where you belonged.”
He stepped closer, his tone filled with finality. “From this moment on, Celeste Moreau is dead.”
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he sealed her fate. “Take her away.”
She was discarded like rotting fruit, thrown into a cold, sterile laboratory, her new prison.
What was once a place of scientific pursuit became her personal purgatory. The scent of antiseptic and cold metal clung to her skin. And at the center of it all was Lilith, watching and reveling in every moment of her suffering.
"Celeste, you pathetic slut. You actually thought Victor loved you?"
Metal restraints bit into her wrists and ankles. Blood stained the cold table beneath her, her body broken, her breath barely more than a whisper
"Take a look at this"
Celeste squinted at the phone that was pushed roughly to her face. In the video, at a clubhouse with a bunch of friends, Victor, her supposedly Fiance and most beloved man, was on one knee, holding a ring with a tender smile, proposing to her worst enemy, Lilith.
"Will you marry me, Lilith?"
The words sent a chill down Celeste's spine, this was the same person that said he was not ready for marriage!
"This is a lie! Lilith, you venomous woman! You are lying to me!" Celeste screamed and struggled, but her body was like a soft bodied animal, unable to move. Her limbs had been disabled by this white lotus, Lilith.
" Lying? You, trash ,are you worth of my time? Look at yourself now," Lilith laughed loudly, looking at Celeste on the operating table with disdain. "Once a fool, always a fool!"
With that, Lilith lifted her hand and slapped Celeste's face, leaving a bright red mark.
"Ugh..." Celeste groaned in pain, tears silently streaming down her face.
Looking at Celeste's ruined face, Lilith grinned happily. Her lips curved into a smug smile "You should have just stayed deep in the mountains, you don't belong here, the stinky gutters...."
"Lilith, what are you doing here? Everyone's waiting for you"
"Aren't we getting married? I came to tell sister the good news" Lilith spoke shyly clinging to Victor's arm. A far cry from her vicious look a while ago.
Hearing the familiar voice, Celeste was overjoyed,. But when she heard the man's tender and affectionate tone directed at her Stepsister, the joy in her heart froze instantly and a chill spread throughout her body.
"Victor..." Celeste looked at Victor, her face etched with pain and disbelief.
She saw her beloved man, holding her enemy so tenderly, smiling so brightly, her heart did a backflip.
"This b***h isn't dead yet?" Victor's tender smile was replaced by a bone chilling coldness directed at Celeste.
"A rural girl from the countryside, she is pretty tough, and she was waiting for you.," Lilith scoffed, still in his arms.
Being framed and ruined by Lilith, her legs disabled, and even the pain of being disfigured could not compare to coldness in Victor's eyes.
Betrayed by the one she deeply loved, the pain was heart wrenching.
"Why?" Celeste's voice was hoarse and weak, her body trembling and tears sliding down the corner of her eyes.
"Why?" Victor scoffed, "you a village girl, are you worthy of me?"
Thinking of the beautiful promises he had made, Celeste suddenly grinned and laughed loudly, tears streaming down her eyes, reflecting her distorted face, making her look hideous.
Lilith clung to Victor's arm and spoke coquettishly, " Victor, I'm so scared!"
Victor comforted her in a low voice, "Don't be afraid,.a dead woman,.what can she do?"
"Guards!"
As he spoke, a black-clad guard walked in with a gallon of petrol.
Celeste managed to shout, "Victor, Lilith, you will die a miserable death!"
Lilith had taken everything from her, ruined her and caused her to fall from grace.
Victor, her accomplice, had toyed with her emotions, leading her on.
The crackling flames licked at the walls, devouring everything in their path with a ravenous hunger. Thick smoke curled into the air, burning her throat as she gasped, struggling with the shackles.The heat pressed against her skin, a suffocating force that made her lungs scream for relief.
She was unwilling!
Unwilling to die like this!
Why did Lilith and Victor cause her so much harm, but in the end, they could still get everything that belonged to her?!
A searing pain ripped through her as fire grazed her arm, hot and merciless. It was as if the flames had teeth, sinking into her flesh with an agonizing bite. She let out a sharp, broken cry, her vision blurring as the scent of burning fabric and skin filled her nostrils. Panic clawed at her chest.
They had done this. The man who once promised to love and protect her had and sweet little stepsister, sent the fire to claim her instead.
If she could have another chance at life, she would personally send those who had harmed her, betrayed her, and deceived her straight to hell!
She would take back everything that belonged to her!
- Writer
