Chapter 5: The Stepmother Who Steps on Two Boats
903 Words
CHAPTER 5: THE STEPMOTHER WHO STEPS ON TWO BOATS
Den went to the kitchen in order to get something to eat, as well as explore the house, with the help of Nathalia’s memories.
The Ortega Mansion was quite big. Modern and Spanish architecture styles were mixed, showing the generations of wealth, luxury, and elegance. The careful selection of furniture, decorations, and the white and beige interior of the house— all were pleasing to the eye.
Den was quite satisfied with this living environment. It was just quite unfortunate that staying in here would not be greatly beneficial for her plan.
However, since she’s going to be Nathalie Ortega for quite some time, she would make sure that she would not wrong herself when it comes to living a good life.
It made her somehow compare her mission to her usual work as an actress. During filming, she only needed to immerse herself in the character setting for a few minutes or as long as the scene required. However, this task required her to always be in character, especially when talking to the other characters of this book, lest they become suspicious.
It would be quite tiring, but Den has always been someone who never gave up.
She reached the door of the kitchen. Her ears perked up when she heard a hushed conversation inside.
“You should have listened.” The voice seemed to belong to an adult woman.
“Dad made me go out. I tried to stick my ear on the door but all I could hear were the sounds of crying.” The one who talked must be Nicole.
“Ugh! That Nathalie must have acted pitiful in front of Francis to snatch his attention again from you.” Irritation and malice could clearly be heard. Den guessed that it was Annie, Nicole’s mother.
“What if they reconciled, Mom? I saw Dad like he’s in a deep thought when he went out of that b***h’s room.” Nicole asked, worried.
“Don’t worry. You still have me. I’ll make sure that Francis will always cherish and focus on you. Only you should have all of Ortega’s wealth and not that b***h Nathalie.”
“That said, you should stop seeing that man, Mom.”
A corner of Den’s lips raised. Oh, seems like this Annie is more than a greedy and scheming woman.
“What does it have to do with it?” Annie asked, irritated.
“Dad might find out…”
“Just focus on pleasing your father and oppressing that b***h! My affair with…”
A maid was coming to Den’s direction. She acted like she came from the opposite direction and was only passing by the kitchen door. Den smiled at the young maid, who returned a bashful smile. “Good evening, Young Miss.”
“Good evening.” It was almost dinner time. Den still had a lot of things to think about and plan based on the intriguing conversation she just overheard, therefore, she only wanted to focus on those things first rather than deal with the Ortega family at the dinner table. “Can you deliver my dinner to my room? I don’t feel well.” After all, they all knew that she passed out earlier and was feeling ‘ill.’
“I will.” The maid immediately obeyed.
Den came back to her room and recalled the conversation between the mother and daughter pair.
Who was the man that Annie should stop seeing? It also seems that she’s involved in some sort of an adulterous affair.
Who was the man that made Annie, an evidently greedy person, risk her luxurious life in the care of Francis Ortega? Nathalie’s father could be considered an ideal man among ladies, so what’s going on in Annie’s head?
There was not much information regarding Nathalie’s circumstances in the book. After all, she’s only an extra and was only mentioned in three or four chapters. Now, it made her wonder…
‘System, how come Nathalie’s circumstances can be this dramatic and complicated? She has a father who was growing distant to her, an adulterous stepmother who wanted to kick her out of the Ortega family, a stepsister who competed against her when it comes to their father’s affections, and a dead mother. I’m pretty sure that the 14-year-old author would not bother thinking of such a setting for a cannon fodder like her.’
[Fictional worlds that developed a life of their own would automatically be instilled with realistic circumstances. Plotholes would be filled with rational reasons and conditions, such as Nathalie Ortega’s family situation.]
Oh. Is that so? Nathalie laughed, a bit of regret could be seen in her eyes. A fictional world developing a life of its own? Interesting.
She then bit her lips. If I wrote a book about him? Would he also come to life? Come back to life?
She shook her head and a sad smile slowly etched her lips. Stop it, Den. Just accept it. It has been years…
But she could not stop a tear from streaming down her face.
- Writer
