12:09 Thu, Sep 18
Chapter 262 Trap
Chapter 262 Trap
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She spent some time scrolling through her phone, but when she finally looked up, her chest sank. The road outside the window was unfamiliar, and unease swept through her like a cold tide.
Her voice broke the silence. “You’re driving the wrong way. Tell me where you’re taking me.”
The driver lifted his head with slow certainty. He pushed the brim of his cap back, and his face came into the light. His features were rough and sharp, and there was a cruel edge in his eyes.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of, Ms. Claude. I am only following Mr. White’s orders to bring you home.”
Anneliese’s face hardened, her voice sharp with suspicion. “Which one? Timothy or Perseus?”
The man answered without hesitation. “Your father, Mr. Timothy White.”
Her grip tightened on her phone, her voice rising with defiance. “I’m not going anywhere with you. Stop this car right now, or I’ll call the police.”
Her fingers flew across the screen, unlocking her phone in a flash. But before she could dial, the driver slammed his foot down. The car jolted to a violent halt at the side of the road. The tires shrieked against the asphalt, the force throwing her forward in her seat.
In one swift move, the driver twisted around, wrenched the phone from her hand, powered it off, and shoved it into the glove compartment with a harsh snap.
His voice carried a cold warning. “Ms. Claude, it would be wiser to cooperate. If you refuse, I will knock you out.”
The threat pressed against her chest like a blade. When Anneliese finally crossed the threshold of the White family mansion, she was met not with words but with a strike.
The crack of a palm across her cheek echoed through the entryway. The blow sent her reeling. Her shoulder slammed into a tall vase, shattering it into sharp fragments. She collapsed onto the shards, pain stabbing her palms as broken ceramic cut into her skin. Blood welled in her mouth, the metallic taste spreading over her tongue.
She clutched her burning face and forced herself to lift her head.
Timothy towered over her, his finger stabbing the air inches from her nose. His voice thundered with rage. “You ungrateful wretch! Look at what you’ve done! I cannot believe I raised something like you! You forget kindness, you hold grudges, and you betray your own
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Chapter 262 Trap
blood like a common beast.”
Anneliese dragged her hand across her lips, wiping away the blood. She pressed against the wall, her body trembling, but her spine stayed upright.
Her eyes swept across the living room. Melanie sat stiffly on the couch, clutching Selina’s hand.
Christopher and Perseus lounged back with their legs crossed, their cold eyes fixed on her as though the chaos before him was nothing but theater.
Anneliese’s lips curved into a bitter, broken smile. Her voice cut through the air. “Kindness? Don’t speak to me of kindness. Your family never gave me anything to be grateful for. Even if I owed you life itself, the night I was stabbed and left to bleed in that alley, you revealed your truth. You protected the one who did it. That night, I gave your debt back in full.”
The chandelier’s glow caught her eyes, making them glitter like blades of ice.
Timothy’s fury faltered. His face locked in a grim mask, and for a heartbeat, he could not look at her directly.
Selina’s gaze lingered on Anneliese’s swollen cheek. A flicker of satisfaction brightened her eyes. She rose to her feet, her voice dripping with false sweetness.
“Anne, I admit what happened back then was my mistake. I already apologized for that. If you won’t forgive me, fine. If you want to destroy my reputation in public, fine. But Mom, Dad, and our brothers are still your family. Now that we’re facing trouble, how could Zacharias to set us up and push us into this mess?”
you team up with
Anneliese’s reply cut sharp as glass. “You think I joined hands with Zacharias?”
Selina’s voice sharpened as she pressed forward. “You asked him to invest five hundred million in our company. Dad and Perseus had just managed to calm the partners. Then you urged him to pull the money out, and it threw everything into chaos again. Now the whole world thinks White Inc. is falling apart. Anne, you are dragging us straight into ruin.”
She had whispered poison into Perseus‘ ear for weeks, urging him toward divorce and division
of assets.
If she succeeded, Anneliese’s fortune would fill the Whites‘ empty coffers.
If she failed, the family’s resentment would devour her whole.
Anneliese stared straight at Selina. Selina waited, her expression calm, expecting her to argue.
Instead, Anneliese’s palm cracked across her cheek with a force that rang through the room.
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Chapter 262 Trap
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Selina gasped. Her scream ripped through the air. She never imagined Anneliese would strike. her in front of them all. She clutched her burning cheek, her hand shaking as she pointed a finger at her.
Anneliese caught that finger, bent it back with merciless force, and delivered another blow across her face with the back of her hand. The sharp sound split the silence.
Selina’s mind went blank. Her body locked in shock. Christopher’s eyes flared with rage. He lunged forward, grabbed Selina, and shoved Anneliese hard.
Her back slammed into the sharp corner of a cabinet. Pain seared through her, sweat breaking across her brow.
When she pulled herself upright again, Melanie and the others had already gathered around Selina. Their voices rose in worry and comfort, every glance filled with concern.
Selina lowered her head against Melanie’s shoulder.
Her face stung, but as their affection surrounded her, her lips curved faintly. Anneliese’s fury had only made her shine brighter.
Her voice softened into false sacrifice. “I’ll be fine, you guys. If letting Anne hit me can ease her anger, then I’ll take it. As long as she’s willing to help us through this, I’ll endure it.”
Melanie stroked Selina’s hair, her glare burning toward Anneliese. Her voice lashed like a whip.
“Anneliese, you can stand to learn from Selina. She is thoughtful, she is patient, she is everything you are not. If you could be half as considerate as her-”
Anneliese’s voice cut her off, cold and sharp. Her ovum donor might love the sound of its own voice, but Anneliese did not.
“Yes, yes, I’ve heard it all. She’s the perfect one, the obedient one, the pride of this family. If you want to worship her like she’s the creator of your whole wide world, then go ahead, but don’t drag me into it.”
The words struck Melanie deep, her face paling as her chest tightened. “You—”
Timothy gripped her arm, pulling her back. He had not dragged Anneliese here to fight over words.
His command was clipped and firm. “Take Selina upstairs and treat her injuries. Her face is
swollen.”
Perseus‘ voice followed, smooth and decisive. “Yes, Mom. Take her up. Leave Dad and us to
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Chapter 262 Trap
deal with this.”
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Melanie hesitated. The issue of Anneliese’s address change had left her uneasy. She did not want Timothy and her sons to press too hard, afraid they might drive Anneliese away for good.
