Chapter 84: Alistair’s Disbelief!

Chapter 84: Alistair’s Disbelief! Author’s POV "Tell me what Asher just said is true?" Alistair demanded in a furious tone. Whatever he’d heard was bothering him so much that he was feeling breathless. Mrs. Lancaster growled, "So what!?" Her tone was sarcastic, and there was no guilt in her tone. "She was just a little girl your grandmother brought into this house. I never asked her to stay in that room!" "Hah," Asher let out a sharp breath, and he almost laughed at her words. He hardly stopped himself. Mrs. Lancaster’s gaze landed on him, and it was sharper than before. "What are you laughing at?" she barked. "I gave her a place to live! The name of our family! I gave her pocket money, for God’s sake... what more was I supposed to do? She lived with her, ate with us, and did everything, what more did you want from me?" Alistair couldn’t believe what he had heard. His mother was being utterly shameless! "Really? You think that was kindness?" he growled. "You gave her trash and called it generosity. You let her rot in a house full of people who treated her like shit and even... even violated her!" Mrs. Lancaster’s eyes widened, but Alistair wasn’t done. "That’s why I feel like Sera never wanted to come back," he snapped. "Just like me." The room fell silent, and Mrs. Lancaster was speechless. "What do you mean she was violated?" Mrs. Lancaster blurted, her voice filled with disbelief. "I didn’t know anything about that! That wench must’ve made up some story just to gain your sympathy!" Alistair’s expression went dangerously blank. His fists clenched at his sides. "Asher," he muttered, barely holding himself back. Asher was already beside him. He inhaled sharply, reached for Alistair’s hand, and gripped it with quiet restraint. "Alis," he said firmly, "Let’s go. Talking to her is like banging our heads against a damn wall." He said and walked away with Alistair. "How dare you!" Mrs. Lancaster roared, eyes flashing with fury. "You insolent little—!" But Asher didn’t turn back. He simply pulled Alistair with him, walked to the second floor, and entered his room, locking the door from inside. "What the hell was that!" Alistair lost his cool the moment they stepped inside the room. His voice shook with rage. "Why the fuck wasn’t I told about any of this?" Asher was still looking for the answers when he lunged forward and grabbed Asher by the collar, shoving him back. "Was this how you treated her?" he yelled as his eyes burned. "Is this how you protected the only sister we had... while playing the perfect big brother to someone who wasn’t even our blood?!" Asher didn’t resist. He didn’t say a word because he deserved it. For years, he’d kept his distance from Seraphina. He had treated her as if she never existed, and even was disgusted by her presence at some point. While he smiled and showed up for others, he didn’t even give a damn about how she was doing and if she ever needed anything. "I didn’t know," Asher muttered finally. "Until something happened on her birthday and..." Alistair froze. "What?" I clenched his hold on Asher. "You were living under the same roof and you didn’t know!!" "I really didn’t know what she was going through," Asher said in a self-loathing tone. "I was cold and distant to her. I even thought she was just being dramatic and seeking our attention, and later... She just stopped talking altogether, so... I didn’t bother to look how she was doing!" Alistair stared at him like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His hold on Asher’s collar loosened a little. "I was wrong," Asher accepted. "By the time I found out the truth, it was already too late, and now... She isn’t ready to trust me, no matter what I do!" "I was too late to hear her cries!" Alistair let go of his collar, shoving him back in disgust. "You’re damn right it’s too late." Alistair’s chest was rising and falling in uneven breaths as he was in utter disbelief. He couldn’t believe that something so vile could happen in their family, right under the same roof, which was praised by people who valued dignity, tradition, and reputation. The Lancasters were ruthless businessmen. Yes, they were cold and calculative, and were devoid of any emotions while doing business. But even he hadn’t imagined them to be this heartless to their own flesh and blood. What kind of mother does that, and what kind of father watches it happen? While they gave everything to the fake princess, they couldn’t keep the real one at least in a better condition? His fists clenched so tightly, his nails dug into his palms. And still his anger was not subsiding. "I wouldn’t do this to a stranger’s child," Alistair whispered bitterly. "No one would do that even to an enemy’s child..." His voice cracked as he looked up, "...let alone their own." He turned his attention to Asher, who was standing quietly like a criminal who had just realized what he had done was wrong. "Tell me, how a person like you... Who would never disrespect his mother, and would always pamper his impostor sister, change like this?" Alistair demanded. "What changed your black heart!?" Asher was quiet! He didn’t know how to tell him everything, but he still wanted Alistair to be wary of Melissa and not fall for her false tricks, so he decided to tell Alistair everything. The more Alistair heard, the more his head swung. Not only did Asher tell him about Jim’s incident and afterwards, but he also told him how Sera was broke when he brought her back to him and cried in his arms the whole night. "So... Are you telling me that our good sister tried to send our Sera to the mental hospital... even send men to kidnap her and make dirty videos of her?" Alistair’s eyes grew bigger in shock as he was dumbfounded.