Chapter Nine
R egina Day paced the dining room of her perfectly polished home and seethed. Her sister Hannah had always been a nuisance. So plain. So unlike the rest of their family. Another fat drop of blood splashed onto the veined marble floor. Like a great many things, the slice had been Hannah’s fault. She’d riled Regina up and the heirloom vase was the only thing in throwing range. One of the pieces had blown back, slicing over her hand. The opulent room with its gleaming floors, crystal chandeliers, and gold wall sconces did nothing to offer comfort, as being surrounded by money typically did. This wealth, this prestige had not come easily, and it wouldn’t be ripped away. She’d die first.
In the past, she’d done things most would consider unkind in order to keep this luxurious lifestyle, but then again, most hadn’t experienced what it was like to live at the top. Live where nearly nothing could touch you. Where anything you wanted was at the tips of your fingers with one phone call or a few words. When you had power and wealth combined? Well, that was the headiest place to be in the world. Nothing would stand in the way of keeping that power, especially not Hannah.
Vivienne had become restless because of the lies Hannah told. Vivienne would be nothing without the Day family. Just a dumb girl with a beautiful face. In the real world she’d be forced to use that body, because God knew she’d never be able to hold a job. Not with the learning disability her parents had concealed all of these years. Hannah had hacked it on her own, but she’d been the opposite. What she lacked in beauty she made up for in brains. If she wanted to throw away her life, keeping the baby and leaving the estate instead of ending the pregnancy, that was all well and good. Of course, the sympathy the family would’ve garnered would have been better if she died giving birth. The shame she’d cast over the Day family was irrevocable. There were still hushed whispers and laughter around the country club when someone brought her up. Now she was trying to ruin something else. Vivienne would marry Scott whether she liked it or not. Really, it was the best option for Vivienne. Scott was taking a chance on her, and she’d only repaid him with uncertainty.
If Hannah did one more thing to encourage Vivienne’s cold feet, the words she told her mere minutes ago wouldn’t just be a threat. She would ruin her sister. There were family secrets at stake. Things no one ever would know about. Secrets she would kill to keep.