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She ran over to the window to take a peep at who it was but the sight of Ella laughing cheerfully in Leon’s arms almost gave her a heart attack.

“How many times must one strike this tramp before she takes a bow?” Yvonne gritted her teeth in agony until her gum started to throb.

“Why can’t this witch leave my family in peace?”Yvonne hissed quietly. “Why can’t my foolish brother find a fault in her? One minute, it seems as if he is going to throw her things out of the house, and the next minute, he is all over her, shamelessly smooching her even in the open.”

Yvonne remained, hidden behind the window, glaring at Ella, who was oblivious to her presence.

Although she was straining her ears to eavesdrop on the discussion going on outside the house, she couldn’t even catch a word or sentence. All she could hear were cheerful laughter and more laughter.

“Oh, how I desperately hate that Ella tramp!” Yvonne hissed again but this time, a bit louder.

She wished that she had the power of invisibility to go over to where Leon and Ella were standing and strangle the life out of her.

“If mum was still awake, that witch would have been thrown out this night.” She sneered.

.....

“How dare her return to this house after all the heartache she had caused mum! Did Leon even inform her that mum was fed sleeping pills to help lower her high blood pressure all because of her?” Yvonne questioned herself in disgust.

She was still swimming in her frustrating thoughts when the roaring sound of the car engine jolted her back to reality.

When she looked out the window again, her heart almost leaped out of her body when she locked eyes with Leon.

She quickly left the window and briskly walked into the sitting room. She was tempted to run into her bedroom and hide since neither Ella nor Ivory had seen her. But she knew Leon would taunt her later on for spying on them. So she quickly reprogrammed her brain to justify her actions.

Immediately, all three entered the house. Yvonne ran towards Ivory and hugged her while faking anxiety.

“You guys got me all worried!” Yvonne said sniffing and dabbing at invisible tears.

Ivory, who was still mad at Yvonne for her earlier behavior was surprised by her sudden show of emotion.

“Geez! Thanks, big sis.! As you can see, we are all doing great.”

Although Ivory returned Yvonne’s warm embrace, her mind was on alert as she understood some of her sister’s cunning behavior.

“I couldn’t eat or sleep since you left, Leon. I was scared you might hurt someone.” Yvonne released Ivory from her hold and went over to Leon to also give him a warm hug.

However, as Yvonne was coming close to Leon, Ella swiftly moved away from him to protect herself from any malicious act.

Up close, Ella could feel the amount of hatred emitting from Yvonne’s furtive stares and she had a strong feeling that Yvonne was responsible for the ugly incident of the night.

“It’s okay, Yvonne. You didn’t have to wait for us. Thanks to my amazing wife, no one was hurt.” Leon stressed his last statement, intending to pass a message across.

He freed himself from Yvonne’s hold but placed his hands on her shoulders and stared intensely into her scheming eyes.

“Today has been stressful for everybody because we have refused to act as a family. Please, going further, let’s all refrain from hurting one another and focus all our energy on giving Nana and dad a befitting funeral. I don’t want any more malicious plots against my wife. She is human and has had enough.”

“Hmm!”

Yvonne tried to swallow her saliva but felt a lump in her throat due to the chilliness in Leon’s statement. She could read the hint of threat in his words and she could see the dangerous glint at the corner of his eyes.

In place of words, Yvonne nodded her head and left her siblings to her bedroom filling defeated.

“Thanks, baby!” Ella kissed Leon on his shoulder when Yvonne was out of sight.

“You’re welcome, my love!” Leon returned the kiss on her forehead.

“Goodnight you two love birds! See you in the morning.” Ivory blew kisses to Ella and Leon, which they both returned with a chuckle before dispersing to their respective bedroom.

Early the next morning, Yvonne came out of her bedroom looking like she had battled a ghost all night. She took in a sharp breath and quickly sauntered over to her mother’s bedroom. She couldn’t wait to update her on the latest development between Ella and Leon.

Due to Leon’s statement the previous night, Yvonne felt the need and urgency to discuss with her mum and seek her approval before initiating another scheme to get rid of Ella.

However, when she knocked and entered her mother’s bedroom, she was baffled to see Leon and Maxwell already seated close to Marissa’s bed and engulfed in a deep conversation with her.

“Hi, baby!” Marissa smiled when she saw Yvonne.

Yvonne swiftly wiped off the surprised look on her face and pretended to be exhausted from worrying about her mother’s health.

However, her actions didn’t go unnoticed by Leon. He smirked and shook his head slightly.

“Mum, uncle Max, Leon, good morning! I thought mum was still sleeping.” Yvonne rubbed her eyes and walked up to her mother’s bed.

All three answered her greeting and paused their conversation momentarily.

“Were you awake all night?” Marissa asked Yvonne as she observed the dark circle around her eyes and her exhausted expression.

“Umm, not really, mum! Although, I was worried about you.”

Yvonne walked over to the other side of Marissa’s bed and sat down. She leaned close to her mother and kissed her gently on the cheek. Then, she climb on top of the bed and lay beside her mum, with no intention of leaving the room.

“Oh, my sweetheart, I’m fine now.” Marissa stroked Yvonne’s hair tenderly like a baby. “Thanks to your brother and uncle’s love and care, I feel awesome this morning.”

“That’s good to know. Leon...” Yvonne gazed in Leon’s direction. “...I hope you and Ella slept well last night.”

Yvonne spoke in such a carefree way that one would think that she was genuinely concerned about the couple’s wellbeing. However, this was contrary to her true intent. All she wanted to do was cunningly inform her mum that Ella was back at the house.

“Yes, we slept well! Thanks for asking!”

Leon’s casual and relaxed response, alongside Marissa’s unnerved and weird reaction, got Yvonne thinking.

‘Did I miss something? What’s going on here? What’s with mum’s calmness at the mention of the tramp’s name? Why is she not flaring up? What were mum, Leon, and uncle Max discussing before I came into the room? Has she got mum hypnotized too or has Leon been able to convince mum to like her?’

Yvonne’s head started aching from different clashing questions.

“Yvonne!” Uncle Max called softly.

“Uhh! Yes! Did you say something?” Yvonne asked in a lost tone.

Her bewildered expression almost made Leon chuckle but he maintained a straight face.

“We were deliberating on some crucial activities before you came in here.” Maxwell’s strict tone conveyed his seriousness.

“Okay!”

Yvonne replied again in a lost tone. From her response and expression, she seemed to be bodily present but absent-minded. It seemed as though she was jaywalking every two seconds.

“Very well, I’ll continue from where I stopped,” Maxwell said curtly.

“We intend to carry out the funeral rites and cremation ceremony for Nana and your dad this evening, around 5:00 PM.”

“Today!” Yvonne’s eyes widened. “Why today? I mean...they just died yesterday! Why don’t we wait until next week or three days from now? Why the hurry? I’m not ready to say goodbye. Mum is not ready! We are...”

Yvonne didn’t get to finish her panic-driven questions when Maxwell interrupted her.

“Yvonne! Slow down and take a deep breath. This was your father and Nana’s last wish according to the letter I’ll be reading this morning when the whole family is assembled.”

Yvonne looked around as if she was searching for someone.

“But everyone is here, uncle Max! The only person missing is Ivory. I can go and wake her up if you want me to.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Maxwell said in an inpatient tone.

“As I said before, every member of the family will be seated in the living room when I read the letter. And when I say every member of the family, that includes Leon’s wife.”

“What!”

Yvonne looked in the direction of her mum, expecting her to raise the roof in protest. However, Marissa remained calm but her face was void of emotion.

“Mum, are you okay with what Uncle Max is saying? Please, you need to speak up because I don’t want you breaking down when that lady shows her face.”

“That lady is my wife!” Leon said between clenched jaw.