After a while, Jessica pulled the door open. Cassandra looked up, meeting her gaze. Her face bloomed with a smile, yet her eyes glistened with an unknown light, one that did not escape Jessica’s notice. Jessica’s lips curved into a cold arc. Casting a fleeting glance at Cassandra, she stepped into the hallway. "Lead the way," she murmured, a smirk playing on her lips. Cassandra quickened her pace toward the garden, her face bright with a falsely warm smile. "Bernice will be happy you agreed to meet her," she said. "You don’t know how guilty she’s felt since that incident. And with Lady Matilda blaming her, she’s really been sorry." Jessica glanced at her quietly and then her eyes swept the corridor, her gaze lingering briefly on corners, shadows, and door frames. A few subtle details were out of place, no too obvious, but enough to make her click her tongue softly. "Did you say she’s sorry?" Jessica’s voice was low, edged with mockery. "Then why wasn’t she bold enough to face me?" If they truly wanted to play the family-ties game, she would happily play her own version, playing along with them . "You wouldn’t understand her," Cassandra said quickly. "She’s so outspoken she sometimes offends people without realizing it." Jessica’s smirk deepened. "She really is your daughter." By the time they reached the garden, Jessica’s eyes had already catalogued every little detail of the path they took and the subtle arrangement of keeping people away from there. Taking a look around, Jessica smiled lightly. The pool, glistening under the moonlight, had the crescent shape of the moon dancing on it. The light evening breeze made the water ripple, sending small, dancing waves toward the edges. At the far side of the pool stood a slender figure ...Bernice. From behind, her frame seemed delicate, almost too soft to belong to someone capable of hurting a fly. Jessica halted in her footsteps a few distances away from her. She carefully studied the lady before her. Her eyes darted around the dimly lit garden. A faint, sharp scent of fuel, mixed with some acidic substance hit her nose. Bernice slowly turned around to meet her gaze. The coldness in her expression was unmistakable, confirming what Jessica had already suspected. She had regarded Jessica as an arch-enemy, and her purpose in bringing her into the garden she understood wasn’t simple in any way. Jessica schooled herself "Be cautious to understand their purpose," she thought to herself. "Our dear granddaughter," Bernice said, her lips twisting into something that wasn’t quite a smile. "Welcome home." Jessica stepped back, only to find Cassandra now behind her, cutting off her retreat. "Your mother said you wanted to see me... because you were sorry for what happened before," Jessica said evenly. Bernice’s gaze was unreadable as she glanced at her. "Did she?" Jessica lifted one shoulder in a shrug. Bernice’s eyes sharpened. "Then she must have been mistaken. Or perhaps she didn’t hear me right." Jessica tilted her head. "She didn’t hear you right?" "Of course. She may be comfortable with you returning to the Santiagos to reclaim what was never yours ...but I am definitely not." Jessica’s lips twitched in amusement. "Bernice, aren’t you making a mistake?" A helpless sigh escaping her lips "You are definitely channeling your anger wrongly," Jessica felt a bit light-headed but quickly composed herself. Since Cassandra and Bernice weren’t ready to play by the rules, she wouldn’t mind playing along. "My anger? I channeled it correctly. Bernice shot back, stepping closer. "Everything was fine until you came. It was all your fault, and with your presence, that old hag will definitely be feeling proud of her decisions..." Bernice fumed. Her voice grew tighter, betraying months of festering resentment, loss and humiliation she felt since Jessica stepped into the Santiagos family. This humiliation she had decided not to take laying down. If she didn’t solve this problem, how then would she be able to navigate through the Santiago family in the future? After much thought, she made a decision, a simple conclusion of the matter; remove the source of the problem. Before Jessica’s return, Bernice had been the shining presence in the Santiagos’ household. The one seated beside the Old Lady at all times, subtly turning conversations to her advantage. Sometimes she instigated against Donald and sometimes she suggested in favour of herself or her mother...Cassandra. But with Jessica’s reappearance, those privileges seem to have slipped away and she felt her position was threatened. When the position of Vice President was handed to her, Bernice felt her patience snap leaving only rage and wounded pride in its wake. Jessica’s gaze slid to Cassandra. "So... is this the meeting? Or is this the trap you both planned together?" Cassandra’s smile was thin. "Jessica, you’re too naive to survive in this family." "I was naive," Jessica agreed, "to think we were family at all." She edged subtly until her back was toward the pool. If her instincts were right, this scene was staged for something far more dangerous than a conversation. And this pool seems to hold the key to the plot. The reek of fuel, was faint yet undeniable, seemed to come from the pool. Is it possible the pool had been poisoned? What should be the motive? Her thoughts swirled while she had her gaze trained on Bernice. She wouldn’t want to be taken unaware. Bernice walked towards her menacingly, her voice dropping. "What if we did plan it?" "What do you think you can do if by any chance you fall into this pool?" "Do you think you can be found on time since all of the guests are just there in the banquet hall?" "Do you think you can survive it with your pregnancy?" "I heard pregnant women are prone to respiratory distress and dizziness in certain environmental conditions, what do you think?" Jessica felt her heart ripple as she battled with another wave of dizziness that was both sudden and unnerving. "Odd." She murmured. If her count was right, this seemed to be the fourth time she felt herself on the verge of collapsing on the floor as her legs weakened without warning. The source of thɪs content is Nov3lFɪre.ɴet "I really need to check my blood and sugar levels tomorrow morning," she muttered under her breath. With her pregnancy just eight weeks to the due date; the worst of the symptoms should have passed. Yet here she was, fighting to stay upright. Bernice’s voice was still droning but Jessica’s mind was already dissecting the discussion and events that had happened. Quietly she tried to connect the dots and the possible reason why she might be feeling dizzy since her arrival to this banquet. "Is it possible she had inhaled some poison in the air?" "What kind of airborne gas had this sort of effect on a pregnant woman?" Her gaze narrowed at Bernice taking in her facial expressions. She wouldn’t doubt this to be her plot. And if this is hers, does that mean...with the Old Lady’s illness not an accident, did she have a hand in it? The poison had been administered slowly, subtly... Bernice had been the closest to her, it should be quite easy to do such without any suspicion. Recalling Donald’s words, the old lady doesn’t have much of a servant around her and no new staff was employed. There is a possibility that Bernice, along with her mother, were the likely culprits. She shook her head lightly, She could not let them see her falter. She closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath to help her lungs which seemed to be tightening. As she opened them, her gaze was icy, yet her voice was even "Bernice, grandma loves you and..." Jessica started. "Loves me?" Bernice’s composure snapped. "She gave everything to you... everything that was meant for me!" "Bernice,..." Jessica called again. "You don’t call me," she snapped. "I wonder why she hasn’t succumbed to the drugs?" "Why hasn’t she lost her sense?" Why hasn’t she died?" She shouted at Jessica. Bernice lost control, her tone turning vicious. "I won’t let you have it all. You’ll pay for crossing me. You can go to hell... and greet your mother there." Bernice cursed. She lunged forward, her speed like lightning as she planned to push her into the pool. Jessica nimbly side-stepped her. Bernice’s foot landed on a loose stone. She pitched forward, arms flailing, and plunged into the pool with a loud splash. The water splashed all over, and Jessica, closer to the pool, had some part of her body drenched. "Bernice!" Cassandra’s voice cracked with panic as she rushed to the pool. But Bernice’s muffled scream tore through the night air, followed by frantic splashing. Falling into the pool unexpectedly, Bernice inhaled a large amount of water, leaving her gasping for breath, her throat dry. Worse still was the fact she couldn’t get a hang of how to adjust her movement, and with the edges slipping, she couldn’t step out of the pool. She swore to herself to pay Jessica back in folds when she got out of the pool.