Chapter 80

Latisha grabbed her hand and shook her head.

"You're bleeding! We have to go to the hospital!"

*It's just my period,* Latisha signed. *Painkillers will be enough.*

The bleeding wasn't heavy. Mrs. Dashiell was skeptical but helped Latisha back to the bedroom. She found her painkillers and sanitary pads, then went to the kitchen to make a warm, nourishing soup.

Latisha held the warm bowl, the heat seeping into her palms. The color slowly returned to her face.

Mrs. Dashiell watched her, hesitating to speak. When Latisha finished, she took the bowl and finally asked, "What's going on between you and the young master?"

From Clifford's attitude, it was clear their relationship wasn't as good as she had imagined. There was something strange and unsettling about it.

Latisha shook her head. She didn't know either. She didn't know what was going on with Clifford. She couldn't pinpoint when she had become someone he treated with such casual indifference. Maybe it started when they got married, or maybe even earlier.

Forced to marry her because of his grandfather's dying wish, he had to give up the woman he loved. He might not have hated her for it, but he could never treat her with the same warmth again. That was probably it—that complicated, delicate relationship.

Latisha looked at Mrs. Dashiell, who was still here. It meant Clifford had accepted her choice to cut ties with Nikita. If she defied him again, Mrs. Dashiell would be the one to suffer. At her age, she couldn't endure being thrown out again.

Latisha closed her eyes and leaned back against the headboard, listening to the rain outside.

Latisha stayed in bed for two days. She didn't contact Nikita, who had only sent one message asking if Clifford had given her trouble. She didn't dare reply.

She went online again. The news about Nikita seemed to have quieted down. Instead, Odyssey Entertainment's game, "Dragon's Bloodline", was suddenly trending, all thanks to its New Year's promotional video.

gie

They had filmed a live-action short film based on the character Selene's backstory. The script was brilliant and the comments under every post were filled with people saying made them cry. Selene was a Wheelchair-bound character, Yesenia's injured foot hadn't affected filming. With Clifford's investment backing the promotion, the short film was everywhere.

Yesenia had also strategically revealed that she was the game's top-spending player. Her fame exploded overnight, and her Twitter followers grew by millions in just a few days.

Latisha looked at Yesenia's social

media. It was filled with pictures of a lavish lifestyle and loving posts. In any photo with Clifford, he only ever showed a hand, or a partial shot of

his body never his face-klis fingers

were long and elegant, his shoulders broad. Even without seeing his face, it was enough to spark the imagination.

Latisha scrolled through the photos, each one a testament to his indulgence and affection for Yesenia. He was willing to play along with her games. It struck Latisha then that she and Clifford didn't have a single proper photo together. Not even a partial one.

As she was staring at the photos, a message from Renata popped up, a rare occurrence.

Renata: [Dad said you both need to come for dinner on New Year's Day. Don't forget.]

As the head of the Lambert family, Wallace's word was law. If Renata was saying it, the order had come from him.

Latisha stared at the message, her eyes flickering. She instinctively touched her stomach, where a dull ache still lingered.