Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 768

Chapter 768: 768-Snakes And Siren

Helanie:

“There were only a few pages with my mother’s fingerprints on them, so I didn’t understand why they were even there. Mother wasn’t even in the mansion that day,” Norman explained, trying to gather his thoughts by speaking them out loud.

“Why can’t we just go and confront them all?” I complained. I felt like I’d had a dagger in my back this whole time without realizing it.

“We can’t, because then they’ll know we’re onto them,” Norman said, probably realizing he’d also been acting too aggressively over the past few minutes.

“I just can’t believe Charlotte did that. She was on her way to redemption,” I said, remembering.

“You don’t need to stress about her. It’s not like it was a surprise. We should’ve known she’d do something like that. But to think our own mother was probably the one who made this plan, to use Emmet just so her plan would succeed, just makes me feel so sad,” Maximus said, as he looked at Emmet, who hadn’t said a word. But I knew deep down he was hurting too.

“Listen, we need to go right now before others think we’re having a secret meeting here. We’ll let you know later what the ritual requires,” Norman said as he headed toward the door. However, the moment he opened it, we all went dead silent.

“I was just about to knock,” Charlotte said, flashing a wide smile. I wondered if she had heard our conversation. We’d been speaking quietly, but why the heck was she here? If this had happened before, I might have believed her, but now I was sure she’d come just to eavesdrop.

“Yeah, I was just talking to them about something,” I said, stepping in to take control.

“Oh, it’s okay. You guys can finish your conversation. I just wanted to let you know that Lord McQuoid hasn’t started eating yet,” she said, her eyes scanning the room until they landed on Kaye’s open laptop. But Kaye quickly shut it and pushed it away.

“There’s a password, so we’re fine,” Kaye whispered.

“Why don’t you go with Charlotte? We’ll come right after,” Emmet added, and I nodded, walking out of the office with her.

Now that I knew her good girl act was fake, it felt strange walking and talking with her. But like my matess had said, we had to act like we didn’t know anything yet.

“So, what were you guys talking about?” she asked, overly sweet and friendly.

“It was about the announcement I’m going to make,” I replied. The moment I said that, I watched her smile fade.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot you were going to make an announcement,” she said. I guessed she was starting to fall for my trick, so maybe she hadn’t heard us. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be trying so hard to fool me again.

“Yeah? What did they say? I mean, what is the announcement that you had to talk to them about?” she asked, already sounding anxious. Now that I knew her kindness was just an act, I began noticing her body language. She was nervously scratching the side of her nails.

“Are you okay?” I asked, stepping ahead of her and walking downstairs. But the second I turned, I saw her arm reaching out.

“I was going to put my hand on your shoulder,” she said. I don’t know why, but hearing that as she brushed past me gave me a creepy feeling.

When I looked up, I saw Maximus and Kaye coming downstairs. I guessed their arrival had stopped her from doing something stupid. Did she really think a single fall would be enough to make me lose my baby? Or was it just a reflex, did she actually try to push me?

Once we were in the living room, I sat with Lord McQuoid. The brothers had already taken their seats with the other fated mates, there hadn’t been any room left for them to sit elsewhere, even if they’d wanted to.

“I have to make an announcement,” I declared, noticing Lady Darcy’s smile. It looked completely fake.

“Yeah, I heard. What’s it about? Is your mother coming back home?” Lord McQuoid asked, his tone so cheerful it made me feel guilty.

“In fact, it’s even better news. Trust me,” Norman jumped in quickly, trying to take control of the moment.

His father’s smile began to fade, though he forced it back.

“I’m so sorry. Tell me, what is it?” Lord McQuoid asked, reaching for my hand.

He’d always been there for me. I remembered when I first arrived, nobody wanted me here, but it was Lord McQuoid who let me stay. I really needed comfort then, and he gave it without hesitation. I had so much respect for him.

And to think he spent his early years with someone as toxic as Darcy, yet stayed so kind, it proved he was genuinely a good man. Maybe that’s why Darcy had lasted so long. She never would’ve gotten away with her lies if she’d been married to someone even half as cunning as she was.

“So, the good news is…” I started, smiling wide. Even though I was scared about being pregnant, I was still happy.

“I’m pregnant.”

The moment I said it, I caught the flash of emotion on everyone’s faces. It was brief, but noticeable. I understood, they were sharing a mate with me, so of course there were mixed feelings.

Lord McQuoid went silent. Then he smiled, tears welling in his eyes.

“You need to get up and give me a hug,” he insisted. I pushed my chair back and jumped to my feet, hugging him tightly.

At the same time, I registered the reactions around the room. The brothers already knew, they looked thrilled. Darcy appeared neutral at first, then smiled, probably because she’d already processed the news. Jessica looked slightly upset but quickly began nodding, as if trying to show support.

Kesha didn’t bother to hide how she felt. She looked disgusted. Azura snapped her head toward Emmet, glaring like she wanted answers right then and there.

And then there was Charlotte, the one I’d just discovered was as manipulative as Kesha. She was clapping, grinning, and acting all happy.