Chapter 7 A Special Gift
kylle entered the castle. The moment she stepped inside, she was stunned by what she saw.
The pristine, orderly rooms, the endless supply of hot water, fresh eggs and milk, a private cinema, and even gentle and attentive doctors…
Everything was just as it had been before the apocalypse–perhaps even better.
“Sheila, so this is the paradise you’ve been living in all this time.”
Though Kylie tried to mask the envy and resentment in her eyes, I still caught it. She must have remembered the days she spent living worse than an animal in the weretigers‘ camp.
I simply smiled and remarked, “It’s not paradise. Just an ordinary life. I have responsibilities, too.”
My calm demeanor only made the fire of jealousy burn hotter in Kylie’s eyes.
When she followed me to my room, she found how grand and luxurious it was, far superior to the one she had been assigned.
Her voice betrayed her discontent. “Why is your room better than mine?”
Just then, Gavin walked in, having finished his work. He explained, “Sheila and I are the castle owners. Naturally, our accommodations are different.”
Then, he added, “Sheila is smart and capable. Everyone in the castle admires her.”
Watching how happy we were and how well I was living, Kylie couldn’t control her fury.
Later that night, she made her move. She sneaked into my room, dressed in a lace nightgown from my wardrobe, my perfume lingering on her skin. She lay sprawled on my and Gavin’s soft bed.
When Gavin entered, Kylie wrapped her arms around him from behind.
“Gavin, did you know? I was supposed to be the one to marry you. I’m not the real daughter of the Carrington family. Sheila is. John and Mandy never treated me as their own, and once Sheila returned, my life only got worse.
“Sheila forced me to marry the weretiger while she got to marry you. You have no idea how much that hurt. But it’s not too late. Fate has brought us together again. As long as you divorce Sheila, we can be together. With me by your side, this castle will be even greater than before.”
Gavin. turned to face her, making no effort to pull away from her embrace. “Is that so? I always thought you were better than Sheila. Sheila is clever. She won’t agree to divorce me, and she won’t leave the castle willingly.”
Kylie was overjoyed. She blurted out without thinking, “That doesn’t matter. If she won’t
leave, we can just throw her to the zombies. Problem solved.”
She let the lace straps of her nightgown slip off her shoulders, revealing the scarred skin beneath. “A night like this shouldn’t go to waste.
Gavin, however, calmly pulled her nightgown back up.
“Not yet,” he said. “The weretigers have their eyes on the castle. I need someone to infiltrate their camp. Would you be willing to be my spy?”
Kylie hesitated. She clearly didn’t want to return to the weretigers‘ refuge.
Gavin continued, “I’m willing to kill my wife for you, and you won’t even help me deal with the weretigers? Kylie, think of it as securing our future.”
Looking into Gavin’s earnest eyes, Kylie finally agreed before leaving reluctantly.
Three days later, Kylie announced she missed Luke and wanted to return to him. Her attitude had completely changed from when she first arrived. She no longer pretended to be meek and didn’t bother hiding the malice in her eyes.
She openly mocked me, saying, “Sheila, do you believe in fate?”
I frowned in puzzlement. “What do you mean?”
Kylie let out a smug chuckle. “Some people are born to live in luxury. Others are born to be trampled underfoot. Even in the apocalypse, I survived. But for some… Well, let’s just say their luck won’t last forever.”
I played dumb. “Kylie, there’s no such thing in the apocalypse. That kind of thinking won’t fill your stomach.”
Kylie was momentarily stunned by my response. But instead of arguing further, she turned to Gavin, casting him flirtatious glances as she leaned toward him. “Gavin, I’ll be going now.‘
“Safe trip.”
Kylie boarded the transport vehicle and finally left the castle.
11
The moment she was gone, Gavin dropped the act entirely. “Ugh, disgusting! If not for our plan, I wouldn’t have wasted a single breath on that venomous woman.”
I wrapped my arms around his and comforted him, “Thank you, babe.”
Because every word Gavin had said to Kylie was a lie. It was to make sure she willingly returned to the weretigers‘ camp, where a very special gift was waiting for her.
Chapter & Waiting
