Return of The Alpha Heiress-Chapter 51: Clarissa – Family or Bullies?

I stared at Darren in disbelief. So now he was joining the attack too. He must have gotten tired of being just a spectator.

The chaos Alpha Will created echoed through the entire house. Edwin came down from the first floor and immediately gave me a mocking look.

It seemed my list of bullies had grown again. Were they actually my family or my bullies? Huh?

Darren wasn’t done with me. He ran a hand through his hair, a habit he had whenever he was extremely stressed.

"Clarissa, how dare you try to produce the shifter’s aide at another company using your own name?!" he accused me.

He already knew? I had clearly told FrostAe to keep it confidential until everything was finalized.

Darren’s face turned completely red. He looked furious, probably because I wasn’t reacting or responding the way he wanted.

"That device isn’t yours! It belongs to Shannon! You should be ashamed!" he shouted right in my face.

Once again, wolf pressure crashed down on me, freezing my body and stealing my voice.

But slowly, another force helped me stay upright.

Only then did I realize Larry was still supporting me from behind. He must have been the one who broke the pressure’s hold on me.

Why would he—

I didn’t have time to think. Edwin suddenly stepped in front of me.

"How thick-skinned can you be to have no shame at all?!"

Smack!

Edwin slapped my face from the side.

Larry clearly hadn’t expected it. He couldn’t stop him in time, and I collapsed onto the floor.

My shoulder hit the ground hard, producing a loud, painful sound.

"Ah!" Shannon screamed suddenly, shocked by the noise. No, not just shocked. It clearly hurt to hear.

"Please stop..." she whispered while crying in Luna Eileen’s arms.

My eyes met Luna Eileen’s. She looked like a child who had been caught stealing from the family vault.

She looked deeply guilty. She had told me so many times that she would protect me, yet she never once truly did.

Finally, she spoke. "Stop. Don’t hit Clarissa anymore."

She was immediately met with hostile looks from Alpha Will, Darren, and Edwin.

"Mother, she cheated and tried to produce Shannon’s device under her own name!" Edwin raised his voice and pointed at me.

Luna Eileen still tried to intervene.

"Everything can be settled peacefully. There’s no need for violence. The production can be canceled immediately. You should understand... Clarissa cheated because she wanted to be first just once."

"Luna, you’ve spoiled her too much!" Alpha Will shouted. "That’s why she keeps getting worse. Because you keep covering for her!"

After that, Alpha Will began listing all of my so-called mistakes, the ones Luna Eileen had supposedly hidden all this time.

I stopped listening.

My mind couldn’t process what was happening anymore.

What did Luna Eileen mean by that? Was that how she was defending me?

And what were those "mistakes" Alpha Will was talking about?

Who were they even talking about? Why didn’t I understand any of it?

"AHHH!" I screamed until my throat burned.

Silence.

Finally, no one spoke. Finally, I didn’t have to hear their nonsense anymore.

"You people..." I looked at their faces one by one. "...did you bring me here just to drive me insane?"

Smack!

Alpha Will struck my head. I had just managed to lift my face, and now I was forced to look down at the floor again.

"Watch your mouth," Alpha Will threatened. "Don’t bring the filthy habits from your rotten past into this house."

"Clarissa, you should be grateful to the Green family instead of causing trouble and ruining our name!" Edwin shoved my head down repeatedly.

My teeth clenched violently. My eyes burned with tears, not from sadness, but from uncontrollable rage. My fists trembled.

Suddenly, a small, pale, soft hand touched my shaking hand.

"Sis Clar, please apologize to Father and Mother, and promise not to—"

I pulled my hand away. Too forcefully. Shannon stumbled to the side.

Alpha Will’s large hand, the same one usually used to strike me, caught her before she fell. He helped her stand and gently told her to step back.

Blatant favoritism like this... did it hurt me?

No. I never had expectations of Alpha Will.

Even from Luna and my so-called siblings, I never expected equal treatment.

I only wanted something normal. Just normal. Stop accusing me with baseless lies.

"You’re beyond forgiveness now, Clarissa. You even tried to hurt your own sister."

Hurt her? Shannon was perfectly fine.

Suddenly, Alpha Will grabbed my arm roughly. "There will be no mercy for you!"

He dragged me without caring if I crashed into tables or chairs. My body and legs slammed against furniture, as if I were just an object that couldn’t feel pain.

Behind me, I heard voices trying to stop him. Begging the pack leader not to take me away.

Luna Eileen... and Larry.

But Alpha Will kept dragging me outside.

I thought he would throw me out, maybe leave me in the cold.

But he didn’t stop.

We went to the back of the house, toward a small building I knew was used for gardening tools.

Was he going to lock me in there?

We went inside.

But he still didn’t stop.

He opened a door hidden behind a painting. I never even knew there was a door there.

Behind it was a staircase going down.

Alpha Will didn’t go down. He pushed me.

Thud!

My body crashed at the bottom of the stairs.

"Think carefully about your mistakes," he said, before the door fully closed.

The sounds from outside vanished. No light remained.

Every part of my body hurt. My head, arms, stomach, thighs, legs. Everything.

But I had to get out.

I didn’t come into this house just to be locked in a basement.

"Let me out!" I screamed while forcing myself up the stairs.

Ignoring the pain, I reached the top and pounded on the door.

I could still hear Luna and Alpha Will outside. They were still there.

"Let me out! Let me out!"

...