Chapter 4

After soothing Serena and sending her away, Julian leaned against the doorway and lit a cigarette.

He had suffered from severe pneumonia years ago. Back then, for the sake of his lungs, I forbade him from smoking—it was the only time I ever stood up to him.

Even though I no longer cared whether he lived or died, muscle memory took over before my brain could stop it.

I reached out and snatched the cigarette from his fingers. "Stop smoking. It's bad for your health."

Julian froze. "What... did you just say?"

I panicked, quickly plastering on Chloe's meek persona. "Julian, I heard you coughing last night. I was just worried... I didn't mean to cross the line.

If you don't like it, I'll never do it again."

I held the cigarette back out to him with shaking hands.

Julian stared at me for a long time, a flicker of profound disappointment crossing his features before taking it back. "I'm losing my mind. For a second, I thought..."

"Thought what?"

"Nothing. You're just so much like Elena now. Not just your habits, but even your tone of voice is identical."

I gave him an eager, ingratiating smile. "I'll study Ellie even harder, Julian. Anything to make you happy."

Julian nodded vaguely.

"You're sweet like this. Unlike Serena. At first, I didn't notice, but now she's getting louder and more demanding by the day. She actually dared to threaten me today. I must have been out of my mind to pick her back then."

I purred softly, "Don't be angry, Julian. If you ruin your health over anger, it'll break my heart."

Julian pulled me into his arms, exhaling a plume of smoke. "I'm not angry. I'm just figuring out how to deal with her."

I smiled sweetly against his chest. Serena had boasted that Julian owed half his empire to her.

Recalling Julian's suspiciously smooth climb to the top over the past three years—and how his business rivals all suffered bizarre, fatal accidents—it was obvious Serena had used dark magic to pave his way.

No wonder I saw the black wisteria veins creeping up her neck earlier.

Serena had schemed to steal my innate magical talent, yet she had no idea that dark magic demands a steep price.

Every true witch bears an invisible wisteria vine starting from her ankle, visible only to true bloodlines.

Each time dark magic is abused, the vine creeps higher. Once the blossoms reach the crown of the head, death claims the soul.

Serena was an interloper in my body. She was blind to the curse mark and continued to recklessly cast hexes.

Fine. I'd sit back and watch her destroy herself with the very magic she stole.