Chapter 511: THE GENIUS PLAN
Cherry’s lips curled into a sly smile, the kind that always made Coral both uneasy and oddly fascinated.
"I’m a genius?" Coral asked confused at her Aunt outburst.
The older woman leaned back into her velvet chair, fingertips drumming lightly on the armrest as though she were savoring the weight of Coral’s words.
"A very special genius my niece" Cherry’s voice purred, almost mocking.
She rose gracefully, skirts whispering against the floor, and moved toward the heavy oak doors.
Her hand lingered on the iron lock. With a deliberate click, she slid it into place.
Coral frowned. "Aunt, why are you locking the doors?"
Cherry turned, her eyes glittering with a conspirator’s fire. "Because, my dear, some secrets are too precious for wandering ears. Not even the walls should hear what I am about to say."
When Cherry seemed certain that there were no openings, she turned to face Coral.
"Why don’t we get Jasmine on our side?" Cherry asked deviously.
Coral straightened, curious but wary. She knew her aunt well enough to sense when a storm of schemes was brewing. "What do you mean by having Jasmine on our side. That’s never going to happen. You and I both know she is impossible. That girl is unpredictable. She would never agree to work with us. In fact she is going to go right up to mum and tell her what were up to."
Cherry chuckled, low and sharp, as if Coral had walked straight into the heart of her trap. "Of course not. Jasmine is wild. Reckless. Ungovernable. Our main enemy. But who said anything about needing that Jasmine?"
Coral’s brows drew together. "What do you mean?"
Cherry stepped closer, her perfume cloying, her tone soft and serpentine. "What if... we make our own Jasmine?"
Coral blinked. The silence stretched between them until finally, her mouth parted in confusion. "Our own....? I don’t understand."
"Then allow me to enlighten you," Cherry whispered, her eyes narrowing with delicious malice.
She swept across the room and stood before the fire, her silhouette sharp against the flames. "Think about it, Coral. Rose is searching desperately for her granddaughter, yes? That wretched girl has wormed her way close already. She has Rose’s attention, her affection, and worst of all, her sympathy. And we both know, if Rose ever confirms it, if she ever learns the truth, then Jasmine will have everything."
Coral shuddered.
The thought of her mother’s power falling into Jasmine’s hands was unbearable.
Cherry spread her hands, her smile widening. "But what if we gave Rose exactly what she craves? Not the real girl, of course, but an imposter. A granddaughter of our choosing. Someone we can mold. Someone we can trust. Someone entirely ours."
The realization dawned on Coral and she gasped. "An imposter..." She covered her mouth, half in shock, half in awe. "You mean, we put another girl in Jasmine’s place? Have her play the role of mum’s lost granddaughter?"
"Precisely," Cherry purred.
Coral’s pulse quickened.
The idea was bold, brilliant, even, but fraught with peril.
She stepped forward, voice hushed though the doors were locked. "But Aunt, it’s risky. What if they discover she is not royal blood? They could use magic to test her lineage. If the truth comes out..."
Cherry’s eyes flashed, full of wicked delight. "You think I haven’t considered that? I will make sure her blood sings the same as ours. With the right spell, with the right offering, the truth itself will bend to my will."
Coral swallowed hard.
Her aunt’s confidence always unsettled her. Yet, she could not deny the brilliance of it. "It could work..."
"Oh, it will work." Cherry paced slowly, savoring every word. "Because even if Jasmine visits, by then Rose will already have her precious granddaughter. She will have embraced her, loved her, cherished her. The moment Jasmine arrives, Rose’s heart will already be locked away in someone else’s hands. And when that day comes, who do you think Rose will believe? A poor, broken girl with no training, no refinement, nothing but scars and sorrow? Or a granddaughter who shines with grace, who represents the perfect image of what royalty should be?"
Coral found herself nodding despite her unease. "Yes... yes, I see it now. My mother would never doubt her, not if we present her well enough."
Cherry leaned in close, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "And the best part, Coral? With this imposter, we will finally control Rose from within her own home. She will dote on her, adore her, trust her... never realizing that her precious granddaughter is nothing more than our puppet. A puppet we hold by the strings."
Coral’s lips parted, both horrified and entranced with a devious smile. "Aunt... it’s diabolical."
Cherry smiled, satisfied. "It’s genius."
For a moment, the fire popped in the grate, filling the silence with its hungry crackle. Coral stared into the flames, imagining the downfall of Jasmine, imagining her mother unwittingly pouring all her love and loyalty into a false heir.
The thought both thrilled and unsettled her.
Finally, Coral’s voice broke through the quiet. "But Aunt... how do we find her? Where do we get someone who could pass as Jasmine? It cannot be just any girl."
Cherry’s smile sharpened. She turned back toward the locked doors, as though already seeing beyond them. "Ah, now you ask the right question." Her voice was smooth as silk, yet it carried the promise of danger. "Do not trouble yourself, my dear. I think I know a way."
Coral stepped forward. "What do you mean? Who?"
Cherry only looked back at her with a knowing gleam in her eyes, lips curling into that same unnerving smile.
She did not answer. She did not need to. The suspense was almost sweeter than the scheme itself.
Coral’s heart thudded in her chest. Whatever her aunt had in mind, it would be bold. Dangerous. Wicked. And she would be part of it.
The fire crackled once more, shadows leaping across the walls, and the room seemed to grow darker, heavier, as if the weight of their plot had already begun to shape their fates.
Cherry finally turned away, her skirts whispering like secrets as she moved back toward her chair.
She sat, folding her hands neatly in her lap, her smile lingering. "Patience, Coral. You will see soon enough."