Roselle’s POV
“But it is possible.” Eva took a small breath before continuing.
“And according to what I found, it has happened before.”
The moment I heard those words, realization slowly began to sink in.
“Do you know who it happened to?” I asked.
“And what happened to her after she was dismissed from the family?”
“I tried to find out more, but no matter how subtly I approached the subject or how carefully I asked questions, it was almost impossible to get anything.” She had a strange expression on her face.
“It almost feels like…” She paused, searching for the right words.
“It feels like it’s a forbidden topic.”
My brows furrowed.
“But if I had to make a wild guess, I think it has something to do with Jeremy’s mother.” My heart tightened at the mention of her.
“I still don’t know whether she was properly married into the family or what exactly her position was, but somehow, the matter seems connected to her.”
Eva lowered her voice.
“And judging by the way everyone seems to shrink away whenever she is mentioned, I think it would take me a very long time to uncover something that happened so many years ago.”
She fell silent.
My heart sank a little further.
There was only one thing I needed to know.
“Is she still alive?”
Eva stared at me for a moment before answering.
“No, she isn’t.”
My chest tightened.
“That is one thing I was able to find out. But like I said, I don’t know the circumstances surrounding her dismissal or her death.” She paused.
“But there is one thing I know for certain.”
“What?”
“The eighth rule of the Belladonna family states that once a Belladonna, always a Belladonna until death.” My mind immediately went back to what she had told me earlier.
Eva continued.
“So, if I were to make another guess, then after she was dismissed from the family, she was probably killed.” She quickly added, “But that has not been confirmed. It is only my theory.”
I said nothing.
My mind was already racing in several directions, desperately trying to make sense of everything she had just told me.
Once a Belladonna, always a Belladonna until death.
If the rule truly meant what it said, then anyone who became part of this family could never truly leave.
Not by choice.
Not by dismissal.
Only through death.
The thought sent an uncomfortable chill through me.
“Thank you, Eva.” I looked at her.
“For now, I want you to keep your eyes open and your ears open at all times.
Try as much as possible to find out what really happened to her.
I don’t want us making decisions based on something that has not been proven.” I paused before adding, “But you need to leave now.
We shouldn’t attract too much attention by staying here and talking for too long.”
“Alright, Madam.” Eva bowed immediately before walking away.
I watched her until she disappeared completely from my sight and the door closed behind her.
For a moment, my mind desperately tried to return to everything she had just told me.
Jeremy’s mother, the story surrounding her dismissal, her death, the eighth rule.
And the possibility that she had been killed because she was no longer considered part of the family.
But I couldn’t afford to dwell on it.
Not now.
My eyes moved toward the clock on the nightstand.
Twenty minutes.
That was all the time I had left before the forty-five minutes I had given the children were up.
I couldn’t delay any longer.
I quickly got out of bed and walked into the bathroom.
After undressing, I stepped into the shower and began washing up.
Since I was racing against time, I refused to let myself think too deeply about what Eva had told me.
I pushed it to the back of my mind.
There would be time to investigate later.
For now, I had a school to get to.
After a quick shower, I walked over to the closet and picked out a simple yet chic black-and-white striped gown.
I slipped it on, adjusted it quickly, and left the room.
At first, I wondered how I would find the children.
But as I walked through the hallway, I soon spotted them coming toward me, most likely heading back to my room.
As soon as we were close enough, I spoke.
“Let’s head to the garage. I already told Mr. Sylvester to have a car ready for us.”
We continued down the hallway toward the entrance of the house.
Something about Jasmine caught my attention.
She was unusually quiet.
She didn’t say a single word as she walked beside Jeremy, her hand firmly holding his.
At first, I wondered what had suddenly made her so quiet.
I wanted to ask her about the change, but then I remembered something.
This was how Jasmine had always behaved back at the DeLuca estate.
Reserved whenever she wasn’t around someone she was completely comfortable with.
Perhaps there was nothing unusual about her at all.
Maybe the loud, shameless little girl I had seen with Jeremy was simply another side of her that she had finally felt comfortable enough to show.
By the time we reached the garage, we got into the car and settled into our seats.
The driver started the engine, and the car slowly pulled away from the estate.
For a while, the silence continued.
Then Jasmine finally spoke.
“Jeremy, tell me the truth. Is the school difficult to survive in?” Jasmine asked.
Jeremy turned toward her, slightly confused.
“I don’t understand. If you’re asking whether the schoolwork is difficult, then what school has easy courses?”
“Not that.” Her expression changed, the playful look disappearing as a hint of worry crossed her face.
“I mean, are there bullies?” Before Jeremy could answer, she continued.
“My last school had a lot of bullies. They didn’t bully me because I made them my friends, but still…” She looked down at her hands.
“I don’t want to spend my time walking on eggshells around people anymore.” Her voice became quieter.
“I don’t want to go through that again. So I want to know… are there bullies?”
Jeremy frowned slightly.
“I can’t say for sure whether there are bullies.” Jasmine’s face immediately fell.
But before she could say anything, Jeremy continued.
“Even if there are, you won’t be bullied.”
Jasmine looked at him.
“And why’s that?”
I remained silent, simply listening to them.
For the first time since Eva’s warning, I allowed their conversation to occupy my mind.
Their voices pushed away every troubling thought trying to resurface.
Jeremy leaned back against his seat.
“In that school, every class has a clear hierarchy.”
“Hierarchy?” Jasmine repeated.
“There are three tiers of students. First Tier, Second Tier, and Third Tier.” He paused before continuing.
“Because you’re now a Belladonna, you’re First Tier. If you had entered the school carrying the DeLuca name, you would have been Third Tier.”
Jasmine’s eyes widened slightly.
“What’s the difference?”
“Each tier comes with its own level of power and privileges. There are certain courses that only First Tier students are allowed to attend. Second and Third Tier students can’t even enter those classes.”
Jasmine frowned.
“That doesn’t sound fair.”
Jeremy shrugged.
“When has life ever been fair, Jass?” He spoke with surprising calmness for someone his age.
“The point of this isn’t to decide what’s right or wrong. Dad always says that the important thing is understanding your position.” He looked at her.
“You either rise above it, or you learn how to leverage it.”
Jasmine listened carefully.
“I’m telling you this because you need to understand the leverage that comes with being a Belladonna.” He gestured toward her.
“You’re now part of the one percent of the one percent. To put it simply, Second and Third Tier students are more likely to be afraid of you bullying them than you are of them bullying you.” He paused.
Then he looked directly at her.
I watched Jasmine’s expression change as the meaning of his words slowly sank in.
“So, Jass…”
Jeremy leaned slightly toward her.
“Do you want to leverage your position?”
For a moment, Jasmine said nothing.
Then the corners of her lips slowly curved upward.
The worried expression disappeared, replaced by a familiar, mischievous smile.
“What do you suggest we do?”
“Anything you want,” Jeremy said.
He leaned back again in his seat, thinking for a moment before continuing.
“For example, we could start a club.”
“A club?” Jasmine asked curiously.
“Yes. We make rules that favor us, but we also offer protection to anyone who joins.” He spoke calmly, as though he had already thought about this before.
“That way, if someone is being bullied or needs help, they can join our club. In exchange for our protection, we can ask for things from them.”
“Like money?” Jasmine asked.
Jeremy shook his head.
“Not necessarily. Most of them already come from wealthy families, so money isn’t important. But influence is.” He paused before continuing.
“If they want more than protection, if they want power, information, connections, or access to opportunities, we can give those things to them.” He looked at Jasmine. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
“And in return, they remain loyal to us.”
Jasmine blinked.
“Like making allies?”
“Yes.” Jeremy nodded.
“If our club becomes strong enough, being part of it would become a privilege. Maybe members could gain access to some benefits usually reserved for First Tier students.” He smiled slightly.
“And if people benefit from being with us, they won’t want to leave.”
A small chill ran through me as I listened.
The ideas were far too advanced for a child his age.
Part of me wanted to correct him.
Part of me wanted to tell him that the world shouldn’t work that way.
But another part of me stopped.
Jeremy was the future heir of the Belladonna family.
Perhaps this was how they raised their successors.
And what frightened me even more was that I could see how such a system would work.
“Are you sure it would succeed?” Jasmine asked, deep in thought.
Jeremy looked at her.
“How do you think the Belladonna family became so powerful?” He spoke with a confidence that seemed far older than his years.
“In this country, there is only one king of the underworld.” He paused.
“My father.” Then he corrected himself.
“Our father now.”
“The Belladonna family stands above everyone else because they understand people.” He folded his arms.
“You find a problem, offer a solution, and build loyalty.”
The same mischievous smile slowly appeared on his face.
“And every student in that school comes from an important family, which means…”
He looked at Jasmine, waiting to see if she understood.
Jasmine’s eyes brightened.
“If they become our allies now, they will remain connected to us in the future.”
Jeremy nodded.
“Exactly.”
She continued.
“Most of their parents own companies, businesses, or hold powerful positions. Their children will inherit those things one day.” Her smile widened.
“So if we build strong ties with them now, we will always have influence later.”
Jeremy looked pleased.
“Good.
I knew we were fated siblings.” Then he added quietly, “Remember the eighth rule of the Belladonna family.” His eyes gleamed with amusement.
“Once a Belladonna, always a Belladonna.”
I stared at both of them in silence.
My heart was filled with surprise.
No matter how much I wanted to correct them, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Memories of last night surfaced once again.
The calmness with which everyone had watched.
And suddenly, one thought became clear.
If their future was to one day stand where Silas stood, then shielding them from this world would not save them.
It would only leave them unprepared for it.
So this was what Sylvester meant when he said that school would give them connections.
“I can’t wait for school to fully resume,”
Jasmine said excitedly.
Through the rearview mirror, I caught the driver smiling faintly.
I knew this conversation would spread through the estate before we even returned home.
“Listen,” I said.
“All of that is fine, but don’t go overboard.”
“Of course, Mama,” Jasmine replied immediately.
But somehow, I knew better than to trust those words completely.
Then another thought came to me.
I was no longer standing outside this world.
I am no longer a general.
I was part of it now.
And if I continued holding onto the same rigid sense of right and wrong I once had, then sooner or later, this world would swallow me whole.
“Ma’am, we have arrived at the school,” the driver said.
His voice pulled me away from my thoughts.
I looked up.
Standing before us was a grand building with elegant golden letters written across it.
The Elite.