Reborn, She's Back for Revenge novel Chapter 27

The room felt like it was about to explode with tension.

Hallie watched from the sidelines, a tiny, satisfied smile tugging at her lips. ‘C’mon, fight, she thought. If Zachary started something on his first day back, Dad would definitely come down hard on him!

But things didn’t go how she hoped. Edith grabbed Zachary by the collar in one quick, cold move and hauled him toward

the stairs.

Zachary froze, stunned. He was five feet nine, 145 pounds–no way some average girl should be able to yank him around easily. But there he was, fect practically off the ground as Edith dragged him up the stairs like it was nothing.

Joseph followed silently, thinking, ‘See? That’s what happens when you mouth off.

“Let go of me!” Zachary yelled, thrashing and trying to break free. But no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t get loose. Fury burned through him–nobody had ever dared treat him like this.

Edith hauled him to the third floor and tossed him into his old room.

The place was covered in dust, untouched for years. Zachary hit the floor with a thud, sending up a cloud that made him sneeze over and over.

“Now that you’re home, you follow the rules,” Edith said, standing over him. “The high school entrance exam is only three months away. No distractions–just studying. Got it?”

Joseph hovered in the doorway, shrinking back a little. Watching Edith take down Zachary–tough, fearless Zachary–made him feel less bad about being scared of her.

“Besides, he thought. ‘She promised I could have fun after finishing my homework. So she’s not that bad after all.

Joseph backed away quietly, heading for his room to get his homework done. He figured if he ticked Edith off and she made him study 24/7, he’d have nowhere to turn for help.

With that in mind, he rushed into his room and slammed the door shut.

“What a traitor!‘ Zachary seethed to himself. Now he understood why Joseph had been so dodgy when he’d asked him to play games earlier. Just because Edith was back at the house, they couldn’t even game in peace anymore.

What he couldn’t figure out was how Edith had gotten so tough. He vaguely remembered when he was eight, she’d been bullied and had run to him and Cedric for backup.

Edith unzipped Zachary’s backpack and dumped out all his stuff, scattering study materials across the floor. She picked up a study schedule and stared down at him.

“You’ve got a monthly exam in two weeks. You need to rank in the top 20,” she said bluntly. “If you don’t, I’ll take time off work just to make sure you’re studying.”

Zachary scrambled up from the floor. “Dad doesn’t even discipline me. Who do you think you are? What business is my studying of yours?”

“Exactly because Dad doesn’t care, I have to,” Edith said, her voice steady. “Mom died when you were eight. You remember how she used to ride you about everything?”

Zachary’s bristling anger deflated instantly. His thin lips pressed tightly together, and his long lashes shadowed whatever emotions were brewing in his eyes.

1/3

8:20 pm SDD.

Chapter 27

“Mom would’ve wanted you to make it into Sunspire’s top high school,” Edith said, pulling out some bank practice tests. Do one tonight. Mark the questions you’re stuck on–I’ll help you work through them

With that, she walked out. The moment she was gone, Zachary ripped the practice tests to shreds.

He thought he never should’ve moved back home. But Vincent had basically dragged him back, and his homeroom teacher had made it clear he couldn’t stay at school anymore. It felt like he was totally out of options.

Zachary ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He pressed his ear against the door, listening When he heard nothing he slipped out, only to meet Hallie’s mocking gaze.

Though she quickly masked her expression, Zachary caught it. He shot her a cold look. He shot her a cold look. “Enjoying the show?” he said flatly.

“Of course not,” Hallie said softly. “I had your gaming stuff packed away. Don’t worry–Edith won’t mess with it?

“Whatever, I’ll just buy new stuff,” Zachary said, not even glancing her way as he headed downstairs.

Hallie hurried after him. “It’s so late. Where are you going? Want me to call a driver for you?”

Zachary glared at her. “You’re seriously annoying!”

Hallie burned with anger and humiliation. She thought, ‘He’s not even my brother–of course he’d brush me off like that Once I’ve got the family under my thumb, I’ll make these bastards regret how they treated me

Zachary couldn’t care less about what was going on in her head. He walked out to the yard, looked around for a minute, and quickly spotted the electrical panel.

‘Edith cut my internet to stop me from gaming, huh? Fine–I’ll pull the power cord, and then she’ll never be able to do a damn thing!‘ he thought.

Zachary didn’t hesitate. Dodging the servants, he darted to the fuse box, yanked the switch down hard, and even crushed the fuse between his fingers.

The villa’s lights flickered and then went completely dark.

Edith had just finished two math problems when the power cut out. She pushed open her door and stepped into the hallway.

Joseph poked his head out from the next room, looking innocent. “Power’s out. I swear I didn’t skip homework this time.”

Dallas’s voice rang out from downstairs. “Oh, Zachary, what did you do to the power? Quick, someone get the electricity back on.”

Two servants climbed up the ladder, checked things out, and reported, “The fuse is blown, and we’re out of spare fuses.”

Holding half a blown fuse, Zachary smirked, “Looks like nobody’s using electricity tonight.”

He glanced up deliberately, catching Edith standing on the balcony watching him. He flipped her off, his middle finger raised high–If she wanted to threaten him, he’d show her exactly what payback looked like.

“Zachary, what the hell?” Hallie shouted, genuinely pissed.

She didn’t care if he and Edith wanted to fight or go at it, just as long as it didn’t mess with her life. But now the whole house was dark–how was she supposed to get through the night?

Just then, a car rolled slowly into the villa’s driveway. Vincent and Karen were home.

2/3

8:20 pm DD.

pm;

Chapter 27

Karen’s frown deepened as she looked at the dark house. “What’s going on? Why is everything pitch black?”

Hallie darted over, urgency in her voice. “Zachary pulled the fuse on purpose. I haven’t even finished my homework–how am I supposed to write in this darkness?”

Vincent’s tone stayed steady, but there was a sharp edge. “Dallas, have someone fetch a new fuse.”

This villa complex was way out in the suburbs, so a round trip to buy a fuse would take at least 30 minutes. Dallas immediately dispatched a quick–thinking servant to handle the errand.

The villa was pitch black inside. Outside, the dim streetlights cast a soft, yellowish glow across everyone’s faces.

Karen turned to Zachary, her voice flat. “You shut off the power as soon as you got back. Do you hate being here that much?”