𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐄

Bonus Chapter 0.1

Stella

PART ONE: The special daughter

The first time I held Bridget in my arms, the world outside the mansion seemed to fall away. In that moment, nothing mattered except the child in my arms, the one who would be the center of everything. From the moment she was born, she captivated everyone around her. Blonde hair that shone like spun gold, eyes so blue they could pierce through the soul, and a beauty mark on her neck that only seemed to add to her allure. She looked like she belonged in another world, one far darker and more dangerous than this one—a femme fatale straight out of hell. It wasn't just her beauty that drew attention, it was her presence, an undeniable pull that commanded every room she walked into.

But the attention came at a price. Her beauty was like a magnet, drawing every eye in the room, while Addie, my youngest, was left to linger in the shadows, unnoticed by most.

Addie was beautiful too, in a quieter, more innocent way, but she wasn't like Bridget. Addie was pure, with a softness that seemed at odds with the brutal world we lived in. Her beauty was saint-like, and for a while, even Avery joked that she must have been switched at birth. She wasn't like Bridget. Not in the way she commanded a room, not in the way she seemed to make everyone around her bend to her will.

And it made me question everything. It made me question myself as a mother. Was I failing Addie somehow? Was I giving Bridget too much attention? It didn't help that Grayson saw things differently. He accused me of favoring Bridget, and I could never seem to make him understand that it wasn't about favoritism. I loved them both, equally.

But how could I explain that? How could I explain that I didn't know how to handle Adeline? She was so complex, so closed off. She wouldn't open up to me, not in the way Bridget did. Bridget told me everything—her dreams, her secrets, her fears. She laid it all out on the table like it was nothing, and I took it all in, wanting to be there for her, to help her navigate the chaos that came with being the eldest daughter of this family.

Addie, on the other hand, kept everything to herself. She barely spoke, and when she did, it was to ask about her ballet practice or her next recital. I tried, God knows I did, but she never confided in me. She never let me in. It hurt more than I ever cared to admit.

"I'm trying, okay? I don't know how to make her open up, Grayson," I confessed one night, frustration creeping into my voice.

Grayson's gaze softened, but only slightly. He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture that always meant he was losing patience. "Stella, they're both your daughters. Just because Bridget is satisfying in everyone's eyes doesn't mean we should compare them. Both of our daughters are beautiful and smart. End of fucking discussion."

I could feel the heat of his anger simmering just beneath the surface, and I understood it. He loved both of them deeply. He was protective of them, just like I was. But I couldn't shake the feeling that I was failing Addie in some way, that I wasn't doing enough, that maybe I was giving Bridget too much of myself and leaving nothing for Addie.

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. I couldn't bear to look at him right then, not with the weight of my guilt hanging over me like a dark cloud. "I'm going to talk to her," I muttered, mostly to myself, before getting up and leaving the room.

Bridget's room was quiet when I arrived, the soft hum of her voice and Rosalina's carrying on as they played with their 'Burn Book.' The two of them were gossiping, sticking pictures and notes into the book like they were planning some grand scheme.

"Sweetheart, may I have a few minutes with Bridget?" I asked, forcing a smile at Rosalina, who immediately huffed in annoyance.

"Fine, bye!" she muttered, flouncing out of the room with a roll of her eyes. I sat down beside Bridget, who was sprawled across her canopy bed, chewing gum and flipping through magazines. She was in her element, in her world of beauty and power, her legs wiggling as she stuck a picture of some boy into the Burn Book.