The next day, as Silva prepared for her scheduled meeting with her father, she dressed in a black sweat set and grabbed a black face cap adorned with circular rings at the tip. Just as she was adjusting her outfit, a knock sounded at the door.
"She's here," Silva thought, a faint smile playing on her lips.
The maid entered hesitantly, standing stiffly behind the closed door.
"Ever since I arrived, she's been the only one on edge while monitoring me," Silva observed, calling her closer.
"Claudia, right? I'd like you to take a walk with me. Won't you?" Silva asked, offering a slick, friendly smile.
"Y-yes, ma'am," Claudia stammered, lowering her head nervously.
"But before that, I need your help," Silva's tone suddenly dropped into a commanding one.
"Um?" Claudia looked up in confusion as Silva strode toward her.
"But first, I'll have you know, I'm aware of what's going on. You all are monitoring me, aren't you?" Silva whispered into Claudia's ear, a slight glare in her eyes.
"First shot, then the reaction to the truth—individuals like her certainly follow suit," Silva smirked, anticipating Claudia's response as the girl flinched.
"Oh? You're trembling, dear Claudia," Silva said, amused.
She slid her hand to Claudia's face, offering reassurance. "Don't worry. I won't say a word as long as you obey and follow my commands from here on out," Silva continued, lifting Claudia's chin to meet her gaze. "It's your call."
Silva noticed the slight hesitation in Claudia.
"Ah, hesitation, confusion, and fear. I see she's torn between obeying Christian and me," Silva thought, releasing Claudia's face.
"I'm not saying you should stop acting like you're not monitoring me. Rather, keep your eyes on me and only report what I tell you to," Silva added, her tone cold and commanding.
"Now, she has no other option but to eliminate her doubts and become my ally," Silva concluded silently in her mind.
"Ma'am… I… I mean, of course," Claudia stuttered, fidgeting with her hands and keeping her head lowered.
"Oh? Still some hesitation lingering, hmm?" Silva thought, glancing at her with a smile as she walked away. "No worries. Those baby doubts will soon be eradicated."
As they headed out, Silva received a phone call from Thalia.
"Just got back from overseas, and you two are already married? Oh dear, I wonder who played the Cupid," Thalia teased with a chuckle.
As they continued their conversation, the door opened just as Claudia was about to open it for Silva.
"Greetings, so-called sister-in-law!"
"I'm Christiana Brando. Nice to meet you," Christiana's voice rang out coldly, her eyes deadlocked on Silva.
"Another obstinate one," Silva thought, unfazed by Christiana's intense gaze.
"Let's go, Claudia," Silva said, turning to her phone as she walked away.
"Did she say Christiana?" Thalia asked.
"I guess so, but I don't care. After all, he isn't around to meet her. Once she's done, she'll find her way back to where she came from," Silva responded, making sure Christiana could hear her.
Meanwhile, Christiana gritted her teeth at the indirect insult.
"Oh dear, Grandma should've realized we're dealing with something far more sinister than just a pregnant gold digger," Christiana thought, turning back to watch Silva and Claudia as they neared the gate.
Just as they left, a voice greeted Christiana.
"Greetings, ma'am. How was your trip?" Fiona, the head maid, asked politely.
"Oh no, it was completely ruined by the thing my brother brought home," Christiana thought with a faint smirk.
"Anyways, grab my things. I'll be staying here for a while," she commanded, stepping into her brother's villa as if she owned it. "And I hope my old room is still intact."
"Yes, ma'am. Master kept it just as you wanted," Fiona responded, gesturing for the security team to retrieve Christiana's bags from the car trunk.
"Silva Lucius, right? Let's see how long you last with that attitude of yours," Christiana thought as she headed straight to her room.
Meanwhile, as Silva and Claudia entered a cab to their destination, Silva received a message from Asher.
"Oh, I forgot about what we talked about last night," she thought, a faint smile playing on her lips. "This fool really thinks he can fool me."
She quickly typed a response.
"I didn't forget about your request to meet tomorrow night. I'll be there. Certainly, without a doubt—after all, Christian is currently out of the country, so meeting you is light work."
Silva snickered to herself.
"I'd be a fool to go there without a plan. Besides, who said I fully trust you?"
Meanwhile, Claudia sat stiffly beside her, head lowered, fear tightening her posture. The eerie silence from Silva made her uneasy.
"She's almost like Master's ex," Claudia thought, recalling the chilling gaze of her master's former lover—the way just a single glare from her had once frozen her in place.
Suddenly, Claudia flinched as she felt Silva's hand rest on her shoulder.
"Relax," Silva whispered into her ear. "I'm just human like you. All I need is your trust. After all, I'm not even sure why he has you monitoring me in the first place."
"Of course, either he doesn't fully trust the daughter of Lucius, or he's testing me," Silva mused, smirking at the thought of Christian's possible reasoning.
"Anyway," she continued, her voice dropping to a hushed tone, "when he asks about what I did today, tell him I went for a stroll."
She leaned back with a smirk. "Besides, isn't that exactly what I'm doing?"
Claudia nodded obediently, too afraid to do otherwise.