As Silva exited her father's office, a faint smirk played on her lips.
Now all that's left is to inform Christian about it, she thought.
Down the hallway Suddenly, a hand gripped her wrist, pulling her back abruptly.
"Richard!" she thought in shock.
A man with a dark hood covering his face stood before her, his piercing pupils glaring at her intensely.
"What are you up to?" Richard's cold, emotionless voice struck her like thunder.
Silva stared at him, immediately trying to snatch her hand away, but his grip was unyielding—like an iron vice—and pain shot through her wrist.
Calm down, Silva. This monster thrives on your reaction!
She steadied herself, meeting Richard's gaze with a cold, icy expression.
"Up to what?"
Silva responded, masking her disgust and disdain for Richard.
"Besides, I don't recall you ever caring about me or my actions."
A faint smirk tugged at her lips.
"Quite curious about your sudden questioning, Richard?" she whispered smoothly beside his ear, her tone slick and sharp.
"Is it perhaps you and Father are up to no good as usual?"
"Trash like him needs to be handled subtly," she thought.
"It's very strange to see you suddenly interacting with me, don't you think?" she added, her voice low and mocking.
"Unless you and he are plotting something that involves me."
Silva hissed venomously.
"Why else would he ask what I'm up to unless he thinks I'm plotting something?"she thought, glaring at him with a sly smile.
Richard released her wrist, adjusting his hood without a word.
"Thought so. That monster's reaction says it all," she mused, maintaining her slick smile.
"Anyway, stay away from me!" she snapped coldly, her tone as sharp as a threat.
Silva walked off, disgusted by his presence.
"Tsk! Just looking at him brings me pain!"
She tugged her face cap down, struggling to block out the memories of her nanny, Bailey, who Richard had brutally killed.
"You're doing great, Silva!"
Silva remembered Bailey's caring words—back when she was seven, sitting in her study room, memorizing books.
In the present, Silva looked up at the sky as she stepped out of her family's company building.
"Am I really?"
She thought sadly.
Just then, Claudia called out from the cab.
"Ma'am?"
"Ugh? I totally forgot she was here!" Silva thought, forcing a smile as she got into the cab.
Suddenly, a jarring thought hit her.
"Richard!"
She turned back, suspicious that he might be watching her. To her surprise, he was just walking behind her, blending into the crowd of pedestrians.
"Tsk! Don't tell me he saw Claudia!"
Frustration bubbled up as she scanned the bustling street. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment—Richard's cold glare piercing through her—before he turned away and vanished into the sea of people.
Before Silva could process it, Claudia spoke up, her voice timid and hesitant.
"Ma'am... it's time to head back..."
Silva glanced at her and sighed, stepping into the cab.
"She's right. They might be wondering why my stroll took this long," Silva muttered.
"Anyway, whether Richard saw her or not, it's not like Claudia goes out on her own. She's just a housemaid—killing her would be almost impossible."
Silva glanced at her phone, her thoughts still clouded with suspicion.
"But now the real question is—what are Father and Richard plotting? And why does it involve me?!"
"If it were against me, Father would have had him killed me in his office—swiftly and without a trace. So that only means their plot involves me somehow, judging by his question and reaction."
She narrowed her gaze, lost in deep thought.
"And if I were to guess who they're after, it's none other than Christian."
A smirk curved her lips.
"That would make sense—why Father so easily considered my request."
The realization hit her like a sudden truth.
"Oh... let's put it to the test, shall we?"
She smiled brightly, her eyes gleaming with intrigue.
"Their main motives..."
**********
As Silva returned to the villa, she noticed the maids mumbling about her.
"What's this? she thought, unfazed.
Did she already poison their minds?"
She sighed pitifully at the maids as some avoided her gaze while others looked at her defiantly.
"What do I expect from them? After all, they're just chasing ranks and ambitions that suit their desires," she thought, walking straight to her room.
"Poisoning their minds against me was inevitable, especially after the response I gave her as a welcome gift."
"Then again, she deserved it," Silva muttered as Claudia opened the door for her.
"As long as she doesn't bother me, she's fine."
"But I highly doubt that."
Silva thought as Claudia prepared her evening dinner outfit.
A few minutes later, once she was ready, Silva headed downstairs for dinner.
"I guess I need to do this and make our marriage convincing to his sister too," she thought tiredly, yawning and feeling the weight of exhaustion.
But to her surprise, the dining table was lavishly spread with a variety of dishes, and Christiana sat there waiting, while the maids lined up along the walls.
"What's this all about?"
She thought, bewildered by the scene as she descended the stairs.
"I thought you needed three more hours after your three-hour outing!"
Christiana mocked, smirking as she watched Silva descend the stairs with an emotionless expression.
"Did she just mock me?"
Silva's gaze turned cold.
"No, she intends to humiliate me in front of these maids—more than I already have in their eyes."
"But sadly, you're up against the wrong individual!"
Silva thought, taking a seat across from Christiana as they stared each other down.
"My three-hour outing has nothing to do with dinner time. Besides, anyone with common sense can tell the difference."
Silva said with a faint, friendly smile.
Christiana's expression twisted with anger, and the room grew tense as the maids watched.