ANMELDEN/-Miray-/At the grand entrance of the mansion, right in front of the gates, an old man and woman, seemingly in their late sixties, stood rigidly.They looked like relics from another era, with an air of pretentiousness that clung to them like a heavy veil. Their faces, though weathered but meticulously taken care of, was filled with haughtiness that did not suit their age.Both of them blocked Aunt Lucia's path into the mansion, the air around them almost theatrical. “Where do you think you are going? You must give us an explanation today.” the old woman demanded, her hands on her hip.“You want to divorce our son? Is it because you've found a rich man to cling unto?”“You are just being promiscuous. We've taken care of you all these years, regardless of whether you are barren or not, but now you want to divorce my son because you found another man?”They chattered together, their voices dripping with judgment. Aunt Lucia’s visage was completely dark, “Your son cheated on me and no
/-Miray-/Aunt Lucia's complexion was deathly pale and her body shook with uncontrollable tremors.Seeing her state, I suddenly felt remorseful. I shouldn't have revealed my discovery to her in such a manner.However, I really had no choice. Delaying wasn't going to help at all.“W…what did you just say?” She asked, gripping my wrist so tight that I felt a slight pain.“Aunt, take a seat first, okay?”I helped her settle down on a seat in the dining room, then sat beside her and explained how I found out about Uncle Ben's infidelity. When I finished speaking, I stared at her, but became worried when I saw how vacant her eyes had become.I showed her the pictures I took and also played the recording I made when the waitress spoke. Yes, I had recorded it.So, even if Aunt Lucia doubted it, all the evidence said otherwise. “Aunt Lucia?” I called out worriedly, patting the back of her hand.“Young miss, what should I do? What should I do now? I have always considered him a considerate a
/-Miray-/I raised my eyelids to glance at the smiling waitress, “You seem to know a lot about them?”The waitress nodded, “Of course. You might not know this, but they are regular customers of our headquarters. However, they stopped coming due to the distance. Now that we have a branch closer to them, the wife insisted on coming again because she likes our dishes.”That means, Uncle Ben and Ava have been together for a long while, and it was definitely not a matter of one year.I fell silent, suddenly not knowing what to say. How would Aunt Lucia, whose world revolved around her husband, feels if she heard or see all these?That her husband, whom everyone considered a gentleman and one that made even me jealous of their relationship, was actually having an affair and the woman was even pregnant.Wasn't he telling me just this morning to adopt a child?That was when a scary thought occurred to me.What if the orphanage home that uncle Ben said he contacted was fake? What if he's mere
/-Miray-/“What do you want?” I asked coldly, crossing my arms in front of my chest as I glanced at him in annoyance. Although Royce's influence in the pack was not massive, it was still not something the current me could stand against, regardless of my family background.At the end of the day, he's still a direct member of the royal family. If not, I would have found a way to get rid of him completely or make sure he doesn't dare show his face anymore. I have all the evidence after all.However, I had no choice but to put up with it until my plan was ready to be implemented. That is, until I'm able to meet Leonard.“Won't you at least take the flowers?” He asked with a smile and I just stared at him, not even glancing once at the flowers he extended towards me.Then, he shook his head helplessly, “You are still so stubborn.” Before I could reply, he added, “In a few weeks, my father will be celebrating his forty-fifth birthday. And I felt it would be nice if we attended together, as
/-Miray-/Of course, I never saw Lysander again after that day.However, I was not in a rush. I still had time.The weekend passed and in the blink of an eye, it was already another Monday. I got ready as usual and stepped out of my room.As I walked down the stairs, faint whispers drifted into my ears, making my step pause for a fraction of second before I resumed walking in the direction of the kitchen.Before I even arrived, I caught sight of two figures chatting at the doorway. The first was Aunt Lucia who had a bright and somewhat embarrassed smile on her face and beside her was…uncle Ben.That reminds me, the both were actually married and they’ve been for many years, or so I heard. Though, they were without children.I had no idea if she heard my footsteps or something because in the next second, Aunt Lucia raised her head and her eyes subtly widened.“Y…young miss, you are here.” Uncle Ben chuckled, “Don’t try to scare me. Are you embarrassed? Why is your skin so thin?”Aunt
/-Miray-/I only managed to settle my nerves after entering my room, my frustration still simmering beneath the surface like boiling water. Fuming, I pulled out my phone and began scrolling the internet.‘Ways of seducing a stoicman.’“Young miss, breakfast is ready.” I heard a familiar voice from outside the door.“I will be right there, Aunt Lucia.” In a bad mood, I stepped out of my room and made my way towards the dining room. Surprisingly, Lysander was there.Seeing the bright smile on Clarissa's face as she tried to initiate a conversation with Lysander, only to be responded to with a subtle nod, I rolled my eyes. Forcing a smile, I approached, “Morning everyone.”A hint of annoyance flashed in Clarissa's eyes as though displeased that she had been interrupted in her bid to know Lysander better. But she still managed a smile.“You are up early.” She pointed out and I only nodded. I sat at the end of the long table, right beside Lysander as I watched Clarissa with a knowing smi







