MasukWARNING: Mature Content Ahead.Everything happened too fast that I couldn’t even react when Sir Preston’s soft, liquor-tasting lips pressed against mine. I only came back to my senses when he bit my lower lip, as if he wanted to explore even the insides of my mouth.I tried to push him away. I pulled back and looked at him in shock. “S-Sir…”“Did I scare you?” he asked gently, lifting his gaze to meet mine.I couldn’t answer. Instead, I looked down, avoiding his eyes. He held my chin and tilted it up so our eyes could meet. I flinched again when he slowly leaned in and kissed me once more.Just like before, I was frozen in place, stunned. I thought he’d bite my lip again, but this time, he pulled away on his own. His lips left mine, yet our faces were still only inches apart—just a little move and we’d be kissing again.I took a deep breath and tried to push him away. “Y-You’re just drunk, Sir Preston,” I whispered.“Nah.” He shook his head and smirked, still looking into my eyes. “I
Chantal didn’t get the chance to give her speech.Sir Preston followed us after I carried Chantal inside the house. I could tell he was worried about his daughter, but he didn’t say a single word—he just watched us quietly.He didn’t stay long in Chantal’s room either. He left right after, probably to talk to the guests and apologize for what I did.I let out a deep sigh. I knew what I did was wrong—I let my anger take over instead of handling that arrogant woman calmly. But even though I knew it was wrong, I didn’t regret it one bit.She deserved it, after everything she did to Chantal and Jarvis. Let her rot in that storage room. That’s what she gets. I was sure there wasn’t a spare key anyway—the only one that could open that room was the key I had. I remembered the gardener almost losing it once and getting scolded by Manang Lerma for it.When Sir left Chantal’s room, I stayed to comfort her. Thankfully, Jarvis was there too—he helped me calm Chantal down. Even though he was scare
I looked back at the woman I had spoken to earlier and fixed her with a serious stare. “Are you sure you haven’t seen Chantal?” I asked again.She immediately nodded, and I couldn’t stop my jaw from tightening. I exhaled sharply in frustration and pushed past her, heading straight for the shed where I had heard the noise.I remembered that place—it was filled with gardening and cleaning supplies, dark and cramped. If my suspicion was correct, whoever was inside was about to get a taste of my wrath.The woman called out to me, but I ignored her, walking directly toward the overgrown section of the garden where the dark, narrow shed stood.I closed my eyes for a moment as the sobs inside grew louder. The door was locked from the outside, and no matter how hard someone tried, they couldn’t get out. I clenched my fists, drew in a deep breath, and opened the door.“M-Mama!”My suspicion was confirmed. There sat Jarvis and Chantal on the dirty floor of the shed. Jarvis was holding Chantal,
I couldn’t immediately react to what Sir Preston said because I was fixated on the expression on his face. I already knew he wasn’t exactly “kind,” and sometimes he could be frightening—especially when he was in a bad mood or dealing with a problem.But now, I could tell his anger was stronger than usual, directed at the way his eyes were narrowing at the stranger — the one whose name I had already forgotten because I hadn’t cared to remember it.The man chuckled faintly, raising both hands as if surrendering to Sir Preston, yet the playful smirk on his lips remained. “Chill. Why so hot-headed?” he teased, clearly trying to annoy Sir Preston.“I get hot-headed when I see your face,” Preston snapped.I stayed silent, not attempting to intervene. It was obvious Sir Preston could handle himself. I wasn’t foolish enough not to notice that the stranger was deliberately trying to provoke him — but for some reason, it was working.“I’m just asking her name. Is that so wrong?” the man pressed
I immediately took a sharp breath when I saw the sheer number of people in the Tejada mansion’s ballroom. I’m used to working in crowded places, but this was the first time I felt this nervous. The sea of unfamiliar faces made my stomach twist with anxiety.And it wasn’t just any people. Compared to them, the difference in our lives was glaringly obvious. I didn’t belong here. Not at all.“Smile, Lyana. They’re greeting us,” Sir Preston whispered softly, a little teasing, as we walked together. Several groups of elegantly dressed people… men in tuxedos, women in gowns, were greeting us, but I didn’t smile back.I felt my heart racing faster than ever. Everyone’s eyes were on us, and I could feel their judgmental glances as if they were silently evaluating me.I couldn’t even begin to imagine how nervous Chantal must be, having to give a speech in front of all these people later. I swallowed hard and gripped Sir Preston’s arm even tighter — yes, I was holding his arm.Earlier, I had t
“Why are you wearing that?”I stopped walking when I heard Sir Preston’s question. Jarvis and Ma’am Chantal had already stepped out of the room earlier when Manang Lerma called them down to eat. She said they should eat first because Sir Preston and I might get too busy later tonight with the amount of guests.I turned to look at Sir Preston, confused. “Is there something wrong with what I’m wearing, Sir? Does it not look good on me?” I asked, frowning as I glanced down at my outfit.“That’s not what I mean.”I lifted my gaze to him again, still confused. He quickly averted his eyes, which only made me raise a brow. “If there’s nothing wrong with my outfit… then why do you look mad? Is there a problem?” I asked again.He let out a slow, deep sigh. Finally, he looked back at me. I swallowed when his eyes briefly ran from my face down my body before he shook his head.“Where did you even get that dress? Is that even a dress?”“Huh? Sir, you bought this, remember? That’s why I wore it, e







