~**(Third Person)**~
Wanda returned to the poolside just in ti to catch Draven’s drenched figure carrying soone in his arms before he turned towards her.
His white shirt was soaked and clinging tightly to his torso as he carried redith in his arms like sothing precious.
It turns out that redith was the woman.
Wanda’s gaze swept over the scene—redith’s pale face, her limp form wrapped in Draven’s arms, water trailing down her fra.
Surprise clouded her mind as she wondered what the hell had happened.
"Draven!" Wanda called out sharply, but he didn’t stop.
He did, however, glance over his shoulder briefly. "That’s what I would like to find out," he muttered curtly before disappearing around the corner with one of redith’s maidservants, Azul, following him frantically.
Wanda’s brows pulled together. She guessed that sothing had gone wrong. Very wrong.
Then she turned her gaze sharply to the only person left by the pool.
Xamira stood quietly near the water’s edge, her arms crossed over her chest, hugging herself, droplets rolling down her arms from her recent swim.
But what caught Wanda’s attention wasn’t the water—it was the guilty way the child’s eyes darted away from hers.
Wanda’s instincts prickled. She walked briskly toward the little girl, stopping in front of her and narrowing her eyes.
"Xamira. Tell , what happened here?" she asked, her voice firm.
Xamira shifted her weight, but said nothing. She still wasn’t able to look Wanda squarely in the eye.
Wanda crouched down, levelling her eyes with hers. Her tone softened. "Xamira... sweetheart. What happened? Tell the truth. What happened when I left to take a call?"
The child hesitated. Her lashes fluttered, and for a mont, it looked like she wouldn’t speak. But then, in a small voice, she said, "I pushed Daddy’s wife into the pool."
Wanda’s mouth parted in shock. Her heart skipped a beat. "Y-you did what?"
She thought she had heard wrong, but when Xamira didn’t try to repeat her statent, she understood that she had heard clearly the first ti.
"Why did you do that?"
Xamira frowned harder and avoided her gaze. "I just... I was being like Larissa," she mumbled. "I wanted to make her go away."
Wanda’s pulse quickened.
The air seed to thicken around her. She glanced briefly at the pool, where only minutes ago, redith had been pulled out unconscious.
And it made her realize that redith didn’t know how to swim, and she had barely made it.
And now, Xamira had just admitted—without the faintest understanding of how serious this was—that she’d tried to get rid of her father’s wife. Just like Larissa had done in that ridiculous story, Wanda thought was harmless.
Wanda swallowed the bile rising in her throat. She had underestimated the girl’s understanding. Terribly.
Xamira looked up at her, lips trembling. "Did I do sothing wrong?"
Wanda forced a smile, trying to control the tightness in her chest. She gently placed her hands on Xamira’s shoulders and leaned in.
"You made a mistake," she said quietly. "A big one."
Xamira frowned. "But I was only trying to prank her... like Larissa did."
Wanda nodded slowly. "I know. But there’s sothing wrong with your plan."
"What?" the girl asked, blinking up at her with confused eyes.
Wanda drew in a steady breath. "Your daddy’s wife doesn’t know how to swim."
Xamira’s face drained of colour. "S-she doesn’t?"
"No," Wanda confird. "She could have drowned, Xamira. She could have died if your daddy hadn’t saved her."
The child’s eyes widened in horror. Her bottom lip trembled again. "I didn’t know... I just wanted to scare her away..."
Wanda stood upright and pressed a palm against her forehead.
Of course, she wanted redith gone. Of course, she wished redith had never survived that fall into the pool. But this—this was ssy.
If Draven questioned Xamira...
If Xamira repeated the story of Larissa...
If Draven so much as suspected Wanda’s involvent...
Wanda’s eyes narrowed for a mont. No. She couldn’t let that happen.
"Xamira," she said calmly, gently taking her hand, "your Daddy already knows you pushed redith. He will probably be upset with you."
Xamira sniffled. "Is he going to shout at ?"
Wanda smiled. "Maybe a little. But if he does, just tell him you were playing. That you didn’t know his wife couldn’t swim. Alright?"
The girl nodded solemnly, brushing away a tear.
"Good." Wanda gave her hand a squeeze. "Co on. Let’s get you cleaned up before your father cos looking."
She led Xamira out of the pool area, her heels tapping briskly against the stone tiles as they made their way back into the estate.
They climbed the stairs to the second floor, passing two guards who stood in silent vigilance.
When they reached Xamira’s room, Wanda knocked softly and the door opened almost imdiately.
Dorothy, the child’s nanny, stood in her uniform, smiling gently—until she saw the girl’s downturned face.
"She needs to be freshened up," Wanda said with a tight smile. "The Alpha might co by later."
Dorothy nodded, already moving forward. "Co, young miss."
Xamira hesitated, glancing back at Wanda. It was obvious that she didn’t want Wanda to leave, knowing that her daddy would co to her.
Wanda leaned down and tucked a damp strand of hair behind her ear. "You will be alright. Just rember what I told you."
With a hesitant nod, Xamira followed her nanny into the room.
The door shut with a soft click.
Wanda remained there for a mont, pressing her back against the wall.
Her pulse thundered in her ears.
That had been close—too close.
If redith had died, and Xamira told the truth too soon, everything would have collapsed. Draven wouldn’t have spared her.
Wanda shut her eyes briefly, then opened them again with a long breath.
"I need to be more careful," she whispered to herself.
Then, she turned down the corridor, heels clicking sharply against polished floors as she disappeared into the west wing.
She has to lie low for a while.
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