As the last words left their mouths, the sharp click of high heels echoed through the bathroom.
Click, click, click. The sound grew louder as Lilia walked toward the door. The ladies froze, eyes widening in horror, their bodies trembling ever so slightly. They knew exactly who had passed. Fear clawed at their skin.
"W...wasn’t that—Mr. Zethan’s...wife?"
They were as good as dead. If Lilia chose to tell Zethan about this conversation, their husbands would go bankrupt. They had co here hoping to make connections, but now, with Zethan’s power, they realized they had made a grave mistake.
Not to ntion, the reason they were here was actually to befriend Lilia—to gain an advantage—but it seed they had ruined the plan before it even began.
In fact, for so of them, that was the main plan given to them by their husbands.
At this point, they resembled those poor high school girls trying to fit in with the badass rich girls’ gang but ended up getting expelled.
They were finished.
He could ruin them with a snap of his fingers—drive them to such ruin that even a simple job at a coffee shop would be out of reach.
Just as she reached the door, Lilia turned toward them, her lips curling into a smile. "Good morning, ladies. Didn’t see you there," she said sweetly. "I surely won’t forget your faces. It’ll be so nice to tell my husband more about you... bye, ladies." She winked slowly, her head tilting before blowing a kiss toward them.
With a final, lingering glance, she turned and exited. The door clicked shut behind her.
The room fell into stunned silence. Eyes wide, so of the ladies trembled, their faces pale. One woman whispered shakily, "P...please, sobody... tell she didn’t hear?"
Her hands trembled. She just wanted to confirm if what had happened was real.
Another woman stamred, "Ladies, I think we’re finished... What are we going to tell our husbands? We’re done for."
The room buzzed with panicked murmurs. The reality of the situation sank in.
But wasn’t that what they wanted—to finally be seen by Mr. Zethan’s wife? Not to ntion, she was going to tell her husband about her new friends too.
anwhile, outside, Lilia stepped out of the restroom, her deanor calm. Evie, standing nearby, bowed her head respectfully. "Ms. Lilia, is everything alright? You’ve been gone longer than usual."
Lilia rely shook her head, a slight smile tugging at her lips. "Nothing wrong, Evie."
Evie nodded, though her curiosity lingered. "Okay, Ms. Lilia."
The two of them made their way back toward the hall, the atmosphere still thick with tension. As they approached, a few won greeted them, extending their hands for a handshake. Lilia shook each hand graciously, observing their nervous expressions.
One of them finally spoke, voice quiet, "Mrs. Lilia, we just wanted to offer our greetings. We admire your charisma."
Lilia could see the anxiety in their eyes, the almost desperate desire to appear friendly and harmless. She knew why they had approached her. They weren’t here simply to offer greetings—they had an agenda. And Lilia knew very well it had to do with her husband, Zethan. This wasn’t her first ti dealing with such tactics.
Lilia knew this world all too well. She had been taught to navigate it from an early age, having been hoschooled specifically to prepare her for life in high society. Her parents had once envisioned her marrying the prestigious Mr. Lowell, a plan that never ca to fruition.
Despite that, her hoschooling had equipped her with a deep understanding of the social gas played by the elite. She knew that most of their relationships were transactional, driven by a desire to form powerful alliances. Their conversations were often hollow, laced with insincerity, and always geared toward their own benefit.
And her husband...
As the ladies spoke, telling her that they would be leaving now, Lilia gave a soft nod. She glanced over at Evie, who was standing quietly beside her. "Evie," she said in a quiet voice, "let’s go back."
Evie’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. The event wasn’t even over yet, and the party had barely lasted 30 minutes—maybe 20 or 25. Evie couldn’t help but wonder what had caused Lilia to want to leave so abruptly.
Had sothing happened in the bathroom?
Lilia, however, was lost in her own thoughts. A slight dizziness tugged at the edges of her mind, and an uneasy feeling lodged itself in her chest. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly why, but sothing felt off—sothing she couldn’t shake.
"Let’s go," Lilia murmured, leading the way toward the elevator.
As they moved through the hall, their departure didn’t go unnoticed. Eyes followed them, whispers floated in the air, and different gazes stared at her. The gossip spread quickly—what could have made Lilia leave so soon?
The thing was, no matter how the whispers moved, they were never loud. No one dared speak above a whisper, knowing their fate if Lilia were to turn and see them.
But Lilia paid no attention to them, her focus entirely on reaching the elevator.
Her head spun slightly, and for so unknown reason, she felt uneasy. It couldn’t possibly be because of what had happened earlier... right? No, it couldn’t be.
But the uneasiness crept deeper, settling in her chest.
"Miss Lilia, please, are you alright?" Evie asked, worry now etched in her voice.
"I’m fine... I think it’s just a minor headache," Lilia whispered softly.
As the elevator doors closed, an oppressive silence enveloped them. Lilia leaned against the wall, her mind wandering. She wondered how long it would take for Zethan to finish with his gathering.
She didn’t mind waiting for him in the room. In fact, she didn’t mind being close to him at all—if they were both comfortable with it, then that was all that mattered.
The elevator finally pinged, signaling they had reached their floor. Then Evie bowed respectfully as Lilia stepped out. "Mrs. Lilia, lunch will be arriving in three hours," she inford her. Lilia nodded, recalling that she and Zethan had already had breakfast that morning.
She made her way to their room, her mind still lingering on her thoughts as she approached the door. She placed her finger on the biotric scanner, and the door opened with a soft click.
To her surprise, there Zethan sat. He was dressed in a formal outfit—a dark green shirt, black trousers, and shoes that matched the sharpness of his deanor. His hair was swept back neatly, with a few stray strands falling over his forehead.
He looked perfect, but the tension in his posture caught her attention. There was a deep concentration on his face, as though he was lost in thought. It made her heart race, wondering what was troubling him. Zethan, the man who was usually playful and carefree around her, seed so serious—sothing wasn’t right.
As if sensing her presence, Zethan raised his head. He gave her a faint smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. The warmth she was used to seeing was missing.
Lilia hesitated for a mont before walking over to him and sitting on his lap. "Honey," she said softly, studying his face, "I didn’t expect you to be here. Is sothing wrong?"
Before she could get a clearer response, Zethan pulled her into a tight hug, his arms enveloping her as if he was holding onto her for dear life—as if he wanted to tell her sothing but was struggling to. Lilia was taken aback by the sudden intensity of his embrace. He held her in silence, and for a mont, she could feel the weight of his emotions, though he hadn’t said a word.
"Honey?" she murmured, her voice filled with concern. "What’s going on? Why are you so tense?" She could sense sothing was off, but he wasn’t telling her.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Zethan spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.
"We’re going back ho," he said, his tone low and soft.
Lilia frowned, confused. "What are you talking about? We could stay here for a while longer. Did sothing happen? Please tell ."
But Zethan shook his head slowly. "No, sweetheart. Let’s go back ho. I’ll tell you when we get there."
Lilia’s heart skipped a beat. "Zethan, what’s wrong? What aren’t you telling ?" she asked, her voice quieter now, trying to make sense of his actions.
She wanted to wait, but the uneasiness she felt deepened.
Zethan—she had never seen him this worried. Her calm, shaless husband was silent, as if scared of telling her sothing.
She looked at him, searching his face, but all she could see was a man struggling to keep his composure. It wasn’t like him to be so closed off, and it was clear sothing was bothering him deeply.
Finally, Zethan exhaled calmly, pulling her even closer as if needing the comfort. "Your father had an accident..." His voice was quiet, and Lilia’s breath caught in her throat. "He’s dead."
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