Inside Tepes Manor.
The curtains in Leah’s bedroom remained closed, leaving the room in a state of dim gloom. Leah lay on the bed, her long golden hair scattered across the pillow, with a soft quilt draped halfway over her waist. Her eyes were out of focus, staring blankly and hollowly at the ceiling.
‘I was wrong.’
Even if Lin Shu knew that Seraphina might be using her as a substitute, she hadn’t chosen Leah immediately. The waiting made time stretch out agonizingly long, making Leah feel as though every second was a form of torture.
‘How much longer must I wait?’
‘Will Lin Shu really come back? Will I ever have another chance to see her?’
Conflicts and the unknown tormented Leah’s mind, leaving her tossing and turning for the past two days, unable to sleep. Since Lin Shu’s departure, both Leah’s family affairs and her daily routine had been severely impacted.
Accustomed to Lin Shu’s assistance, Leah found it difficult to adapt to new subordinates. Her personality was naturally arrogant, and she could not stand the time required to build a rapport with new assistants. The newcomers, unable to cope with Leah’s various demands, had all resigned one after another.
What struck her even harder was the news that Seraphina had become the head of the Drago family. She had heard it was a seizure of power through force, but Leah knew that Lin Shu must have played a significant role in it.
‘If Lin Shu were still here, would I also — ‘
The more Leah thought, the more stifled her heart felt.
Under the double blow of professional and emotional setbacks, Leah found it hard to eat or sleep. Even the most meticulously prepared sweet blood meals were difficult to swallow. She felt anger, regret, and confusion, yet she missed Lin Shu intensely.
Leah rolled out of bed and walked barefoot out of the room, wandering into the small room that once belonged to Lin Shu. She opened the wardrobe and slowly took out one of Lin Shu’s garments. It was a simple, plain undershirt.
Leah gripped the clothing tightly and crawled back into her bed.
“Lin Shu, Lin Shu…” she whispered the name of the person she longed for unconsciously.
She let herself fall, her cheek sinking into the soft pillow. Leah arched her back, curling her body into a semi-circle. She held Lin Shu’s clothes in her arms and buried her face in them. The fabric smelled of soap and a faint scent of sunlight.
When Lin Shu was still by her side, she always kept herself meticulously clean. Her body always carried this most ordinary of scents.
‘If Lin Shu were still here, lying beside me like this…’
Leah’s thoughts drifted, imagining Lin Shu lying next to her, turning sideways to look at her with eyes full of adoration. Whenever those beautiful eyes gazed at her, they were always lit with a light that couldn’t be hidden.
“Ha… ha…”
Leah panted slightly, feeling a surge of restlessness in her lower abdomen. Her hand reached downward, and as her fingertips brushed against her thigh, her body couldn’t help but tremble.
“Lin Shu…”
She hadn’t slept well in a long time. While holding Lin Shu’s clothes, her body heated up, and the accumulated fatigue finally flooded her brain.
‘So sleepy, so tired…’
Leah fell into a muddled sleep, her fingers tightly clutching Lin Shu’s clothes, hugging them to her chest. In her dream, Leah returned to the time before Lin Shu had left.
“Master,” Lin Shu called out to her with a smile.
Leah was dazed for a moment, her voice carrying a hint of a sob. “Lin Shu, what will it take for you to come back? As long as you’re by my side, I’ll do anything.”
But Lin Shu’s figure grew more distant. Leah hurriedly chased after her, reaching out her hand to grab her. Through the haze, Leah heard someone calling her name.
“…Leah, Leah…”
The voice was gentle and familiar.
Leah snapped her eyes open and saw her mother’s face. Leah’s mother sat by the bedside, her long golden hair pinned behind her head. Her curvaceous figure leaned to the side as she gently rested her hand on Leah’s forehead, brushing the strands of hair away from her face.
“My daughter is crying.”
“Mother.” Leah only then realized that her eyes were brimming with tears.
She sat up abruptly, tears rolling down her cheeks. Leah vented her suppressed emotions to her mother. “I miss her so much. I want her to come back…”
Leah’s mother cupped her face, carefully wiping away the tears with her thumb. “I know, child. You haven’t eaten for days, and you haven’t shown your face at the family meetings. It breaks my heart.”
She soothed Leah. “From the time you were little, you have always been the pride of the Tepes family. Is there anything you cannot obtain?”
Leah cried out hoarsely, “But no matter how hard I try, she just won’t choose me!”
“Why let her choose you?” Leah’s mother’s voice was soft.
“What?”
“You are clearly so outstanding, my daughter. Why should you let her be the one to choose?” A seductive light flickered in Leah’s mother’s dark red eyes. “As long as it’s something you want, you can have it, can’t you?”
“Since she won’t take the initiative, you can use any means necessary to snatch her back.” The smile on Leah’s mother’s face deepened, yet her words were cold as ice.
Leah went silent, falling into deep thought.
‘Snatch her back?’
But then she remembered the girl in the wheelchair named Eve, who had already moved into Drago Manor.
“I can’t do it. Seraphina brought home a monster in a wheelchair. I’ve fought her, and I’m no match for her.”
“Silly child, you still have your mother.”
“Mother, you…” Leah looked up instantly. “You’re going to help me?”
Because she had always been concerned with the noble reputation of her family, Leah hadn’t dared to start a major brawl at the Drago house before. But now, her mother was actually going to help her?
Leah’s mother did not deny it, continuing, “The human you want is in Drago Manor right now.”
She smiled, narrowing her eyes. “The butler already inquired. Seraphina isn’t at the manor. Furthermore, she took that wheelchair monster you mentioned out with her.”
Leah’s heart skipped a beat. This meant the two biggest obstacles were not by Lin Shu’s side. If her mother helped her, they could definitely break into the Drago estate and take Lin Shu back.
Leah still hesitated slightly. “But I tried to be nice to her and gave her promises, yet she didn’t accept them. What if Lin Shu is unwilling to stay later on…”
“Leah, have you forgotten what your wish is?” Leah’s mother interrupted her.
“As long as she can stay by your side, any method is acceptable.” Leah’s mother reached out, gently stroking Leah’s head. “If a bird wants to fly away, why not put it in a cage?”
“That way, the little bird’s song will belong to you forever…”
‘Forever.’
‘Lin Shu will belong to Leah forever.’
Leah leaned over, resting her head on her mother’s lap, murmuring those two sentences back to herself.
“Yes.” The light returned to Leah’s eyes. “And then I’ll give her the best food and clothes, and love her with all my heart. She won’t want to leave.”
Leah straightened up, the conflict and confusion gone from her face. “Mother, let’s go find Lin Shu right now and bring her home.”
Leah’s mother smiled and rose elegantly. “Very good. My daughter has found the right way.”