Chapter 196: Tiny Jealousy
NO ONE’S POV
Viella looked closely at Lily, who was sitting silently beside her inside the luxury car as it drove through the city streets.
"Where are we going?"
"Why are you going?"
Both Lily and Viella asked each other at the exact same time, their voices cutting through the quiet vehicle.
Lily turned her face toward Viella and replied calmly, her expression completely flat. "Isn’t it obvious? This maid will follow wherever her lady goes. It is my job to protect you."
"Well, you definitely won’t want to follow me if you find out where we are actually going today," Viella muttered under her breath, turning her head toward the window.
"Hm?" Lily looked at her with a slightly raised eyebrow, her instincts instantly going on high alert. "What do you mean by that, My Lady?"
"Nothing at all!" Viella said quickly, sitting up straight and staring directly ahead at the road, refusing to meet Lily’s sharp gaze.
Lily did not push the matter further, but she kept a close eye on the route the driver was taking. Soon, the car turned down a long, private driveway surrounded by high walls. The vehicle slowly came to a complete stop right in front of a grand modern estate.
Lily looked up through the glass. The moment she saw the specific design and taste of the building, she had a very strong feeling she knew exactly whose territory they were standing on. This was not a friendly social call.
Soon, the large front doors of the mansion swung open. Lucian walked out onto the marble steps. He had a proud, cocky smirk resting on his handsome face, clearly waiting to confront Viella about something. But the exact second his eyes landed on Lily stepping out of the car right beside his sister, his confident smirk vanished completely, replaced by a deep, annoyed frown.
"Why in the world is she here?" Lucian asked sharply, pointing a finger at Lily as he walked down the steps. "Didn’t I tell you explicitly on the phone to come alone today? No servant or maid is allowed to help you with your mess today, Viella."
Lily ignored his tone and turned her cold head toward Viella. "I do not remember you ever visiting the Young Master on your own free will, My Lady. What is the true purpose of this sudden meeting?"
Viella let out a nervous little laugh, shuffling her feet on the gravel driveway. "Uh... yeah, well, that is exactly why I am visiting him today! Since I missed my dear big brother so much, you know?" Viella said, offering them a very sweet, unusually bright smile.
The moment that soft, innocent smile appeared on Viella’s face, both Lucian and Lily completely froze in their tracks. They stood side by side on the driveway, staring at her in absolute, utter shock. The Viella they knew never smiled like that unless she was planning something truly terrible or cover up a massive secret.
The silence between the three of them grew incredibly heavy and awkward.
Realizing how strange they were acting, both Lucian and Lily suddenly let out a fake cough at the exact same moment. They quickly looked away from Viella, their faces turning in opposite directions to avoid each other’s eyes as well.
"Right..." Lucian muttered, clear embarrassment washing over his face as he adjusted his suit. "Just get inside the house before the neighbors see you standing out here looking ridiculous."
Lily gave a polite nod, though her mind was racing with questions. She stepped right behind Viella, keeping her guard up as they walked into Lucian’s private territory, fully prepared for whatever trap he had set for them.
Lily was left standing alone in the middle of the massive, quiet hall after Viella was led away into one of the side rooms. Before long footsteps echoed across the marble floor as Lucian returned, walking into the room with a confident stride.
Lily turned her head toward him, her expression completely calm, and raised one eyebrow. "Where is my lady?"
Lucian slowly walked over to where she stood. Instead of keeping a normal distance, he leaned down, bringing his face close to hers until they were eye to eye. "And why in the world should I answer a simple maid like you?" he asked, a teasing edge in his deep voice.
Lily didn’t flinch, back away, or break eye contact for even a second. She only stared directly into his eyes with her usual blank, unbothered gaze.
"Because it is polite to answer when someone asks a proper question," Lily said, her tone smooth and flat.
"Hmm, then I guess I really like being not polite at all," Lucian replied, giving her a playful wink before straightening up.
Lily gave him a small, cold glare, refusing to play along with his games. She turned around and calmly sat down on one of the plush armchairs in the living area, folding her hands neatly over her lap.
Lucian watched her every movement. With a cocky smirk playing on his lips, he walked over to the long couch directly across from her and stretched out, leaning back comfortably against the cushions while keeping his eyes fixed on her.
Lily mentally let out a tired sigh. She had secretly expected him to have changed into a completely serious, mature leader after all these years apart, yet here he was, still acting like the exact same annoying, arrogant young master he had always been.
The exact same thoughts were running through Lucian’s mind as he stared across the small table. He had fully expected her to have broken down or changed her cold nature after surviving five dangerous years away, yet she was still the exact same unreadable iceberg he had always known. Though, as his gaze lingered on her sharp facial features, he couldn’t help but notice that she had grown far more beautiful than he remembered.
Suddenly, Lucian realized what he had just admitted to himself in his own head. His face instantly flushed hot with embarrassment. He let out a loud, awkward cough, quickly whipping his head around to look away from her face and stare at the wall instead.
Before the silence between them could get any more uncomfortable, the quiet buzz of Lucian’s phone cut through the air. He pulled it out of his pocket, checked the caller ID, and his playful mood vanished into a serious frown. He quickly stood up from the couch and left the hall to answer the private call, leaving Lily alone once again with her thoughts.
No sooner had Lucian returned to the grand hall with another tall figure walking right behind him than a loud scream echoed through the mansion.
All three of their heads turned in the exact same direction at once. Before anyone could react, Viella came sprinting into the room at full speed, her eyes wide with total panic. Without looking where she was going, she ran straight into the arms of the figure behind Lucian, hiding her face against his chest while trembling with sudden fear.
Lily’s sharp eyes instantly caught the source of the chaos. Flying through the air was Lucian’s expensive, rare pet snake, which Viella had just thrown out of her hands in pure terror. Moving on pure instinct, Lily stepped forward and smoothly caught the snake right in mid-air before it could hit the hard floor.
Feeling the familiar cold skin against its palm, the large white snake did not bite or hiss. Instead, it slowly rested its small head against Lily’s hand, gently wrapping its body around her forearm as if it recognized her calm energy.
Lucian, who loved the exotic reptile more than anything, quickly ran up to check on his precious snake. He held out his arms, calling its name softly, only to be completely ignored as the creature tucked its head closer to Lily’s warm sleeve.
Frowning deeply in irritation at being rejected by his own pet, Lucian turned around, grabbed the still-trembling Viella by her wrist, and dragged her out of the room.
Now, only Lily and the mysterious figure remained in the quiet hall.
Lily set her posture, lowered her gaze, and bowed her head politely in respect.
Dante Moretti stood just a few feet away, his broad shoulders filling out his dark suit. He slowly looked down at her, taking in her calm expression while the snake remained coiled around her arm.
"Have you ever known that a snake is a cold-blooded creature?" Dante asked, a dangerous, dark glint appearing in his sharp eyes. "It only recognizes and connects with its own cold-natured master out in the wild."
Lily gave a slight, quiet nod. "Hum," she hummed smoothly, raising her eyes to meet his gaze without a trace of fear. "Just like the snakes over there in the business world, constantly trying to get on top of you and take your crown, Lord Dante."
Dante stared at her for a brief second before a quiet, genuine chuckle escaped his lips. "Indeed," he murmured, thoroughly amused by her fearless reply.
At that exact moment, Lucian came walking back down the hallway, only to witness his beloved pet wrapped comfortably around the ice barge while his best friend stood there actually smiling with her.
Seeing Dante smile so naturally with Lily felt strangely, deeply irritating to Lucian’s chest. He didn’t know why the sight bothered him so much, but a wave of heat flushed up his neck. He let out a loud, dramatic cough to force their attention back onto him.
Lucian raised his hand and gave a firm command to his snakes, and the white reptile slowly uncoiled itself from Lily’s arm, sliding back over to its true master’s hands.
"I apologize for the chaotic scene, Dante," Lucian said, adjusting his suit to regain his composure. "Come on in. Let’s discuss the main business in my private study where no servants can interrupt us."
Before the two powerful men turned to walk away, Lucian shot Lily a warning glare from over his shoulder. His eyes practically screamed, ’Stay far away from him.’ Lily simply met his glare with her usual blank face as the doors of the study clicked shut behind them.
Left alone in the quiet hall once again, Lily began connecting the hidden pieces of the puzzle.
During these last few hours, she had noticed several strange details that made everything align. First, there was the security footage showing Lucian secretly picking up Viella’s missing diamond bracelet from the floor of the party. And now, she saw her young lady acting so obediently, visiting Lucian’s estate and working for him despite hating his strict rules.
It only meant one logical thing. Lucian was using that missing bracelet as leverage, making her young lady work for him and follow his orders in return for getting it back.
But why in the world was her lady willing to go through all this humiliation just for that single piece of jewelry? Lily pondered deeply.
TOThe answer was painfully obvious. That diamond bracelet was a personal gift from Dante Moretti himself. Did her young lady love Lord Dante to such an extreme degree that she was willing to do absolutely anything just to get that precious item back in her hands?
Lily closed her eyes for a split second and slowly shook her head, brushing the deep questions aside. The reasons did not matter to her. She had a single, clear purpose in this household.
Since her young lady wanted that bracelet back so desperately, Lily was going to personally steal it from Lucian and get it back for her- no matter what it took.
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TO BE CONTINUED