My anger flared, and I spun around to face her. "Charlotte, have you lost your mind? I said I didn’t take it!"
Her tearful expression shifted into something more sinister, her voice a venomous whisper. "Or did you swallow it again? Are you waiting for someone to cut your stomach open like last time?"
My blood ran cold. Memories of the last time they had forced me into submission rushed back, and my body began to tremble.
I was terrified that history would repeat itself, that they would hurt me again.
Soon, the commotion drew Sylus and Xavier to the scene.
Xavier immediately rushed to Charlotte’s side, demanding to know what had happened.
She wasted no time in accusing me of stealing her engagement ring, claiming I had taken it out of spite.
As a result, Xavier’s eyes burned with fury, and he moved toward me, ready to force me to hand over the ring. But Sylus, ever composed, simply ordered the guards to search my belongings.
They ripped open my suitcase, scattering the few things I had packed across the floor.
My heart broke at the sight of it. My life was reduced to that humiliating scene and my privacy violated once again.
Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I would not give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry.
A few minutes later, one of the guards whispered something to Sylus. They had not found anything, of course.
"Can I pack my things now?" I asked, my voice trembling but defiant.
Sylus did not even look at me as he spoke. "No. You don’t need to take anything from here. Leave the manor and go on your own."
His words felt like a final blow, cold and heartless. I watched as he turned and walked back upstairs without another word.
Charlotte looked momentarily stunned, but she quickly recovered, sneering as Xavier helped her to her feet.
I stood there for a moment, staring at the mess they had made of my things, before finally turning toward the door.
My hands still shook, but with each step, I felt a strange sense of freedom growing inside me.
That place had been my prison for far too long, so I would never come back there.
*
A few days later, Sylus appeared at my villa without knocking, without ringing the bell. It turned out he had a spare key.
I was in the living room when he strolled in, holding a small envelope in his hand. His face was unreadable as he looked at me. Then, with unnerving casualness, he extended the invitation towards me.